Seniors leave lasting mark on Eagles program

There was one end goal in mind for the Oak Mountain High School volleyball team.

A state championship.

The Eagles (49-9) sat down before the season and attempted to figure out how to get there. They drew up a figurative road map of checkpoints and goals that would allow them to reach their ultimate dream.

But that dream was dashed Nov. 1, as the Eagles fell to Bob Jones, 3-0 (23-25, 19-25, 24-26), in a tightly contested Class 7A state semifinal match at the Birmingham CrossPlex.

Although the desired destination was not reached, the trip was by no means a lost cause.

“Even though we fell a little short, I hope all the youngsters know that doesn’t mean failure,” coach Tien Le said.

The Eagles had eight seniors returning this fall and had high hopes. They expected to be one of the top teams in the state, and they were. The Final Four is an accomplishment Le thinks his group should be proud of, despite the empty feeling, looks of stunned realization and tears shed at the conclusion of the season-ending loss.

“There are other measuring sticks for success,” Le said. “I think all the junior players behind them, they saw how much it means to them. They’re leaving a very good legacy I think.”

Keller Lovvorn, Kaitlyn Lund, Kathryn Beard, Brie Palmer, Ashley Treace, Torie Denkers, Kendall Scharbert and Cameron Rueschenberg made tremendous strides in many areas from the outset of the season. Those strides were on display in the semifinal.

Oak Mountain got out to a 22-18 lead over Bob Jones in the first set, but a few “mental errors” allowed Bob Jones seven of the final eight points in the set, as the Patriots took it, 25-23.

“[It] should’ve been ours,” Le said. “That made a huge difference in the second set.”

The second set was an uphill battle from the start, and Bob Jones cruised to a 25-19 win. But down two sets to none, Oak Mountain’s seniors displayed the culmination of traits that were cultivated all season long: character and maturity. Those were the two things that Le felt stood between the Eagles and a potential state championship.

Bob Jones raced to an 18-12 lead in the decisive set, but Oak Mountain put up its best fight of the night, eventually garnering a set point opportunity before falling, 26-24.

“The good thing is in the third set, when our backs were against the wall, we showed character to come back swinging and not just go away. I’m proud of them for that,” Le said.

For the match, Lund led the offense with 10 kills to go along with 12 blocks. Denkers finished with five kills, and Treace registered five kills plus 12 assists. Maddie Moss, a junior, contributed 18 assists. Lovvorn concluded her career with nine digs.

What Le saw from his team in that match reaffirmed the reason that he continues to coach. From start to finish, the Eagles persevered, overcame adversity and never stopped showing progress.

“At the end of the day, with them growing and becoming better people, ultimately that’s what’s important, and I think they showed that tonight,” Le said.

The Eagles couldn’t have asked for a better match to begin its Class 7A state tournament journey.

They breezed through the quarterfinal round, defeating Enterprise, 3-0 (25-15, 25-19, 25-20), to advance.

Le called it the “perfect match,” in the sense that Oak Mountain was challenged and had to keep its foot on the gas, but the Eagles played well enough that they never felt the match was in jeopardy.

Oak Mountain advanced to the state tournament for the second consecutive season by winning the Class 7A, Area 6 tournament and finishing third in the Class 7A North Super Regional on Oct. 27-28 in Huntsville.