SPARTANS SWEEP VESTAVIA HILLS

The Mountain Brook High School volleyball team almost left its new head coach speechless on Thursday night. But in a good way. After Vickie Nichols watched her Spartans complete a three-set sweep of Vestavia Hills on Braasch-Hatchett Court, excitement rushed over her and a smile painted her face. A 25-23, 25-23, 25-10 victory was exactly what she had wanted to see. “I think I am just excited that they finished in three,” Nichols said. “That was our goal coming into tonight: We wanted to finish in three.” The first two sets followed a similar pattern, with each team trading points back and forth. Neither squad gained more than a three-point edge at any given time, and each set was tied at 20-20. The Spartans, however, found a way to separate themselves in crunch time. Claire Chester ended the first set with a kill down an open alley in the middle of the court, and Grace Carr delivered an ace to end the second set. “I really think our energy became so much better in the very end of it and then we just pushed so much harder,” said Ellie Dayhuff, a sophomore middle hitter. “We really just all came together.” Mountain Brook jumped out to an early lead in the final set, and it didn’t relent until clinching match point. The Spartans held a 15-5 lead through the first 20 points. “The third set I felt like we did not come out with the same composure and energy that we did in the first two,” said Vestavia Hills head coach Mandy Burgess. “We should have wiped the slate clean after the first two and come in with three sets ready to play.” Burgess said her team will need to limit unforced errors and improve serving consistency moving forward. The Rebels (7-4) entered Thursday’s match on the heels of a strong showing at the Juanita Boddie Tournament, held this past weekend at Hoover. They tore through the silver bracket and defeated Buckhorn in the final. Mountain Brook (4-3) advanced to the gold bracket at the same tournament and eventually made it to the quarterfinal. The Spartans were able to parlay that momentum into Thursday’s match, which Nichols said she counted as the true start of the regular season. If her face — and voice — are any indication, she liked what she saw. “They’ve just got a killer instinct still,” Nichols said. “I mean, they want to win. They want to continue what we’ve done, and that was evident.” Mountain Brook will return to action this weekend at the Iron Man Tournament in Huntsville. Vestavia Hills will host Tuscaloosa County next Thursday.

SPARTANS SWEEP VESTAVIA HILLS

Photo Credit: Barry Stephenson

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