BIRMINGHAM – Pleasant Valley head volleyball coach Jennifer Mann won three state volleyball championships as a player for legendary Hall-of-Fame Coach Sandy Hunter at Pleasant Valley. She also won one as an assistant coach and Wednesday afternoon, she added her fifth state title – in her first year as a head coach as a head coach.
With her four previous rings adorning a necklace, she had one explanation. Competing on the volleyball court is in the girls’ DNA.
“I went to school at Pleasant Valley, and I have been there ever since,†she said moments after Pleasant Valley beat Lindsay Lane 3-1 with a 25-18, 19-25, 25-16, 25-23 win in the finals at Bill Harris Arena.
That DNA she spoke about was never more evident than in the fourth set of finals. Lindsay Lane, which was making its first state championship match appearance, jumped out to an 18-12 lead in the fourth set and looked headed to a fifth set when the Raiders clawed back.
Pleasant Valley (25-18) scored seven straight points to take the lead and then closed out the final 25-23 set to claim the school’s seventh state title. It was also the second in a row for the Raiders.
Class 2A state tournament MVP Lily Henry Had a match-high 22 kills. Ellie Patterson had 10, and setter Elise Wheeler had 36 assists. Madison Schwabe had five kills and three service aces.
Lindsay Lane (44-16), coached by Alex Dizon, battled to the very end. A big reason was his team’s strength up front. Lydia Carter had a team-high 21 kills, and sophomore Kalyn Jones 16. Setter Riley Green had 34 assists and Taylor Galloway had five service aces and Lily Jackson had four.
The NFHS Network is live video streaming all finals and prelim matches at the 2024 Elite 8 state tourney over its subscriber-based platform. For more information, go to .
CLASS 2A ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Lily Henry, Pleasant Valley (MVP); Ellie Patterson, Pleasant Valley; Elise Wheeler, Pleasant Valley; Lydia Carter, Lindsay Lane;Â Kalyn Jones, Lindsay Lane; Riley Green, Lindsay Lane.
