Providence Christian takes aim at state volleyball title

Fueled by a tough semifinal loss last year, Providence Christian volleyball players make it clear what their objective is this week at the state tournament.

“We want to take it home,” sophomore middle blocker Whitney Devane said. “We want to take the ring.”

The Eagles are one of two Wiregrass teams competing this week for a state title. Andalusia is the other.

Both teams open play Wednesday morning at the Pelham Civic Center, needing just three wins to capture a state title.

Providence (35-8) plays Spring Garden (16-17) at 11 a.m. in Class 1A action. Andalusia (25-13) plays Guntersville (59-7) in Class 4A play at 2 p.m.

Winners of the two matches play semifinals later Wednesday night. Championship matches are set for Thursday.

A year ago, Providence advanced to the semifinals, but lost to Gaston in the closest match you can lose — two points in the fifth game. Gaston then won the state title in much easier fashion.

That loss still lingers in Providence’s heart.

“That motivates us,” freshman outside hitter Elizabeth Dowd said. “The feeling of how we felt of losing motivates us to win this year.”

After playing a beefed-up schedule, which included a tournament in Birmingham against several ranked teams, the Eagles feel they are ready for the state tournament.

“We have mentally prepared for every team and every strategy,” sophomore right hitter Georgia Fabbrini said. “We have gone through every circumstance you can possibly go through.”

Though it opens up against a team with a sub-par record, Providence players say they are not taking the tradition-rich Panthers for granted. Spring Garden won the state title two years ago and was state runner-up in 2005.

“They obviously made it to state, so we will not take them lightly,” Devane said.

Providence players admit, though, they are keeping an eye on two particular teams — Gaston and Parkway Christian.

“We have some unfinished business with Gaston because they put us out last year and with PCS (Parkway Christian), which put us out of the No. 1 ranking (earlier this year), so we are after both of them,” Fabbrini said.

Gaston (39-10) is ranked fourth and Parkway is No. 1, a spot it moved up to after beating Providence at Providence’s tournament Oct. 3. Providence is now No. 2.

“I would love to play Gaston again,” Devane said. “Gaston and Parkway Christian are my two teams I would love to destroy without sounding cocky. We all have unfinished business with them.”

Any meeting with Gaston (39-10) or Parkway Christian (44-3) would come in the state finals for Providence.

If it advances past Spring Garden, Providence would face either eighth-ranked Holy Spirit (20-10) or Decatur Heritage (19-16) in the semifinals.

Providence Christian head coach Bill Oldfield said he doesn’t mind the motivation of revenge his players have for the tournament.

“I want them to have some fight in them when they go up to state,” Oldfield said. “They had some last year. They fought really hard and I think you will see the same thing. They will be very motivated and full of energy.”

Oldfield, though, said Providence is not changing its approach for the tournament.

“We are trying to keep things as normal as possible,” Oldfield said. “In our practices and in our approach, we have been working a lot on passing and a lot on hitting the ball in our offensive sets.”

Dowd said this year’s team has a better feel for the circus-like atmosphere of the Civic Center and also of the pressures of the tournament.

Last year, only a handful of players with state experience going in after Providence missed out on making in there in 2007. This year, it’s different as all but two players have experienced what state is like.

“Coming back this year, we know what to expect and we know what we have to do to win,” Dowd said. “We have to go in there with a bunch of energy and to do our best.”

With a more comfortable level this year, Providence players say they need only to concentrate on the action on the court.

“We have to work as a team,” Devane said. “We have to remember what we have been taught, not just this year, but from our beginning of time (in volleyball). We have to cover, hit well and play as a team.”

“We have to be consistent,” added Fabbrini said. “Our passes have to be 100 percent perfect and we can’t let down. We have to be strong in our attacks and pressures.”

Though it won 35 matches this year, Oldfield said the Eagles haven’t had all the pieces clicking at once.

He hopes it comes this week.

“We have to find a way to play our best. That is what we have been working on — everybody playing their best at the same time,” Oldfield said. “We haven’t seen that this season really and hopefully we can put it all together here at the state tournament.”