PREP VOLLEYBALL: Addison wins 4th super regional in row, advances to 14th straight state tourney

Published 6:57 pm Saturday, October 24, 2015

HUNTSVILLE — New coach. Mostly new roster.

Same ol’ streak.

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Make that streaks.

Second-ranked Addison swept Ranburne to clinch its 14th straight state tournament appearance and later topped No. 4 Ider and No. 3 Falkville to claim the Class 2A North Super Regional championship Saturday at the Von Braun Center.

The super regional crown was the Bulldogs’ fourth in a row. In fact, they’ve yet to lose one since the state switched playoff formats.

Addison (47-13) will enter the state tourney as the North’s top seed and face New Brockton, which finished fourth in the South, Wednesday at 12:30 p.m. at the Birmingham CrossPlex. Should the Dawgs continue to win, the semis would be later Wednesday and the championship match Thursday at 8 p.m.

Addison appeared to be on its way to a fourth sweep of area-rival Falkville this season after winning the first two sets 25-21, 25-16. The Blue Devils, however, refused to go quietly into the night, taking the third set 19-25 and leading 13-5 at one point in the fourth.

That was about the time the Bulldogs remembered they were the Bulldogs, as Anna Tuggle, Cecille Gaither and Callie Brewer orchestrated a rally to make it close again. Brewer and Sadie Brock made the difference the rest of the way out, putting Addison on their backs en route to a 26-24 comeback.

The Dawgs’ celebration was mild compared to Saturday’s other super regional champs — which makes sense. They’ve been there a time or two.

Or four.

The latest might be Addison’s most impressive considering the small-school powerhouse entered the season with just three players — Brewer, Ragen Yarbrough and Maison Evans — with significant varsity experience.

“I think it’s about just being competitive and having a lot of heart,” Brewer said of keeping the program’s tradition going. “Our coaches have a lot to do with it. They expect it from us, so it makes us expect it from ourselves.”

Brock sounded quite a bit like her teammate when explaining what it took for the Bulldogs to get back on the rails when Falkville had stolen all the momentum.

“We have a lot of heart,” she said. “We fall apart sometimes, but we come right back usually.”

First-year Addison head coach Kayla Woodard couldn’t hide her frustration in the later sets of the championship match but perked up — only slightly — after her squad secured the hardware.

It might’ve been “ugly,” but hey, “a win’s a win.”

“I’m proud of them for pulling through,” she said. “I can’t take anything from Falkville really because they’ve improved a lot. It’s gotten harder to beat them every time. My girls knew them so well.”

Brock and Brewer brought the power in the title tilt with 18 and 15 kills, respectively. Brewer was also responsible for 12 digs, two aces and a block, while Brock sacrificed her body for 11 digs.

Other notable contributors were Abbie Chambless, nine blocks, five kills and a dig; Yarbrough, 40 assists and 10 digs; Evans, 22 digs; Anna Tuggle, four blocks, three kills, two aces and a dig; and Taylor Erb, four kills, a block and a dig.

The Dawgs downed Ranburne 25-12, 25-11, 25-16 to open Saturday’s action and passed a tough test against Ider with a 25-23, 25-11, 25-22 win.

Brock was beastly early with 19 kills and 11 digs between the quarterfinal and semifinal matches. Brewer chimed in with 12 kills, 24 digs and two aces, while Chambless patrolled the net for 10 kills and 10 blocks. Erb tacked on nine kills, five aces and 14 digs.

Tuggle was good for eight kills, four aces and two blocks in the Ider match. Yarbrough put the perfect touch on 30 assists.

Addison is seeking its third state title in a row, second straight in 2A, eighth overall and first under Woodard, who has a total of five as a player and assistant.

“I’m confident,” Brewer said. “I know it’s going to be hard, but I know that if we play like we can, then we can be a really good team.”

Brewer didn’t have to think about which team she’d ultimately prefer if Addison advances to the championship. If things go her way, the 2A final will come down to the Bulldogs and Providence Christian for a second consecutive season.

Providence Christian has been ranked No. 1 all fall after returning a great deal of talent from the team that fell in four sets to Addison in last year’s title match.

“We know they’re really strong, but we like playing good competition,” Brewer said. “We like to see how we match up against people. We’re hoping for ’em.”