Double slam

By EASportsToday.com
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Updated: September 27, 2016

Oxford takes down Alexandria in potential county tournament preview after sweeping Southside to clinch area title

Oxford’s Nyia Archie (8) puts one of her kills past Alexandria’s Taylor Spradley Tuesday night. (All photos by B.J. Franklin/GungHo Photos)

By Brant Locklier
For East Alabama Sports Today

OXFORD — Southside-Gadsden and Alexandria came to the Oxford Sports Arena Tuesday night expecting volleyball matches with the Oxford Yellow Jackets. They ended up feeling like they had been swatting gnats on the porch on a hot night in South Alabama.

Like gnats, the Lady Jackets just would not go away, blasting away at the net, diving after loose balls seemingly out of play and making improbable digs to keep the ball alive.

They started off by drilling Southside 25-13, 25-13, 25-19 to win the Class 6A Area 13 title and then finished it off with a frantic 25-16, 25-23 win over the 5A Valley Cubs in a battle of top four seeds in the upcoming Calhoun County Tournament. In between, Alexandria swept Southside 25-23, 25-17.

The Jackets (25-13) were all over Southside in the area-clinching win that earned them the right to host the area tournament. Chloe Stone was setting up Nyia Archie and Rachel Uhrin for kills as the Jackets rolled through all three sets and only trailed twice.

Stone had 21 assists and Archie had eight kills and Uhrin seven. Makayla Kidd, Alex Gomez and Abby Bussey were playing well in the backcourt with saving digs and JoJo Skinner, Archie and Uhrin were pounding the net with a frenzy.

It is the Yellow Jackets’ second straight area title.

“We came out strong and aggressive,” Oxford coach Wendy McKibbin said. “We let up a little in the third set for a while, but got it right back after making a few adjustments. “Our ball movement was great and it has been that way the last couple of weeks.

“We are playing well together right now. We are having fun and when we can do that and run the offense things go really well. I am proud of the way we are playing right now.”

The Jackets and Valley Cubs took the intensity in the arena to a new level in the final match of the night. Oxford is seeded No. 2 in the upcoming county tournament, while Alexandria is No. 4.

Taylor Spradley had three straight kills to stake Alexandria to an early 3-1 lead, but midway through the first set Archie took control for Oxford with four kills, one block and two dinks for seven points. Oxford broke away at 13-13 to win the set by nine.

The second set saw the Valley Cubs roll out to a 15-4 lead on four straight points from Spradley. But like South Alabama gnats the Yellow Jackets would not go away; they went on a 17-6 run to tie the set at 21-21.

Skinner had a kill for Oxford, but Spradley and Audrey Pope had kills to counter for Alexandria. Uhrin answered with back-to-back kills for Oxford and the Yellow Jackets clinched it moments later when a Valley Cub return landed out-of-bounds.

Alexandria rallied from 19-13 down to win the first set against Southside and never trailed in the second.

Spradley and Howell each had five kills. Tori Stillwell and Pope each had four. Gracie Muncher had 17 assists to set up most of those kills. Pope had four digs, while Kinsley Gregoria and Autumn Locklear each had three.