Mustangs win county volleyball tournament
Published 9:53 am Monday, October 5, 2020
Tournament Champions Isabella Mustangs
Thorsby's Morgan Scarbrough
Maplesville's Laci Cook
Isabella's Brooke Johnson
Isabella's Alyssa Kiefer
Chilton County's Emily Powell
Jemison's Jaclyn Lowery
Isabella celebrates win
All Tournament Team (Isabella - Brooke Johnson, not pictures, Gracie Fjeldstad, Alexia Valerio / Maplesville - Jaycie Armstrong / Jemison - Kinsley Martin / Chilton County - Emily Powell, Alayna Lockhart / Thorby - Emily Parker)
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By Brandon Sumrall
Special to the Advertiser
A full Saturday of volleyball action was not without some drama as the Isabella Mustangs varsity volleyball team claimed the title of Chilton County Tournament Champion with a straight set wins 25-12 and 28-26 over the Chilton County Tigers.
With a win over the Thorsby Rebels (25-10 & 25-15) for the Mustangs and a win over the Jemison Panthers (25-18; 22-25; 15-11) for the Tigers, Saturday’s Championship game on Oct. 3 was set.
The early moments of the opening set would be a nip and tuck affair as the teams battled back and forth through a six all tie. With Lyndsey Sims taking over serving duties for the Mustangs, a 3-0 run by Isabella would bring forth the first real advantage of the set as the Mustangs took a 9-6 lead. Chilton County battled back however to pull to within one at 11-10 when Kristin Wilson took over serving duties for Isabella. An ace by Wilson along with a pair of kills by Brooke Johnson led Isabella on a 8-0 that would push Isabella way out in front 19-11.
The Mustang run was not without its consequences, however, as a late run spike attempt by Isabella’s Brooke Johnson would see the Tournament MVP suffer a horrific injury. With both teams clearing the floor while medics attended to Johnson, tournament action would also come to a stop while members of both teams were consoled by one another as well as by coaches and parents. With Johnson on her way to medical attention after a bath of well wishes from teammates and fans, tournament action was forced to resume under the somber cloud of emotion. The Mustangs adopted a new mantra for the remainder of the Championship Match, simply…”For Brooke.”
A quick point by the Tigers made it a 19-12 Isabella lead. The Mustangs regained serving duties where a 6-0 run led by Gracie Fjeldstad propelled Isabella to a 25-12 first set victory.
Set two of the match saw a turn in momentum as the Tigers start out with an early run led by Emily Powell to take a 4-1 lead. The Chilton lead remained intact until Fjeldstad took over serving duties for Isabella and led a 8-0 run that put the Mustangs out in front 11-6. Chilton answered once again as Kelsey Cleckler led a 6-0 Tiger run from the serving position that gave Chilton a 15-12 advantage. A back and forth battle ensued that saw the teams play through a 26 all tie before a time out and once last huddle break down by the Mustangs with a “For Brooke” led to two finals points for the home standing Mustangs that would seal a 28-26 set victory as well as the title of Chilton County Volleyball Tournament Champion.
