Two Baldwin County schools separated by less than four miles brought home state volleyball championships this fall, giving the Eastern Shore a rare double celebration in the sport on the same weekend at the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s state tournament in Birmingham.
Bayside Academy of Daphne extended one of the most dominant streaks in American prep sports history, while Bayshore Christian School of Fairhope claimed a title in just its first season of playoff eligibility, an achievement believed to be unprecedented in AHSAA history.
Bayshore Christian, a ministry of Eastern Shore Presbyterian Church founded in 2002, became fully accredited through the Association of Classical Christian Schools in 2016 when its first senior class graduated. The school purchased 46 acres in 2018 to build an upper school campus, and this year its volleyball program made program history.
The Eagles entered the Class 1A quarterfinals with an 18-10 record and rolled through the bracket in Birmingham, opening with straight-set wins over Covenant Christian and Lindsay Lane Christian Academy. In the championship match, they faced North State top-seed The Donoho School of Anniston, the defending 2019 state champion and winner of a dozen titles across five decades.
Senior Cassidy Granger delivered what her coaches called the performance of her career, recording 35 kills as Bayshore Christian won 25-20, 25-22, 23-25, 25-15 at the 50th annual AHSAA state volleyball tournament at Bill Harris Arena. The Eagles finished with 52 kills as a team, with Ashlyn Whiteside contributing 14.
Granger was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player and finished her high school career with more than 1,000 kills. She joined Whiteside and Brooke Kennedy on the all-tournament team, and later earned first-team all-state honors in the 1A-2A classification. Avery Bramblett was named second-team all-state, and Whiteside received honorable mention.
“Our girls worked hard and made a decision near the end of the season to keep pressing on toward the championship and not coast through the final weeks,” Bayshore Christian head coach Dave Omtvedt said in a news release. “Their hard work paid off.”
School officials said the title capped years of program building. “This didn’t happen overnight and it wasn’t just handed to these young ladies,” Bayshore Christian Athletic Director Jeff Hauge said. “These girls are standing on the shoulders of giants that have built this program from nothing.”
Dr. Tim Dernlan, head of school at Bayshore Christian, praised the team’s character as much as its performance. “Our student-athletes, coaching staff, athletic director and administrators have led this team with dedication, grace, dignity, perseverance and joy both on and off the court,” Dernlan said. “We are so proud of our volleyball team and grateful for the talents and work ethic that God has instilled in these girls and for the many people that played a part in the success of this team.”
A few miles away in Daphne, Bayside Academy added another chapter to a championship run that has become a fixture of Alabama high school sports. The Lady Admirals, who finished the season 52-4, defeated West Point 25-17, 25-7, 25-10 to capture their 19th consecutive volleyball title and 29th overall, both national records.
The previous national record for consecutive state volleyball championships belonged to Bishop England High School of Charleston, South Carolina, which also held the National Federation of State High School Associations’ record for most state titles overall with 28.
“We set two national records this year,” Bayside head coach Ann Schilling said. “That is 29 state championships for the school and 19 consecutive.”
This year’s championship was Bayside’s first in Class 5A. The Admirals won their first state title in Class 1A, and the current streak began in 2002 with a Class 2A crown. Schilling has since guided the program to titles in 3A, 4A and now 5A. Based on enrollment alone, Bayside would compete in Class 2A, but the AHSAA’s “competitive balance rule,” introduced in 2017, requires successful private schools to compete against teams in higher classifications in some sports.
“We took moving up as a challenge,” said Schilling, who was named NFHS Coach of the Year in 2017. “We have now won in five divisions.”
Tournament MVP Brelynn Dailey, a 17-year-old setter, recorded 37 assists in the 5A final — a reminder that the streak has outlasted the careers of players who weren’t yet born when it began. Ella Broadhead added 11 kills, Luci Wilkinson had 12 digs, and Emily Buhl finished with nine kills and 10 digs. Dailey, Buhl, Broadhead and Caroline Chastang joined the all-tournament team.
Seniors on this year’s roster included Dailey, Buhl, Ava Best, Ann Sterling Beall and Colton Thompson. Broadhead, Chastang, Wilkinson, Lillie McInnis, Lily Fraille, Lucy Fraille, Blakely Robbins, Maysie Douglas and Mia Bindon are expected to return in an effort to extend the streak next season.
“I am extremely proud of this team,” said Schilling, a member of both the Mobile and Alabama High School sports halls of fame. “They made some huge sacrifices and worked extremely hard. They represented all the Bayside volleyball teams before them. If it weren’t for those former players, breaking these records wouldn’t be possible.”
Several other Baldwin and Mobile County teams also made deep playoff runs during the state tournament. In Class 2A, Orange Beach finished 13-18 after falling in the quarterfinals to Altamont 25-22, 25-22, 25-10. In Class 4A, St. Michael Catholic ended its season 18-19 with a five-set quarterfinal loss to Madison County. In Class 5A, Satsuma fell in the quarterfinals to Alexandria after a five-set battle, finishing 17-18.
In Class 6A, defending state champion Spanish Fort went 42-12 and beat Buckhorn in a five-set quarterfinal before falling to Hartselle in a five-set semifinal. St. Paul’s Episcopal also lost in the Class 6A quarterfinals to Hartselle. In Class 7A, McGill-Toolen Catholic finished 41-9 after beating Vestavia Hills in the quarterfinals and falling to Spain Park in a four-set semifinal, while Baker finished 21-16 after a quarterfinal loss to eventual state champion Hoover.