AHSAA Elite Eight State Volleyball Championships Preview

54th AHSAA Elite Eight State Volleyball Championships start Tuesday

McGill-Toolen leads Group of Schools Looking for Championship Repeat

By Josh Bean | For the AHSAA

BIRMINGHAM – McGill-Toolen Catholic High School has won the last two AHSAA Class 7A volleyball championships, and the Dirty Dozen can make it three in a row at this week’s AHSAA Volleyball Championships.

Whether McGill-Toolen can earn the three-peat and the program’s 24th state volleyball title is one of the top storylines to follow as the 54th AHSAA Elite 8 State Volleyball Championships begin Tuesday at the Birmingham CrossPlex. The Dirty Dozen begins its quest for a three-peat Tuesday against Huntsville High School in a quarterfinal match at 1:30 p.m.

Four of the 2023 champs – McGill-Toolen in Class 7A, Montgomery Catholic (Class 4A champ last year, now in Class 5A), Pleasant Valley in Class 2A and Spring Garden in Class 1A – qualified for this week’s Elite 8.

The Elite 8 places eight teams in each of the AHSAA’s seven classifications into a single-elimination tournament, with Classes 7A, 6A, 4A and 2A playing quarterfinal and semifinal rounds Tuesday, followed by championship matches on Wednesday at the Crossplex’s Bill Harris Arena. Action in Classes 5A, 3A and 1A begins Wednesday at the CrossPlex, followed by championship matches on Thursday at Bill Harris Arena.

Here’s a look at few other storylines to follow at this week’s 2024 Elite 8:

Miss Basketball chasing another Ring

Spring Garden senior Ace Austin, a University of Alabama basketball commitment, became only the third junior to win Miss Basketball last year, and she’s back in Birmingham this week for a chance to add more hardware to the Panthers’ trophy case.

Austin won the volleyball tournament MVP award – totaling 26 kills in the championship match – as Spring Garden won the Class 1A volleyball title last year. It was the Panthers’ first volleyball championship since 2007.

Spring Garden has never won back-to-back volleyball titles. The Panthers open play Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., against Millry.

If the Panthers win the title this week, that will give Austin four career state titles – two in volleyball and basketball titles in 2023 and 2024.

Montgomery Catholic chasing 3rd Straight Title

Montgomery Catholic won the last two Class 4A championships, which pushed the Knights up to Class 5A this season thanks the AHSAA’s competitive balance formula. The Knights (29-13) went 3-1 in last week’s South Super Regional, sweeping Brewbaker Tech, Briarwood Christian and Demopolis and falling to Faith Academy, and will face Guntersville on Wednesday at 9 a.m.

Pleasant Valley looks to Repeat

Pleasant Valley won the Class 2A title last year, sweeping Sand Rock to win its first state title since 1997. The Raiders are back again this season as the top seed from the North Super Regional and play Horseshoe Bend on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m.

Can Bayside Academy return to the Mountaintop?

Bayside Academy won 21 straight state titles from 2002-22, a historic run that is still a national record. The success moved the Admirals into Class 7A by virtue of the AHSAA’s competitive balance formula, the only classification Coach Ann Schilling and her teams have not won.

The Admirals (32-11) earned championships in Classes 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A and 6A during the 21-year title run, but they’re searching for the first Class 7A crown. Bayside enters this week’s Elite 8 as the No. 4 seed from the South, having fallen to No. 1-ranked and two-time defending 7A champ McGill-Toolen and Enterprise in last week’s South Super Regional. The Admirals face Bob Jones, the North champion and Class 7A state runner-up last year,  in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round at 1:30 p.m.

Here’s a look at this week’s Elite 8 schedule:

AHSAA Elite 8 State Volleyball Championships
at the Birmingham CrossPlex
TUESDAY, OCT. 29

QUARTERFINALS

CLASS 6A

North No. 1 Buckhorn vs. South No. 4 Gulf Shores, 9 a.m.

South No. 2 Pelham vs. North No. 3 Jasper, 9 a.m.

South No. 1 Chelsea vs. North No. 4 Cullman, 9 a.m.

North No. 2 Hazel Green vs. South No. 3 Spanish Fort, 9 a.m.

Semifinals: 4 p.m.

 

CLASS 2A

QUARTERFINALS

North No. 1 Pleasant Valley vs. South No. 4 Horseshoe Bend, 10:30 a.m.

South No. 2 Tuscaloosa Academy vs. North No. 3 Mars Hill Bible, 10:30 a.m.

South No. 1 G.W. Long vs. North No. 4 Winston County, 10:30 a.m.

North No. 2 Lindsay Lane vs. South No. 3 Washington County, 10:30 a.m.

Semifinals: 4 p.m.

 

CLASS 4A

QUARTERFINALS

North No. 1 Alexandria vs. South No. 4 Straughn, noon

South No. 2 Orange Beach vs. North No. 3 Central-Florence, noon

South No. 1 Prattville Christian vs. North No. 4 Cherokee County, noon

North No. 2 Madison County vs. South No. 3 St. Michael, noon

Semifinals: 6 p.m.

 

CLASS 7A

QUARTERFINALS

North No. 1 Bob Jones vs. South No. 4 Bayside Academy, 1:30 p.m.

South No. 2 Fairhope vs. North No. 3 Vestavia Hills, 1:30 p.m.

South No. 1 McGill-Toolen vs. North No. 4 Huntsville, 1:30 p.m.

North No. 2 Hoover vs. South No. 3 Enterprise, 1:30 p.m.

Semifinals: 6 p.m.

 

WEDNESDAY, Oct. 30

Championship matches at Bill Harris Arena

Class 6A Championship, 10 a.m.

Class 2A Championship, 12:30 p.m.

Class 4A Championship, 2:30 p.m.

Class 7A Championship, 4:30 p.m.

 

CLASS 5A

Wednesday

CLASS 5A

QUARTERFINALS

North No. 1 Arab vs. South No. 4 Demopolis, 9 a.m.

South No. 2 Faith Academy vs. North No. 3 Springville, 9 a.m.

South No. 1 UMS-Wright vs. North No. 4 West Point, 9 a.m.

North No. 2 Guntersville vs. South No. 3 Montgomery Catholic, 9 a.m.

Semifinal: 3 p.m.

 

CLASS 3A

QUARTERFINALS

North No. 1 Ohatchee vs. South No. 4 T.R. Miller, noon

South No. 2 St. Luke’s vs. North No. 3 Lauderdale County, noon

South No. 1 Mobile Christian vs. North No. 4 Geraldine, noon

North No. 2 Donoho vs. South No. 3 Alabama Christian, noon

Semifinals: 5 p.m.

 

CLASS 1A

QUARTERFINALS

North No. 1 Spring Garden vs. South No. 4 Millry, 10:30 a.m.

South No. 2 Kinston vs. North No. 3 Ider, 10:30 a.m.

South No. 1 University Charter vs. North No. 4 Faith Christian, 10:30 a.m.

North No. 2 Addison vs. South No. 3 Brantley, 10:30 a.m.

Semifinals: 3 p.m.

 

Thursday, Oct. 31

Championship matches at Bill Harris Arena

Class 5A Championship, 10 a.m.

Class 1A Championship, noon

Class 3A Championship, 2 p.m.