1 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
2 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood's Kolbi Reed (11) as Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
3 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood's Grace Mulvaney (17) as Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
4 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
5 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood's Natalie Crumpler (5) and Kaley Bruce (32) as Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
6 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood's Grace Mulvaney (17) as Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
7 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood's Grace Mulvaney (17) as Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
8 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
9 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood's Anna Donohue (3) as Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
10 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
11 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
12 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood's Natalie Crumpler (5) as Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
13 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
14 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood's Natalie Crumpler (5) as Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
15 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
16 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood's Kyndal Patterson (10) as Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
17 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood's Kyndal Patterson (10) as Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
18 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
19 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood's Kyndal Patterson as Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
20 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
21 of 21
Sarah Finnegan
Briarwood Volleyball QuarterFinals 2016
Briarwood Christian School takes on Lawrence County at the AHSAA Volleyball State Championships on October 26, 2016 at the Birmingham Crossplex. The Lions fell to the Red Devils 0-3.
Their schedule prepared them well, but the Lions saw their postseason run come to a close on Wednesday morning at the AHSAA State Volleyball Championships.
The Briarwood Christian School volleyball team faced a tough Lawrence County team and fell 3-0 (20-25, 21-25, 23-25).
“The girls played hard,” head coach Jeff Robertson said. “They fought, competed every point. I was very proud of their fight and determination. We competed very well against a very good Lawrence County team. Today, they were the better team. That’s how it goes.
“Great student body that came and supported us today.”
Briarwood won the Class 5A, Area 8 tournament to advance to the Class 5A Super Regionals last week, where the Lions won a pair of matches to seal its spot in Birmingham.
Despite concluding with a 19-23 overall record, the Lions played just eight regular season matches against 5A competition, electing to face several 6A and 7A squads in preparation for the level of play in the postseason tournaments.
We knew our level of competition that we’d been playing was going to prepare us for a run in the postseason,” Robertson said. “They bought into that process and it showed in the long run.”
Robertson is in his 11th year at Briarwood, but just completed his first as head coach. He said he is hoping to build upon the foundation set by coaches of years past, with the Lions winning seven Class 3A state titles in the 1990s.
Briarwood departs two seniors in Alex O’Brien and Natalie Crumpler, and will welcome back an experienced team next fall.