Whittell tops Lincoln County for sixth straight Class 2A title

By getting to the state title match, Lincoln County’s girls volleyball team ended one streak.

The Lynx couldn’t break another, however, as Whittell beat Lincoln County, 19-25, 25-23, 25-21, 25-21, for its sixth consecutive Class 2A girls volleyball state championship.

That this was not the same dominant Whittell team as in the previous five years fueled the hopes of Lincoln County, as it had Friday for The Meadows, which nearly upended Whittell in the semifinals.

But that also was a driving force for the Whittell players.

“People thought they could beat us, and I think that’s what helped us,” said junior Lauren Andrew, who also played on the previous two state championship teams. “But we never let that get to us.

“We stuck to our system and never let down.”

Whittell coach Tony Fathergill said his team took control of the match once it got established at the net.

“Once we got our groove going, we took over,” Fathergill said. “They played an interesting kind of defense we hadn’t seen before.”

Lincoln County coach Ken Thornock said Whittell’s quick set also caught his team off guard.

“They didn’t show much of that quick (set) yesterday,” said Thornock, whose team reached the final after losing in the state semifinals the last two years. “They did an excellent job capitalizing on it.”

Fathergill was in his first year coaching Whittell, but he said the players quickly embraced his style.

“The kids believed in me, and I believed in them,” Fathergill said. “They trusted in each other, and it was just amazing.”