In some ways, the scenario for the Mountain Brook volleyball team was exactly the same as it was in 2013.
The highly-regarded Spartans had reached the exclusive Elite Eight and were about to compete against the state’s best volleyball programs for the big-school championship.
But Mountain Brook standout Julia Smith saw something a little different.
“Last year nobody expected us to be here (the Elite Eight) and although we wanted to win, we were probably just excited to make it this far,” Smith said. “This year, we were expected to be here. We came to win. Anything less would be a disappointment.”
But there was another twist to Mountain Brook’s championship run. Thanks to the Alabama High School Association’s new alignment, there are now seven competitive classes instead of only six. Volleyball would be the first sport to crown a champion from the new classification made up of the state’s largest 32 schools.
“That was another incentive,” Smith said. “If somebody has to be the first Class 7A champion in any sport, it might as well be us.”
Those incentives turned out to be plenty. The Lady Spartans ended a two-day run of top-level play with a 3-1 win over longtime nemesis Hoover to claim its first-ever state volleyball title at the Birmingham Crossplex Oct. 30.
Mountain Brook upended the Lady Bucs 25-16, 25-20, 18-25, 25-10 to take the blue prize. Outside hitter Sara Carr led the way with 16 kills, 14 digs and three blocks on the way to earning Most Valuable Player honors. Sara Chandler Mitchell dished out 38 assists, and Smith added 21 digs. Emmy Kilgore had eight kills for the winners, while Abby Garrett, Peyton Selmon and Kendall Crumbaugh each had seven kills.
Ali Lowe paced Hoover with 13 kills, and Nora Webster added seven. Olivia Portera had 16 digs, and Jamie Gregg had 18 assists. Kathryn Cather had 13 assists, 11 digs and eight kills.
The Lady Bucs had defeated Mountain Brook in their two previous meetings.
“We wanted to go into the Elite Eight with a chip on our shoulder,” Smith said. “We were highly-ranked, but we still had something to prove. Our goal was to be untouchable. The fact we were able to play together and play as a unit – not as individuals – was a big reason why we won.”
Mountain Brook coach Haven O’Quinn also emphasized the unity theme in explaining her team’s success.
“This is the most special experience I’ve been a part of because of their unity,” she said. “This sounds old-fashioned, I know, but these girls are like a family.”
Smith, known for her rugged style on the court, sounded similar to a well-known college football coach when offering her own explanation for the Lady Spartans’ stirring title run.
“It was a process,” she said. “Our big goal was to win the state 7A championship, but it was a day-to-day thing. We had a lake retreat before the season and talked about the importance of doing the little things right and working to get better every day. Everything we did was part of the process of reaching the goal we wanted to accomplish. We played with a chip on our shoulder last year, and we wanted to do the same this year.”
Carr, a junior, agreed that the championship run was truly part of a process.
“I think it really began when we lost to Huntsville in the Elite Eight last year,” she said. “Since then, we talked about winning the state championship every day and the things that would be required to do it.”
Team chemistry and unity may have been the most important ingredients, Carr said.
“Our team was so close,” she said. “Everybody says that, but we really were close. Every day, it was like practicing volleyball with your best friend.”
Carr was joined by Smith and Mitchell as Mountain Brook’s representatives on the All-Elite Eight team. Hoover’s Lowe and Cather also earned spots on the team.
Mountain Brook earned its way to the championship round with a 3-1 win over top-ranked Bob Jones, taking 25-22, 22-25, 25-23 and 25-23 victories. Smith had 22 digs, and Garrett had 10 kills and seven blocks.
In quarterfinal play, Mountain Brook swept Fairhope 3-0 with 25-8, 25-12 and 25-10 wins. Mitchell had 10 digs and 29 assists, Smith added 10 digs and four aces, and Garrett had eight kills.
The Lady Spartans ended their year with a 49-10 record.
Carr said she is looking forward to 2015.
“People are already asking about next year,” she said. “We have an unbelievable amount of depth. Our practices were never easy because the girls we were going against were so good. Winning the title next year is definitely a goal.”
As a senior, Smith said she awoke with a strange feeling the morning after Mountain Brook won the title.
“It was really unusual. There was no volleyball game to get ready to play,” she said, laughing. “I don’t really know what I’m going to do with myself now.”
One thing Smith can do is enjoy that championship trophy that she and her teammates worked so long and hard to achieve.
