Lady Tiger volleyball headed to Super Regional

The Demopolis High School volleyball game will head to Montgomery Friday morning to compete in the Class 5A South Super Regional. After finishing as runner-up in Area 6, Demopolis (6-14) will challenge Area 2 winner Spanish Fort in the tournament’s opening round.

“We know we have a big challenge in front of us with Spanish Fort,” Demopolis coach Blythe Smith said. “They are ranked in the Top 10 in the state and will probably be the best team we have seen all year.”

Smith’s Lady Tigers scuffled through much of the season before finding a groove late in the year to score wins over American Christian Academy and Hale County in addition to a pair of victories over Selma.

Demopolis narrowly missed an opportunity to push eventual area tournament winner Sumter Central to a fifth game last week, giving Smith reason to believe her team is better than its record indicates.

“I don’t think our record really shows how good we can be,” Smith said. “We have had times when we play really well. I think we did that a lot in the area tournament last week. We can’t afford to be inconsistent Friday. We have to play up to our potential if we want to compete with Spanish Fort.”

Friday will also mark the second consecutive year the Lady Tigers have advanced beyond area tournament play to compete against some of the better teams in the state in postseason action. Demopolis won its area in 2011 and advanced to ace Hueytown in playoff action.

“I am proud of the fact that we have made it to the playoffs for two straight years,” Smith said. “We want our girls to expect to make it this far every year. The next step for us is winning some games once we make it to regional play.”

The Lady Tigers’ match with Spanish Fort is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. Friday.