AHSAA Volleyball Spotlight // Hoover Notches Camper’s 700th Win in Boddie Tourney

AHSAA Volleyball Spotlight 

MONTGOMERY – Hoover High School’s volleyball team opened the 2020 season in style last weekend winning the 38th annual Juanita Boddie Invitational Tourney and also notching the 700th victory in head coach Chris Camper’s prep coaching career.

The Bucs landed their third honor this week earning the AHSAA Volleyball Spotlight for the first week of play.

The Bucs (7-1) won the Boddie tourney, which was first played in 1982, for just the second time in the history of the annual season-opening battle of 40 of the top teams in Alabama and the Southeast. Hoover (7-1), which won its previous tourney in 2014, opened the season with a loss to powerful McGill-Toolen Catholic on Thursday and then rolled to seven straight wins without losing a set in the tourney held at the Finley Center in Hoover.  

The Bucs avenged its loss to McGill-Toolen winning 2-0 in the semifinals on Saturday and then downed Class 5A power Bayside Academy in the finals. That victory was win No. 700 for CamperHe has compiled a 700-288 head-coaching record during a career is now in its  21st year with stops at Erwin (Center Point), Spain Park and Mountain Brook. Now in his ninth season at Hoover, the Bucs are 269-91 under his tutelage through last weekend’s tourney.

Leading Hoover was junior Rya McKinnon,who had 54 kills in the tourney, and senior Gabrielle Essix,who had 41 kills and led the Bucs in blocks. Setter Aly Durbanalso had 138 assists.

Other top performances reported from the first week of play include:

KILLS
GRACIE LYNN BUTLER, HAZEL GREEN: 
Had 83 kills in eight matches – including seven wins in a row to open the season. She also had 53 digs, 11 blocks and nine aces for the Trojans (7-1).
SKYLER BUMPERS, McGILL-TOOLEN CATHOLIC: Had 81 kills, 50 digs and eight aces in six matches for the Dirty Dozen (6-1).
AUDREY ROTHMAN, SPAIN PARK: Totaled 81 kills, 11 blocks, 17 assists and 10 service aces in six matches for the Jaguars (5-1).
AIRYIONNA WEAVER, MARY MONTGOMERY: Had 77 kills and 66 digs in six matches for the Vikings (3-3).

BLOCKS
GREER GOLDEN & HANNAH HITSON, MOUNTAIN BROOK: Each had 16 blocks in six matches for the Spartans (5-1). Golden also had 28 kills and Hitson has nine aces.
JADA BURKS, AUSTIN: Had 11 blocks and eight kills in four matches for the Black Bears.

ASSISTS
CALI PERSAUD, ATHNS: 
Recorded 136 assists to help the Golden Eagles go 6-3 in nine matches.
KATRINA ROTERMUND, PRICEVILLE: Had 133 assists, 28 digs, nine aces and 16 kills to lead Priceville (6-1) to the Brewer Invitational tourney championship.
VANA FREE, DANVILLE: Led the Hawks (5-1) with 127 assists and 5 digs.
GRACIE MANLEY, ADDISON: Handed out 123 assists and recorded 28 digs as the Bulldogs (3-3) went 2-2 in the Brewer Invitational.
TATUM BEECH, SPANISH FORT: Had 118 assists and 28 digs in five matches for the Trojans (2-3).
ALI ADCOCK, HAZEL GREEN: Handed out 110 assists in eight matches for the Trojans (7-1).
SHAY WALSH, PELHAM: Had 90 assists in six matches for the Panthers (4-2). She also had 33 digs and five aces.
KELSEY TANGLE, THOMPSON: Had 86 assists, 10 kills and five blocks in five matches for Thompson (3-2).
GRACE TAPSCOTT, HARTSELLE: Totaled 86 assists and 24 digs in seven matches for Hartselle.
ALLI DOWNS, CURRY: Had 81 assists to help Curry (7-0) open the season with seven straight wins and the Smith Lake Invitational title. She also served six aces.

DIGS

BRITTANY STROPE HAZEL GREEN: 
Had 94 digs to help the Trojans (7-1) win seven straight matches – including regular-season wins over Jasper and Cullman – before falling Bayside Academy in the Boddie tourney semifinals.
KAYLIE LAKE, NORTHRIDGE: Recorded 70 digs and 10 aces for Northridge (4-2) in six matches.
BRI WIGLEY, SPANISH FORT: Had 62 digs and seven aces for the Toros (2-3).
SYDNEY JAFFEE, OAK MOUNTAIN: Totaled 58 digs in five matches to help the Eagles SARAH BROCKWAY, GRISSOM: Totaled 50 digs in six matches for the Tigers. She also had 23 kills, six blocks and four service aces.
LUCI WILKINSON, BAYSIDE ACADEMY: Had 76 digs, 43 kills and 10 aces as the Lady Admirals, competing as a Class 5A team for the first time, finished second in the 38th Juanita Boddie tourney.

SERVICE ACES
AUDREY SIBLEY, HALEYVILLE: 
The sophomore had 23 aces, 41 kills and 52 digs for the Lions (5-2), who finished second in the Smith Lake Invitational at Curry. Teammate Ashton McCullar also had 18 aces.
ASHLYN WRIGHT, BUCKHORN: Recorded 15 aces, 14 blocks and 48 kills in nine matches for the Bucks (7-2).
EVELYN KING, MOUNTAIN BROOK: Totaled 14 aces and had 52 digs for the Spartans (5-1) in six matches.
MEG PAPARELLA, WESTMINSTER CHRISTIAN: Had 13 aces and 13 kills in two matches for WCA (2-0).
BRAELEE QUINN, WEST POINT: Served 13 aces for West Point (6-2) in eight matches. She also had 36 kills.
CHLOE MAY, CENTRAL-FLORENCE:  Had 13 aces and 27 assists for Central (3-5).
KARLI WALKER, ARAB: Opened the season with 12 aces in two matches. She also had 21 kills and seven blocks as the Knights went 2-0.
LACEY SHEAFFER, OAK MOUNTAIN: Served 12 aces, had 32 kills and 44 digs in five matches for the Eagles (3-2).
BEKAH CHILDRESS, LAUDERDALE COUNTY: Had 12 aces in five matches for the Tigers (4-1). She also had 25 kills and 14 digs.
MADELINE BACON, MADISON ACADEMY: Had 12 aces, 35 assists and 18 digs for the Mustangs (3-3) in six matches.