BIRMINGHAM – Addison’s defining moment came at its lowest point on Thursday.

Trailing second-ranked Winston County two sets to one, the No. 1 Lady Bulldogs huddled together closely on the bench and listened intently to coach Kayla Woodard’s simple yet effective message.

What a difference a few words can make.

Addison shook off a rare daze and pulled through when it mattered most, garnering a five-set victory (25-21, 20-25, 19-25, 25-16, 15-8) in the Class 2A state volleyball championship match to claim its sixth consecutive title and 11th in program history.

For Woodard, those precious moments when momentum seemed the enemy were essential in her program’s ability to continue its remarkable run inside Birmingham’s Bill Harris Arena.

“The time we had between set 3 and set 4 … we had to sit down and settle down,” the fourth-year coach said. “They were stressing and doing crazy things … things we normally don’t do. They were nervous. Our younger ones were nervous, but a lot of our older ones were nervous as well. This is supposed to be fun. I told them, ‘You need to enjoy the moment. You need to stop stressing. You need to get excited but still communicate.’ Everything looked very hard in those first three sets. We had never trailed to them by two sets, so it was a huge eye-opener for us.

“But I focused on calming them down. After that, we did a much better job of getting it all together.”

Savannah Manley agreed fully.

The junior, who was named tournament MVP after collecting 25 kills, four digs and three aces, admitted to feeling relief following the outcome.

The thought of losing, however, never crossed her mind.

“I knew if we lost we were going home,” she said. “I just wanted to step up for my team and be a leader and try to calm everybody down. I told the girls, ‘We’re all right. We can do this. We’ve just got to go out and play our game.’ I think after we won that fourth set, we had the confidence we needed.

“I think we knew they were down, and we took advantage of that.”

The Lady Bulldogs trailed 20-17 in the first set before recording eight of the final nine points to win it.

The Lady Yellow Jackets didn’t fade, though, outplaying its opponent over the next two sets to put themselves in prime position to nab a state crown.

Then came the much-needed meeting between coach and players, which ended those dreams for Winston County.

Addison built commanding leads in the fourth and fifth sets, respectively, before eventually securing the championship point and celebrating with a customary dog pile in the middle of the court.

“I had a good feeling (after the fourth set),” Woodard said. “I knew we needed to start the fifth set well, but I could tell the girls were feeling better. That was the first set I felt they actually had fun and enjoyed the experience.”

Added Manley: “I have to give credit to our coaches. They’re so smart, and they prepare us for every little thing. We work every practice getting better and better. It’s a relief to finish this off with a win.”

Callie Crider (14 kills and one dig) and Macey Butler (28 assists, 17 digs and one kill) accompanied Manley on the All-Tournament Team.

Said Manley of her MVP selection: “It means a lot to me. I couldn’t have done it without my teammates. I want to thank them for being there for me and working hard all year.”

Other top contributors were Tess Alvis (23 digs and 10 kills), Addisyn Smothers (nine digs and five kills), Brie Ory (12 digs and two aces), Natalie Jefferson (25 assists, five digs and one kill), Sarah Parris (one ace and one dig), Gracie Manley (10 digs and one ace) and Destiny Walker (24 digs and two assists).

The Lady Bulldogs (54-12) improved to 5-1 over Winston County this season, thrice avenging a county tournament defeat at the hands of the Lady Yellow Jackets.

As for Woodard, she could only ease into the fact her team had notched another state championship.

The feelings, as one might expect, were mixed.

“In my mind, I’m always like, ‘Was that the last point?’” she said. “It was a sense of relief (winning). You’re relieved when it’s over, but I’m also super excited to see the hard work pay off. The young ones you get to work with and learning new things and asking them to play up. It makes you proud as a coach for them to be successful in the end.”