Photo courtesy of Mountain Brook Junior High.
The Mountain Brook Junior High eighth-grade volleyball team won the metro championship in October. Top row left to right: Grace Stewart, Francie Morris, Tiley Perrine, Ruthie Armstrong, Lulu Bateh, Mae Mae Beatty, Olivia Dasher, Julianne Malatesta and Coach Bruce Henricks; Bottom row left to right: Ella Kate Wright, AnnCarter Brown, Lola Salter, Allie Acken and Ashby Russell.
The Mountain Brook Junior High eighth-grade volleyball team won the metro championship tournament hosted by R.F. Bumpus Middle School in Hoover on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 2-3.
The win continued the team’s amazing run in the tournament in recent years. They have won the championship in 8 of the last 13 years and finished as runner-up the other five years.
The Spartans, who are coached by Bruce Henricks and came into the tournament as the No. 3 seed, defeated the No. 2 seed — Pizitz Middle School of Vestavia Hills — on Friday.
They then knocked off R.F. Bumpus, the No. 1 seed, on Saturday to reach the finals of the double-elimination event.
The Spartans played Pizitz for the second time and came up just short, but they forced a third match against Pizitz in less than 24 hours.
In the tournament finale, the Spartans defeated Pizitz 26-28, 25-19 and 15-12 to capture the championship.
The eighth-grade volleyball team finished with a league record of 9-2 and an overall record on 17-5.
Submitted by Lelie Wright.
