10/27/09
Headed to state
Decatur Heritage soaks up the fun of trip to play
for Class 1A title
An interesting thought came into Yvonne Holiday’s head in the middle of September. The head coach of the Decatur Heritage Christian Academy volleyball team saw her team finish second at a tournament in Centre. That’s when she thought her girls might have the special something to have success in the postseason. “Really winning or at least doing well in the area tournament was on my list of goals at the beginning of the season. I never really thought about us going any farther,” the fifth-year Lady Eagles coach said. “Then after that Centre tournament, I knew then the girls had the possibility of going deeper. It would be up to them and their hard work, desire.” But earning a state berth as one of the final eight Class 1A teams never crossed her mind. However, at 11 a.m. Wednesday in Pelham, Decatur Heritage (19-16) begins its trek for the first state volleyball title in school history. Its opponent in the single-elimination tournament is Holy Spirit Catholic of Tuscaloosa. Holiday, who played college volleyball at Maranatha Baptist Bible College in Janesville, Wisc., said the sudden success of the program has caught the staff and school by surprise. “It’s been gradual, actually,” she said. After an early exit in the tough Morgan County tournament Oct. 8, DCHA won the 1A, Area 13 crown Oct. 13 by defeating St. Bernard 3-0. On Oct. 17, DCHA showed off its new gymnasium and school in Southwest Decatur hosting the Region D tournament. The Lady Eagles ran through the three rounds while dropping only one game. After beating Brilliant 3-0 in the opening round and then defeating Covenant Christian 3-0 in the semifinals, DCHA got past Marion County 3-1 in the finals. On Thursday, DCHA hosted Whitesburg Christian in what is considered the Lady Eagles’ biggest volleyball match in school history. DCHA prevailed 3-2 (25-16, 14-25, 25-9, 22-25, 15-12) in front of a noisy home crowd. “It was the biggest crowd we’ve ever had since I’ve been here,” Holiday said. “We had some folks come to the game who didn’t have any connection to the school. They said they read about us in the newspaper and thought they would come cheer us on. The kids were real excited about the crowd. Really, the crowd helped us win.” Earning a state berth has brought the team plenty of congratulations from the community. “I’ve actually had some of my friends in faraway places I know on Facebook congratulate the girls and me,” Holiday said. But those doing it on the court have been steady all season, especially in the second half of the year, Holiday said. She cited senior hitter and team captain Erin Albright, senior libero Lou Ellen Thompson, senior middle blocker Allie Ellsworth and sophomores Sarah Armstrong and Heather Parker as the most consistent forces, but the coach added that it has been a total team effort. Armstrong, a hitter and setter, was the lone Lady Eagle to earn all-county honors. At the regionals, she was joined by Ellsworth, Albright and Parker on the all-tournament team. “All of my senior girls have set just great examples of leadership on and off the court for the other girls. It’s been a pleasure coaching them this year,” said Holiday, who coached in Pensacola, Fla., for 11 years. She said there is plenty of unknown ahead at state for the players and Holiday’s staff, which includes assistant coach Paula Armstrong, Pam Hicks and Lavon Parker. She said she doesn’t know much about the first-round opponent, but that her team won’t change anything. “What we’ve been doing has gotten this far,” she said. “No. I don’t plan on changing anything. We’ll be ready.” High school state volleyball pairings The state volleyball tournament will be played at the Pelham Civic Complex with first round and semifinal matches scheduled Wednesday. The finals will be Thursday. Area teams are listed in bold. CLASS 6A CLASS 4A CLASS 3A CLASS 2A CLASS 1A Click here to see more photos.
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