Sylacauga Volleyball falls to Moody in five sets in Area Championship

SYLACAUGA, Ala. — Sylacauga came within two points of an area volleyball championship Tuesday night, but Moody held off the Aggies in five sets to claim the area title.

After winning the opening set 25-17, Sylacauga dropped the next two sets, 25-22 and 25-18, before rallying for a 25-22 victory in the fourth to force a deciding fifth set. The Aggies held an early lead in the final set, but Moody recovered to win 15-13 and take the match, 3-2.

Sophomore Bianca Hall was a major part of Sylacauga's offensive effort throughout the match, while senior Kennedy Hollinquest and junior Adyson Twymon also contributed important plays in a contest that featured several momentum changes.

Moody opened the first set with a 4-1 lead before Sylacauga worked its way back. The Aggies tied the score at 4-4 and took their first lead at 5-4.

After the teams traded points, Sylacauga began to pull away. Leading 8-7, the Aggies scored five consecutive points to take a 13-7 advantage and force a Moody timeout.

Sylacauga continued to extend its lead, moving ahead 16-8 before Moody began to close the gap. Hollinquest recorded a kill to make it 18-10, but the Blue Devils eventually cut the deficit to 19-14.

Following a Sylacauga timeout, Hall added a kill to put the Aggies ahead 21-15. Sylacauga scored four of the final six points to win the opening set 25-17.

The second set started well for the Aggies, who jumped ahead 4-1. Senior Tarea Carter recorded an early kill, and Hall added another as Sylacauga maintained a 5-3 advantage.

Moody answered with a run that tied the set at 5-5 before taking control midway through. With the score tied at 6-6, the Blue Devils scored four consecutive points to take a 10-6 lead, prompting a Sylacauga timeout.

Hall recorded a kill immediately following the break, but Moody continued to lead throughout the middle portion of the set.

Trailing 19-13, Sylacauga began to cut into the deficit. Hall recorded another kill, and the Aggies pulled within 19-16 before Moody pushed its lead back to 20-16.

Sylacauga continued to battle late in the set, closing the margin to 23-21. Moody reached set point at 24-21, and although the Aggies scored once more, the Blue Devils finished the set 25-22 to even the match at one set apiece.

The third set was close early, with Sylacauga holding leads of 3-2 and 4-2 before Moody scored five consecutive points to move ahead 7-4.

The Aggies cut the deficit to 8-7, but Moody responded with another run and eventually built a 16-9 advantage.

Sylacauga scored four consecutive points to make it 16-13, forcing a Moody timeout. The Blue Devils answered by scoring the next three points and maintained their lead the rest of the way.

Moody won the third set 25-18 to take a 2-1 lead in the match and put Sylacauga in a position where it needed to win the fourth set to keep its championship hopes alive.

The fourth set produced the closest finish of the match to that point.

Moody led 5-2 early and maintained its advantage through much of the set. Sylacauga tied the score at 8-8, but the Blue Devils regained control and eventually built a 17-11 lead.

The Aggies began cutting into the deficit with four consecutive points to make it 17-15, forcing a Moody timeout.

Moody held on to its lead following the break, moving ahead 19-16 and later 21-19.

With the Aggies trailing 22-20, Hall recorded a kill to bring Sylacauga within one point.

The Aggies then tied the score at 22-22 before taking a 23-22 lead. Sylacauga scored the next two points as well, completing a 5-0 run to win the fourth set 25-22.

Hall's play at the net and several important defensive efforts helped Sylacauga overcome the late deficit and force a fifth set.

With the match tied at two sets apiece, the area championship came down to a race to 15 points.

Moody scored the first two points of the deciding set before Hollinquest recorded a kill to tie the score at 2-2.

Sylacauga moved ahead 5-3, forcing a Moody timeout as the home crowd reacted to the Aggies' early lead. The Aggies extended the advantage to 6-3, but Moody began working its way back.

The Blue Devils tied the score at 7-7 before Twymon came up with a block at the net to give Sylacauga an 8-7 lead.

Moody answered by scoring four consecutive points to take an 11-8 advantage.

Sylacauga cut the deficit to 11-10, but the Blue Devils responded with two more points to move ahead 13-10.

The Aggies refused to go away, scoring three of the next four points to pull within 14-13 and force Moody to earn the final point.

The Blue Devils finished the set 15-13 to secure the area championship.

Sylacauga's loss came after the Aggies swept Clay Central 25-11, 25-12 and 25-9 earlier in the day to reach the championship match.

The Aggies have already qualified for the sub-regional round of the state playoffs with their semifinal victory. As the area runner-up, Sylacauga will travel for its sub-regional match, while Moody will host as the area champion.