No stress. That’s the phrase Addison volleyball coach Kaydi Woodard used to describe her team following yet another state title match victory.

“They get along like sisters, they fight like sisters too, but they are there for each other,” Woodard said. “It has been stress-free and drama-free. They are just the happiest little team I’ve ever seen. They made it easy.”

Easy enough as the top-ranked Addison (45-10) closed out a 3-0 sweep of No. 5 Covenant Christian, 25-9, 25-20 and 25-18, to win its third straight state title in the 2022 AHSAA Class 1A title match Wednesday at Birmingham’s Bill Harris Arena.

The Bulldogs win their 14th volleyball title and have not missed the semifinal round in more than two decades.

“Extremely proud of them because they worked very hard,” Woodard said. “This summer they worked out at 5 a.m., three days a week, and then had practice. It’s been a lot of work put into this year. My seniors, most of them this is their third state championship in a row so it was extremely special for us to get a three-pete.”

Senior Gracie Manley closes out her career with tournament MVP honors after leading the Bulldogs with 29 assists in the title match and 97 total assists and eight aces in the tournament.

“I couldn’t do it without my teammates,” Manley said. “I’m really grateful to be the MVP but it’s all of us. Everybody does their part and couldn’t do it without anyone on the team. Everybody does a great job and we work together so well.”

Addison set the tone for the match in the opening set, jumping out to a 6-0 lead before shutting down Covenant Christian 25-9. The second set saw the Eagles rebound from a 4-0 deficit and pull within two points midway through the frame. The Bulldogs went on a 7-2 run to build a 22-15 lead and Covenant Christian ended with a flurry that came a little too late, falling 25-20.

The final set saw the Eagles take an early 5-3 lead and battle to a 20-all tie in the final moments. However, Addison closed out the final frame with a 5-0 run to clinch its third straight state title.

“Experience plays a role,” Woodard said. “All these girls have been here multiple times. One thing we started doing was we realized we were making more mistakes than good plays in the middle of the year. We started a new drill by getting to 5 points, then 10 points and 15 points. In that third game, it really made a difference. We came back and finished.”

The Bulldogs did not drop a set in this year’s tournament, resulting in a perfect 9-0 record across three matches.

Stat sheet: Dacey Baker led the Bulldogs with 13 kills, followed by Katie Barrett with nine kills, five digs and four aces. Manley had 29 assists, seven digs and five kills, Abby Waldrep finished with eight kills, and Bailee Ory added 12 digs and two kills. Hadley Butler contributed seven digs, six assists and three aces.

For the Eagles, Ashlee Gann led the way with 10 kills, adding 11 digs, followed by Zoe Griffin with seven kills and six digs. Sierra Cook finished with 20 assists and four digs, and Ella Estave contributed seven digs.

All-Tournament Team: Joining Manley (MVP) on the All-Tournament team were teammates Baker and Ory, along with Covenant Christian’s Ashlee Gann and Zoe Griffin.