West Morgan, Austin ready for push at state volleyball tournament

Oct. 28—The final steps toward a volleyball state championship start Wednesday for two local teams at the Birmingham Crossplex.After advancing to the regional tournament last week, Austin (39-4) and West Morgan (41-13) will seek state titles at the State Volleyball Tournament."These girls mean everything to me. It's one of the best groups that I've ever coached," West Morgan coach Kristen Parrish said. "They've got this special touch, and all I can do is lead them forward and let them perform."Class 5A's Austin will see Saraland (29-7) and Class 4A's West Morgan will take on Northside (31-7), both at 9 a.m.The Black Bears beat Saraland earlier in the season 2-1 (15-25, 25-13, 15-11) at a tournament in Pelham.If Austin wins, they'll likely get a rematch against Jasper, who beat them in the regional semifinals. That Black Bear loss ended a 22-game win streak that dated back to early September."We missed a decent amount of serves, so it wasn't our best game," Marsh said. "I don't want to take anything away from Jasper because they're a really good team. But hopefully we play a lot better when we play them the next time, if we can get past Saraland."Marsh said their success this season has come from passing and ball control.By reducing unforced errors, they get into their offensive system more consistently. Then, setter Maggie Jae Marsh can set up hitters like Amari Woods and Addison Garth."If we can spread our ball out a little bit, then their blockers have to be on their toes," she said. "In our game we've got multiple hitters that can terminate and put balls away, so the first contact is very important to us."Despite being two wins from their first finals appearance in school history, Marsh said they just need to keep the level head they've had all season."Our focus all season has just been the next game and controlling the things we can control," Marsh said. " You try to keep your focus and not really get caught up in the moment. We don't want to ever play too high or play too low."West Morgan hasn't played Northside yet this season, but a win would mean a likely rematch with the team that ended their run in the state tournament quarterfinals last year, Orange Beach.The last time West Morgan reached the semifinals was in 2016."We'd love a shot," Parrish said. "If we get the opportunity, I think that we'll respond well because we are motivated by that loss from last season."The Rebels made it all the way to the regional finals last week before a 3-1 loss to last year's Class 5A State Champions, Guntersville.Since then, Parrish said the Rebels have looked locked-in and are primed for a bounce back behind athletic hitters like Haniyah Standridge and Raygen Muse."They (all the players) fill the room with confidence. They lead in a way that is unlike any group that I've ever had," Parrish said. "We have circled back up and discussed all the ins and outs, expectations and goals."She said they just need to keep a handle on the mental game and good things will happen."I just want to see us working together. I think as long as we stick side by side and don't feel individual pressure, good things will happen," Parrish said. "In terms of volleyball, we've got to stay in system and have good serve receive."