Montgomery Catholic’s Harper Howell stood smiling alongside several other All-Tournament Team members after the Knights defeated UMS-Wright on Thursday to win a second straight Class 4A volleyball championship at Bill Harris Arena in Birmingham.

When the public-address announcer called teammate Grace Lavanda as an All-Tournament team member, Howell began to cry.

“My favorite part of the game, the love for the game, is my teammates,” she said when asked about the moment later by a reporter. “I know nothing in volleyball is possible without your teammates. It’s a team game.

“I get emotional,” she continued. “I know how hard we worked for it. I know we deserve it for how hard we work.”

RELATED: Look back at Montgomery Catholic’s 2022 title

Howell’s tears of joy provided a fitting end to a tumultuous season for the Knights (37-11), who endured an offseason coaching change but still managed to repeat as state champ.

First-year coach Jenn Denham said the Knights (37-11) dealt well with the “bulls-eye” placed on them as the defending 4A champ.

“I told them change can be bad, change can be good, change can be hard,” Denham said. “They embraced me from the very beginning.”

Stat sheet: Tournament MVP Maria Schawrz led the Knights with 29 assists and nine digs. Harper Howell led the offense with 11 kills, while Grace Levanda added eight kills and Kathryn Reardon added seven kills. Mally Barranco had 17 digs. … For UMS-Wright (28-12), Noel Freeman led the way with with 16 kills. Madison Lathan had 14 assists and Gracie Reynolds added 12 assists. Chandler Thomas tallied 12 digs, and Josie Jayne delivered nine kills.

Key sequence: The Knights won the first, but UMS-Wright found hard in the second set and built a slim 16-15 lead. Eighth-grader Zaria Rudolph then made an acrobatic shot to get the ball across the net, and it fell just inside the sideline for a game-tying point.

Barranco followed with an ace, followed by a Rudolph kill and another kill by Levanda to make it 19-16. The lead eventually grew to 23-18 before the Knights held off a late rally to make win the second set 25-23.

The four-point spurt – started by Rudolph’s lunging shot to get the ball over the net – seized the momentum for the Knights in a critical point in the match.

Coachspeak: “I didn’t play a single point all year. It’s all them.” – Denham

“Montgomery Catholic is a heck of a team.” – UMS-Wright coach Carolyn Houston

Did you know? The Knights (37-11) swept to 3-0 victories over all three state tournament opponents – Corner, Deshler and UMS-Wright.

All-Tournament Team: Grace Levanda, Mally Barranco and Harper Howell, Montgomery Catholic; Josie Jaye and Noel Freeman, UMS-Wright; Tournament MVP – Maria Schwarz