Montgomery, Smith earn Watchman Vball honors

After taking into consideration the complete body of work in 2013 as well as input from in-county volleyball coaches and opposing coaches, the West Alabama Watchman has selected Jade Montgomery of Demopolis as its 2013 Volleyball Player of the Year.

A junior at Demopolis High, the Lady Tiger setter proved the most indispensable player in the county during a 2013 campaign in which she played every point of her team’s 14-8 season.

Montgomery’s overall knowledge of the game and drastically improved passing and setting ability proved key cogs in the Lady Tigers’ turnaround from their 6-15 season a year ago.

But Montgomery truly separated herself from her peers at the service line where she proved the most consistent server in the county while helping to anchor her team’s Class 5A, Area 6 championship run.

Montgomery is joined on the WAW volleyball awards list by her coach, Blythe Smith, the 2013 West Alabama Watchman Volleyball Coach of the Year.

The fourth-year Lady Tiger coach put together the best season of her tenure in 2013 while improving her team’s win-loss record by eight games and winning her second area championship.

Demopolis went 5-1 in Area 6 play during the regular season and swept both its matches in the Class 5A, Area 6 Tournament before bowing out in regional play.

The Lady Tigers’ appearance in regionals marked the third straight year Smith’s squad has advanced beyond area play.

However, 2013’s success proved especially impressive as the Lady Tigers carried only nine players on the roster for most of the season. Smith’s lineup management reached its height in a road game against West Blocton that saw the Lady Tigers pick up a win despite having only six girls able to play in the contest.

The rest of the 2013 All-County Volleyball Team features players from each of the five participating schools in the county. Highlights include Demopolis senior Riley King, who has not left the floor for her team since her sophomore year, DHS sophomore Ivery Moore, a member of the 2012-2013 West Alabama Watchman All-County Girls Basketball Team whose leaping ability separated her as the best pure hitter in the county, Sweet Water’s Andrea Landrum, who also earned her way onto the 2012-2013 West Alabama Watchman All-County Softball Team, Conner Etheridge, who anchored a 13-5 season for Marengo Academy and Tomysha Boykins, the most consistent player on a Linden squad that was seconds away from punching its ticket to the second round of regional play.

The 2013 West Alabama Watchman All-County Volleyball Team is posted below.

First Team

Jade Montgomery, Demopolis

Andrea Landrum, Sweet Water

Riley King, Demopolis

Tomysha Boykins, Linden

Ivery Moore, Demopolis

Conner Etheridge, Marengo Academy

Second Team

Charquell Compton, Linden

Payton Stokes, Marengo Academy

Christina Cowan, Sweet Water

Robyn Fields, John Essex

Alex Barnett, Demopolis

Carolyne Baker, Marengo Academy