DAPHNE, Ala. (WKRG) – A pair of the best volleyball teams in the entire state met in Daphne for a big midseason challenge. Second-ranked Bayside Academy (Class 6A) hosted No. 3 McGill-Toolen (Class 7A) in a matchup of teams chasing state championships. The Admirals, led by head coach Ann Schilling, won the best-of-five match in straight sets (25-18, 25-22, 25-20).

The Admirals were led by Blakeley Robbins who recorded 21 assists. Robbins’ sets led to kills from several hitters. Grier Broughton and Maysie Douglas led the way with six kills each. Haley Robinson and Misty Kate Smith added five kills apiece. Georgia McInnis chipped in with four and Robbins notched three of her own.

“We respect McGill,” Robbins said. “They’re a really great team and we knew that we had to come out and compete and play our best game. We knew that we could finish and we had to side out and keep pushing forward.”

Douglas led the match with three aces on the night. Mary Katherine Whitehurst tallied eight digs. Coach Schilling says the team has worked hard all season.

“I’m just extremely proud of the girls,” Schilling said “We just kept our composure and we talked about coming in here and being aggressive from the service line to the net. I thought we played so well. This is probably our best match we played all season.”

The Yellow Jackets, led by head coach Kate Wood, are expected to be a force in the chase for the Class 7A state championship. McGill-Toolen was led by Paris Mcquirter who finished with 12 kills. Laura Boykin posted 17 assists and Juliet Galla recorded 21 digs.

Bayside Academy has won a staggering 21 consecutive state championships (30 overall). The AHSAA’s competitive balance rule has forced the program to bump up in classification after successful postseason runs. The competition from much larger school has not derailed their results. The Admirals have won blue maps in Classes 2A, 3A, 4A, 5A and 6A. Coach Schilling hopes their win over the Yellow Jackets will help fuel even more success.

“I told the kids, we’re going to have to build on this one and take the momentum into the second half of the season,” Schilling said.

Bayside Academy (34-6) will play three home region matches this week. The Admirals host Robertsdale (Monday), Baldwin County (Tuesday) and No. 2 Spanish Fort (Thursday). The Yellow Jackets play at St. Paul’s on Tuesday and host St. Michael on Thursday.