Tharptown advances to volleyball regionals
By Bart Moss for the FCT
The Tharptown Lady Wildcats defeated the Belgreen Lady Bulldogs to finish runner-up in the area tournament Monday evening. The defeat advances THS to the regional volleyball tournament in Huntsville for the first time since 2013.
Tharptown eventually fell to area winner Phillips High School in the finals.
The Lady Bulldogs had gotten the best of the Lady Wildcats in their previous regular season and tournament meetings this season. It appeared the Bulldogs were on their way to a sixth-straight trip to the regionals until the Wildcats mounted a stunning comeback to beat their rival on a neutral court in Bear Creek.
Belgreen won the first two sets convincingly, 25-19 and 25-16, and stood on the brink of ending the Wildcats’ season and advancing to the regionals themselves. Tharptown, however, didn’t go down without a fight, winning the next three sets 25-22, 25-18 and 15-12 to win the match and advance to the finals.
“I am so proud of the no-quit attitude this team had tonight,” said Tharptown head coach Tracey Fretwell. “They were not going to be denied this opportunity. They took a little warming up but then started really playing this game. They wouldn’t give up and just kept clawing their way back on top.
“Belgreen played a really tough game, but my girls never stopped believing they could win it.”
Makensy Hester had 40 assists and ten digs. Erica Gray had eight kills, six aces, five blocks, and eight digs. Brooke Daily had nine kills, ten aces, four blocks and five digs. Kasey McCormack had 50 assists, five aces, four kills and five digs. Adriana Borden had five kills and five blocks. Anslee Bottoms and Amelia Dawson had three kills each and three blocks.
Hester, Gray and Daily all earned All-Area honors for the Wildcats.
Belgreen coach Teresa Whitten said she hopes her program can build on the setback and learn from it.
“We had so much adversity throughout the season and in the past week,” said Whitten. “My assistant coach, Tressa Bragwell, had a stroke at practice last week, and she is the mother of our setter Autumn Bragwell. The team has been through quite an ordeal, but we will use it to build on next year.”
Whitten said Bragwell is in recovery and expected to be OK.
Belgreen had two All-Area selections – Autumn Bragwell and Emma Dempsey. Bragwell had 35 assists, one ace, one block, three kills and four digs. Dempsey had 15 kills, five aces and six digs.
Tharptown will play in the regionals at the Von Braun Civic Center in Huntsville later this week. This will be the Wildcats’ third trip to the regional tournament. The previous two trips were in 2012 and 2013.
