CULLMAN COUNTY VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT: Fairview outlasts West Point for 3rd straight title

Published 10:33 pm Tuesday, October 16, 2018

VINEMONT — Fairview’s run of county championships isn’t over just yet.

The second-seeded Lady Aggies downed No. 1 West Point (18-25, 25-18, 16-14) in a thrilling title tilt to pick up their third consecutive Cullman County Volleyball Tournament crown and improve to 43-13 this season following a daylong showdown between two heavyweight squads on Tuesday.

Fairview outlasted the Lady Warriors (37-6) in their initial match (25-17, 16-25, 15-8) of the afternoon to advance directly to the finale.

West Point, meanwhile, navigated its way past No. 4 Good Hope (25-15, 25-20) to earn another shot at the two-time defending champion.

And while the Lady Warriors secured a win in that particular contest (25-20, 25-22), they weren’t able to parlay their momentum into the program’s first county championship in more than 50 years.

They were, however, able to make it extremely difficult for the Lady Aggies.

“I told them it was going to be a fight tonight,” coach Tracy Means said. “Then I told them, ‘Let’s win that fight.’ I told them to keep believing in each other and keep working. It worked out for us. We’ve worked on doing the small things all year and building on that. They fought there at the end.

“West Point has an outstanding team. This one (championship) feels wonderful.”

As for the excitement level, Daisy Manasco couldn’t have handled much more.

The tournament MVP collected 35 kills, 11 digs, five blocks and two aces over three matches, but it all paled in comparison to the feeling of joy and relief she felt when the title-clinching point was captured.

“It’s very nerve-wracking,” Manasco said. “We get very tense and don’t know how to calm down. But we’ve worked all season for this, and we were ready. We came in knowing we were going to leave all we had here on the court. We did it again. They’re all good, but this one is the best. We really had to work hard and play to our full potential.”

Micah Means (38 assists, three blocks and five digs), Alivia Boyll (33 assists, six blocks and five digs), Isabella McGukin (seven digs, five blocks, two kills and one ace), Tess Bailey (15 blocks, 14 kills, 13 digs and three aces) and Katie Ball (19 kills, 15 digs, four blocks and three aces) were the other top contributors for Fairview.

Stats for Good Hope, Vinemont and West Point were unavailable. The Lady Raiders eliminated the Lady Eagles (25-23, 25-13) before falling to the Lady Warriors.

All-Tournament Team

% Selena Clark, West Point

% Lexi Shadix, West Point

% Mackenzie Carter, West Point

% Katie Ball, Fairview

% Daisy Manasco, Fairview

% Tess Bailey, Fairview

% Alee Jackson, Good Hope

% Chrissi Smith, Good Hope

% Rachel Hall, Vinemont

% Liv Johnson, Vinemont

All-County Team

% Chrissi Smith, Good Hope

% Rachel Hall, Vinemont

% Katie Ball, Fairview

% Alivia Boyll, Fairview

% Daisy Manasco, Fairview

% Tess Duke, Holly Pond

% Lexi Shadix, West Point

% Selena Clark, West Point

% Josie Huckaby, West Point

% Emi Harbison, Cold Springs

% Anna Kate Voce, Cold Springs

% Skylar Tucker, Good Hope

% Tess Bailey, Fairview

% Kyndell Hays, Holly Pond

Samantha Perdue Award Recipient

% Alivia Boyll, Fairview