Southern Academy’s volleyball team, the defending AISA Class AA state champion, opens region play at home Thursday, Sept. 3, against Bessemer Academy, the first of six region matches the Cougars will play in the next four weeks.
All of Southern’s region schedule falls in that one stretch. The Cougars play Bessemer Academy, Restoration Academy and Morgan Academy each once at home and once on the road between Thursday and Oct. 1, and those results set the seeding for the AISA region tournament Oct. 13-14. The higher seed hosts, so a strong September would keep Southern at home to start the postseason.
The Cougars won the Class AA title last October in Montgomery, and three players from that team who were named to the state all-tournament team are back: junior Caroline Christmas and seniors Mallory Newton and Abby Sluder. Newton and Sluder are two of four seniors on this year’s roster, along with Kaylee Burt and Mary Elizabeth Kyser.
After Thursday’s match, Southern travels to Clarke Prep on Tuesday, Sept. 8, then hosts Restoration in a region match Thursday, Sept. 10, and Wilcox Academy on Monday, Sept. 14. From there the Cougars play four straight on the road: Jackson Academy on Sept. 15, followed by region matches at Bessemer on Sept. 17, at Morgan on Sept. 21 and at Restoration on Sept. 22.
The team then returns home for three matches, including its last region match of the season. Southern hosts the Warriors on Sept. 29 and Morgan on Thursday, Oct. 1, which is also the Cougars’ Dig Pink night for breast cancer awareness. Hooper Academy visits Monday, Oct. 5, for Senior Night.
The regular season closes with a trip to the Warriors on Oct. 6 and a home-and-home with Evangel Home School, on the road Oct. 8 and at home Oct. 12.
The region tournament follows Oct. 13-14. The AISA junior varsity state tournament is Oct. 17, and the varsity playoffs and state tournament are Oct. 19-20 at the Cramton Bowl Multiplex in Montgomery, where Southern won last year’s title. The AISA all-star game is Oct. 24.
Remaining schedule (home unless noted, * region match):
- Sept. 3 — Bessemer Academy*
- Sept. 8 — at Clarke Prep
- Sept. 10 — Restoration Academy*
- Sept. 14 — Wilcox Academy
- Sept. 15 — at Jackson Academy
- Sept. 17 — at Bessemer Academy*
- Sept. 21 — at Morgan Academy*
- Sept. 22 — at Restoration Academy*
- Sept. 29 — Warriors
- Oct. 1 — Morgan Academy* (Dig Pink)
- Oct. 5 — Hooper Academy (Senior Night)
- Oct. 6 — at Warriors
- Oct. 8 — at Evangel Home School
- Oct. 12 — Evangel Home School
- Oct. 13-14 — region tournament
- Oct. 17 — JV state tournament
- Oct. 19-20 — state tournament, Montgomery
- Oct. 24 — all-star game
