Anniston, AL – Faith Christian sweeps through the Class 1A, Area 8 tournament, achieving 32 wins, which will be used to qualify for regional. They prove that 2022’s that the area title isn’t a accident.’
Class 1A, Area 8 tournament
At Faith Christian
Thursday
ASD def. Talladega County Central 25-23, 22-25, 17-25, 25-16, 15-10.
Faith def. ASD 25-2 25, 25-8, and 25,5.
Wadley def. Winterboro 17-25, 25-22, 18-25, 25-20, 15-7.
Championship
Faith defeats. Wadley 25-5 25, 25-13, the final score is 25-20.
All-tournament team
MVP: Ally Folsom, Faith Christian.
ASDTusi Silas.
Winterboro:Grace Moseley.
Wadley: Celest Angel, A’mya Brown.
Faith Christian Kayson Cronan Anna Kate Robertson, Cheyenne Rice.
By Joe Medley
It’s tempting to draw comparisons between Faith Christian’s current team of volleyball to the one from 2018, which made it to state finals and the Calhoun County final and state semifinals.
The Lions appeared to be in top form while taking on Thursday’s Class 1A Area 8 tournament held at Faith.
While enjoying the Lions winning their second area title for the second time in a row they were living in the current.
“This regional championship is extremely significant for them because we were determined to prove that the last time was not an accident,” second-year coach Avery Gowens stated. “We’re in this for the long haul. “We’re Faith Christian. We have an identity. We’re just going to go on.”
Faith (32-21) is expected to carry on into this week’s South Regional in Montgomery’s Cramton Bowl Multiplex. The Lions will take on Area 6 runner up R.C. Hatch in the morning on Thursday, at 10:00 a.m.
Faith defeated Alabama School for the Deaf 25-2, 25-8 and 25-5 in the area semifinals on Thursday, and followed by Wadley 25-5 and 25-13 to win the championship.
The Lions have made it through the postseason easily However, the challenge gets more difficult after this point.
They’ve put in a lot of effort this season. They beat the reigning, a depleted Version of Class 2A champion Donoho however Faith has a long track record of having a tough time against the Falcons. They have 18 wins over public schools that are higher classified.
Will Faith make it to the team that is widely regarded the top team at the school?
Do the trio of the trio of hitter Ally Folsom, setter Anna Kate Robertson and libero Kayson Cronan have a similarity with Nicole Frechette, Erin Cheek and Abby Kazanjian.
It’s a bit difficult to decide. Gowens was an Spring Garden graduate, was in college at the time, and has no recollections of the team from 2018.
Folsom has moved into Faith to replace Ranburne in 2020. However, she’s been told about the legends.
“I think that everybody thinks of us as a competitor,” she said. “I believe we’ve proven ourselves because everyone was talking about us. “Oh this is just Faith volleyball But we’ve made an identity for ourselves.”
Robertson is a senior. She has been to Faith throughout her school days and is a fan of the Lions from five years ago.
“I believe we could be a to the father,” she said.
It certainly looked as it did during Thursday’s local tournament. The only nervous set was the third one against Wadley Faith, and Faith added subs to the mix until Wadley got it back 19-19.
Gowens brought his remaining starters back to the field and they completed the job.
Folsom who was the tournament’s MVP was crowned MVP with six aces and 20 kills. He also had one assist, and three digs against Wadley. The Lions have three other all-tournament players stood out as well:
-Robertson: Robertson — Robertson: two aces, two kills 48 assists, 4 digs.
-” Cheyenne Rice: 23 aces 9 kills, 1 assist 2 digs.
— Cronan — Cronan six digs.
“We’ve been working really hard to achieve this,” Folsom said. “We’ve trained lots. We kept our enthusiasm high and won the game.”
