Few doubted the capabilities of defending Class 6A volleyball champion Spanish Fort.
Great coaching, great athletes and a solid work ethic provided the basis of optimism, but the Toros needed something extra to insure the ultimate goal of consecutive titles.
The jumpstart came in a midseason loss to Chelsea that ended a 29-match winning streak.
"Going in after a long winning streak we had played Chelsea before and thought we would beat them, but that loss was like a fire underneath us," said senior setter Kayla Keshock. "We realized we have to go in and understand that everyone wants to beat you because you're the defending state champs. I think the loss was a positive because it gave us determination to go into postseason and be successful."
"We hadn’t lost in a while and we were just falling back into 'oh we can win this easy,' but anyone can beat you," said senior outside hitter Avery Rodgers. "We needed that loss, needed an eye-opener before postseason came up. That was our eye-opener."
Spanish Fort reeled off the next 32 straight wins to capture the expected repeat title, posting a 76-2 mark in sets the remainder of the season.
The talented Toros team contained several key ingredients, but Coastal Region Co-Players of the Year Keshock and Rodgers provided the impetus for the title.
"They both left an enormous mark on our program, one that will not be forgotten," said Spanish Fort coach Gretchen Boykin.
Keshock and Rodgers head the Coastal All-Region team while Bayside Academy's Ann Schilling is the Coach of the Year.
Spanish Fort teammates Meg Brackhan and Kamble Frenette were also named to the team, the foursome part of seven seniors in this year's class.
Keshock is a versatile player who can set and provide offense. She led the Toros in kills as a sophomore then posted team-bests in assists and aces each of the past two seasons.
The 6-foot-1 Samford signee never served until her junior season, yet holds the Spanish Fort career aces mark.
She had a region-best 1,534 assists and 124 blocks this season.
"Kayla did an amazing job of getting players involved in our offense and she always knew who to set and made our offense difficult to defend," Boykin said. "She made herself a weapon and totally frustrated opponents."
Rodgers grew up playing softball and volleyball, but failed to earn a spot on the varsity softball team at Gulf Shores as a seventh-grader and decided to concentrate on volleyball. She moved to Spanish Fort before her junior season and holds the program's career record for kills in only two seasons.
She led the region with 765 kills and her 99 blocks was third best in the region this season.
The 6-1 West Florida signee is happy she chose volleyball.
“I love the quickness of the game,” Rodgers said. “One point comes in eight seconds. You get to bond with people through everything and meeting people though a sport helps you connect with them.”
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December 26, 2019 at 01:05AM
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Spanish Fort’s Kayla Keshock, Avery Rodgers earn Coastal Region volleyball Co-Players of the Year - AL.com
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