Mountain Brook advances to 7A state final

Mountain Brook is on a mission.

After defeating Enterprise High School 3-0  in Wednesday afternoon’s state quarterfinal match, the Spartans responded with an even more dominant performance in the evening’s state semifinal, blanking top-seeded Huntsville High School 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-16) to clinch a spot in Thursday’s  Class 7A State Final.

“That was the best I’ve seen them play thus far,” Mountain Brook coach Haven O’Quinn said. “That match, I would say, is our best group win in terms of every single one of the girls contributed, did their job, understood what we needed from them individually and executed the game plan.”

Like they did in the quarterfinals, the Spartans took advantage of quick starts at the beginning of each game to gain an early advantage.

Behind the powerful trio of Emmy Kilgore (13 kills), Sara Carr (12 kills) and Caroline Davies (10 kills), Mountain Brook secured leads of at least six points by the halfway mark of each game.

 “We’re just trying to do our best and play to our potential,” Carr said. “We don’t have to win, we just have to play our best, but when we play our best, when we’re playing and we’re having fun, that’s when we win.”

As evidenced by the results, it’s safe to say the Spartans were having a blast on Wednesday, which is quite a contrast from the previous time the team faced Huntsville.

In last Thursday’s semifinal at the Class 7A North Super Regional, Huntsville triumphed over Mountain Brook in four sets, tallying victories of 25-14, 22-25, 25-10 and 25-9 before cruising to the region championship.

 “I think that was big in our growth for the state tournament,” Carr said. “First, it definitely shook our confidence I think, but at practice we came out and worked harder than we’ve ever worked, and I think it really pushed us, and I think sweeping them 3-0 really showed our determination.”

O’Quinn called her team’s effort in the pivotal match “relentless,” crediting her team’s ability to adjust from the region defeat.

“They knew what they needed to do and what we needed to change from Thursday, and they really did it from beginning to end,” O’Quinn said.

The Spartans will play for their second straight 7A state championship Thursday morning at 10 a.m., when they face McGill-Toolen Catholic in the finals.  McGill-Toolen, the South Region champion, earned victories over Hoover and Grissom in the quarter and semifinals.

Despite the pair of momentous victories, Mountain Brook is prepared for a battle, aware of the match’s season-defining stakes.

“We’ve got level heads, but we just know we’ve got to be us,” Carr said.