TRI-MATCH YIELDS SPLIT FOR LIONS

The Briarwood Christian School volleyball showed some toughness on Tuesday night at a tri-match with Homewood and Vestavia Hills.

The Lions split their pair of matches, beating the Lady Patriots and getting swept by the Rebels.

The opening match of the evening turned out to be the most eventful, as Homewood jumped out to an easy 25-16 first-set win. The Lady Patriots held a lead again in the second set, but the Lions fought back to stay in the match.

“They stuck with it,” Briarwood head coach Jeff Robertson said. “That goes to the character of the girls and just their competitiveness, their grit.”

The Lions went on to win a thrilling second set, 26-24, and ran away with a 15-8 decisive set.

“They played hard, they never gave up. Didn’t roll over and kept on fighting,” Robertson said.

Briarwood was unable to continue that momentum, and was simply “outmanned” by Vestavia Hills. The Rebels won in straight sets, 25-17, 25-13.

“We’ll build on that. Playing these (Class) 6- and 7A schools hopefully will prepare us better for our area,” Robertson said.

Vestavia Hills swept Homewood, 25-12, 25-20, in the final match of the evening.

The Lions currently sit at 4-4 on the young season, coming off a 2-3 showing at their Serve Off Tournament over the weekend. A trip to Ramsay on Thursday is next on the docket.

Robertson said, “Right now, I’m pleased with where the girls are. We’re building, working hard everyday in practice.”