The top-ranked Montgomery Academy Eagles allowed a second-set flop but flexed their defensive muscle the final two sets in a 3-1 victory over second-ranked Arab, 25-16, 23-25, 25-19 and 25-14, in the 2023 AHSAA Class 5A title match Wednesday at Birmingham’s Bill Harris Arena.

Montgomery Academy (53-6) set the program record for wins in a season while claiming its eighth volleyball title in program history and first since winning three straight from 2018 to 2020.

“We began this journey mid-July and had a strong showing in team camp,” Montgomery Academy coach Julie Gordon said. “It filtered down into practice and we’ve been playing at a high level since the very first match of the season. We haven’t let up and today we played enough to win. It wasn’t our best, but we played enough to win and had moments of brilliance throughout the entire season. It’s just in their blood. They’re driven, they’re motivated and they’re mentally tough.”

Montgomery Academy junior Carolina McDaniel was named tournament MVP following a three-match performance that included 39 kills and 41 digs. She had 16 kills and 15 digs in the title match and has 1,225 kills for her career, including 389 kills this season.

Meanwhile, Addi Vinson, who entered the match with the school record for assists (3,661), finished with a three-match total of 110 assists and 40 digs to increase her mark to 3,771 career assists and 1,455 for the season.

“Well, I can’t do it without my hitters,” Vinson said. “I can put the ball up but they have to score. It feels great, having great defensive people who can give me the ball, and I set it up for them to put it away. It feels amazing.”

Montgomery Academy broke an early 2-2 tie on a 6-1 run in the opening set, building an 8-3 advantage, and closed out on a 4-0 run to earn the first-set win after allowing the Knights to pull within five points.

Arab (48-14) used a 9-3 run in the second set to take a 16-10 lead and earned the 25-22 win despite allowing the Eagles to rally and tie the set at 22-all.

The Eagles wasted no time in the third set, breaking another early 2-2 tie and taking a 9-4 lead before matching points for a 20-15 advantage. The Knights were unable to trim the deficit any further, falling 25-19, and allowed Montgomery Academy a 15-4 closing run in the final set after being knotted up at 10-all.

“One of the main focuses we’ve had as a team this whole season has been contact because we have great hitters who can put the ball away,” junior Elle McBride said. “Throughout the season, we made it our goal to be good at blocking and good at defense.”

The Eagles dropped only a single set in this year’s tournament, resulting in a 9-1 record across three matches.

For Montgomery Academy, Elle McBride had 15 kills, seven digs and five blocks, followed by Emmy Sorrell with 20 digs and seven assists. Morgan Springer finished eight kills, four blocks and three digs, and Isabella Johnson had nine kills and three blocks. Amelia Hughes added seven kills and Kaci Armistead had 16 digs.

Arab was paced by Laney Kelley, who led the Knights with 16 kills and three digs, and Sami Kate Hudson posted 12 digs and seven kills. Bennett Elrod and Lexi Mann both had nine kills, the former adding 13 digs, and Marissa Pope had 18 digs. Millie Lackey contributed 35 assists, nine digs and a pair of kills.

Joining McDaniel (MVP) on the All-Tournament team were teammates Vinson, McBride and Sorrell, along with Arab’s Kelley and Hudson.

All matches of the 53rd AHSAA Elite Eight State Volleyball Championships are being live-streamed over the NFHS Network subscriber-based platform and can be accessed at www.nfhsnetwork.com.