By Erik Harris
TRUSSVILLE – It was a long, hard-fought bought that Hewitt-Trussville took to the fifth set after falling behind Vestavia Hills two sets to none. The Huskies seemingly took all of the momentum with a 28-26 win followed by a 25-22 win in the fourth, but the visitors got back to form and rolled to a 15-2 win to claim the Class 7A, Area 6 opener.
The game ended in slightly déjà vu-like fashion, as the Rebels sandwiched a dominant beginning with a dominant end. Vestavia Hills shot out to an 8-2 advantage in the night’s opener and carried it to a 25-16 win before claiming Set 2, 25-10.
Hewitt-Trussville fit the bill of a prototypical dead man walking and wore the disguise well. No one, including the Rebels, could have predicted the fight that would soon ensue.
The Huskies wasted no time showing their true intentions, jumping out on a 5-0 run in the third and potentially decisive set of the night. That run would kick start a 21-10 lead that seemed insurmountable.
Vestavia Hills quickly changed conventional wisdom by taking 12 of the next 13 points to place the hosts in the middle of a dogfight. However, Hewitt-Trussville eventually constructed a 4-1 run to survival.
The ensuing set didn’t feature as many long runs. It stayed close throughout, but the good guys pulled it out by a 25-22 decision.
All the fight Huskie fans saw in the middle sets made an exit sometime between the end of Set 4 and the opening serve of Set 5, which was never in question. The Rebels went through the final dispute unchallenged to claim a 15-2 win.
For the Huskies, Rhianna Tyldesley led the way with 11 kills. Jordan Somers added more offense with four aces on the night. Meagan Edwards played many roles, scooping up 18 digs, teeing up 15 assists and knocking down four kills.
Katie Edwards went for a team-high 19 digs. She got defensive help from Tyldesley and Josie Lyster, both of which went up for three blocks.
Hewitt-Trussville will be back in Area 6 play on Oct. 1 when perhaps the top team in the state – Mountain Brook – visits Bryant Bank Arena.
Follow Erik Harris on Twitter @jeharris2.