Wallace State volleyball wins 5th consecutive ACCC tournament championship

HANCEVILLE – Wallace State’s volleyball program has won its fifth consecutive Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC) tournament championship, and this one may be the sweetest of all.
Facing elimination the entire day, the top-seeded Lions started the morning beating Snead State and emphatically won six sets in a row against Gadsden State in the championship matches, capping off the title with a 25-16, 25-17, 25-12 victory at Tom Drake Coliseum.
“I don’t know what to say. I’ve experienced a lot of success here, but winning six straight sets against Gadsden State has to be way up there. I’m happy for the team. It wasn’t easy. They played extremely hard all day,” said Wallace State coach Randy Daniel, whose team also won its sixth straight regular season title this season. “We have certain girls who won regular season and postseason awards, but we had players up and down the line who contributed to this championship.”
Wallace State’s Kianna Delaney, one of only three sophomores on the team, was named tournament MVP after a gritty, weekend performance. She finished with 49 kills and 16 digs in five matches despite suffering a left ankle injury in Saturday’s opening-round match vs. Snead State. Delaney battled through the pain and still delivered for the Lions (30-15), tallying 15 kills and seven digs between the two championship matches against the second-seeded Cardinals.
“We wanted to play hard for Kianna. She led us all season and we wanted to return the favor,” Daniel said. “There was no doubt in my mind she was going to play today (Sunday). If a bone in her leg was sticking out, she still would have played. We couldn’t have done this without her.”
Delaney, a Chattanooga, Tenn. native, was also named the ACCC Player of the Year for her efforts during the regular season. She led the conference in three categories, tallying 427 kills, 119 blocks and 3.16 kills per set and was also second in the conference with a .347 hitting percentage.
Wallace State had to fight through the elimination bracket Sunday after dropping a semifinal match in five sets to Gadsden State on Saturday.
With little room for error, the Lions played more inspired and more confident on Sunday, opening the day with a 16-25, 25-21, 21-25, 15-6 victory over Snead State.
The fun then began against Gadsden State, and it was no surprise the championship featured the two rivals, considering Wallace State had won three of its previous four state titles against the Cardinals.
Wallace State forced the deciding match with a 25-16, 25-19, 26-24 win, trailing Gadsden State only three times during the three sets.
In the final match, Wallace State never surrendered the momentum and celebrated another championship with a familiar dog pile at mid-court.
Wallace State admitted Gadsden State fueled its success as the tournament progressed.
“Gadsden State beating us on Saturday motivated us more than ever. We came out focused and played as a team. It was a roller coaster at times during the regular season, but we came together with two of our best matches at the perfect time,” Delaney said.
“After losing Saturday night, we felt like we had a chance to win that match. We decided we were going to beat Snead State and then come out and win six straight sets in the finals. We talked about how we deserved it after all of our hard work. We were focused and consistent in the finals, and that made the difference,” Daniel said. “There had been a lot of talk about who has the best junior college program in the state. We’ve now won five tournaments in a row and six a row in the regular season. This is the best program in our conference, and I’m glad to be a part of it.”
Joining Delaney on the All-tournament team were freshmen Bethany Johnson, Syretha Pride, BreAnna Thompson and Kaci Kirk.
“We’ve been working hard all season and deserve this more than anything,” said Johnson, who finished the tournament with 49 kills and also earned regular season honors. “We’ve been pushed as hard as a team can be pushed. We’ve grown as a team a lot over the past couple of weeks. There are no more freshmen or sophomores on this team. We all play together as one.”
Pride finished the tournament with 81 kills, including racking up 52 on Sunday. Thompson added 56 kills over the five-match stretch, while Kirk tallied 108 assists.
Payton Norris had 14 digs and Taylor Traglia had 16 assists for Wallace State in the final match. Montana Clark finished the tournament with 20 kills and 41 digs.
Additionally, Olivia Walker, Nicole Penny, Blaise Brown and Lynlee Taylor each had timely tournament contributions for the Lions.
As the District O champion, Wallace State now advances to the NJCAA Division I National Championship, set for Nov. 21-23 at Casper, Wyo. It will mark the program’s fifth straight trip to the national tournament and 14^th overall.
For more information about Wallace State athletics, visit wallacestate.edu.