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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor
VESTAVIA HILLS – The Spain Park Jaguars and Mountain Brook Spartans’ meeting on Saturday, Aug. 29 would’ve already gone down in history anyway as the first outdoor varsity volleyball match in AHSAA history.
However, with the sun beating down on Wald Park in Vestavia Hills, the Jags and Spartans took advantage of the showcase to deliver a classic fitting of the historic day.
After splitting a pair of razor-tight sets, the Jags and Spartans went the full distance with a 14-14 tie in the third set. In the end, Spain Park locked in and won back-to-back points to break the tie with a 16-14 win and take the match over Mountain Brook by a score of 2-1.
The match was the fifth of six scheduled to take place at Wald Park in the AHSAA’s first sanctioned outdoor volleyball event. Thompson and Vestavia Hills’ varsity teams followed, which was a 2-0 win for the Warriors, and all four schools’ freshman and JV teams played prior to the varsity matchups.
The Jags got the early edge in the first set as they kept the Spartans at bay in the final points to put the finishing touches on an opening-set win. Spain Park ended up winning the first set by a score of 25-22, putting the Jags up 1-0 in the match.