By TIM GAYLE

The 2019 volleyball season was the most competitive in the history of the Capital City Conference, with one team winning a state championship, three earning berths in the state tournament (in three different classifications) and another leading the area race for much of the season before getting upset in the area tournament.

The balance between the teams made it difficult for the five coaches to select an all-Capital City Conference team, including a challenging pick for the coach and player of the year.

The Capital City Conference coaches chose three players off of 3A state champion Montgomery Academy, led by their senior setter Millie Stevenson.

Stevenson finished her stellar career with 2,117 assists, including 1,172 this season, along with 29 aces, 471 digs and 137 kills. She was selected as the All-CCC Player of the Year.

“She’s one of the top setters in the state of Alabama,” said her coach, Julie Gordon. “She’s an intense athlete. You ought to see her play basketball, you ought to see her play soccer. That’s the kind of intensity you want on your team and she leads our team that way. She demands it of herself, she demands it of her teammates.”

Montgomery Academy rolled through the 3A bracket in both the super regionals and state tournament, relatively unchallenged because of the leadership of the seniors and a strong talented group of juniors that showed no weaknesses in their performance on the court.

“There were so many days the girls stayed after practice – setting, hitting, serving, passing,” Gordon said. “Any time you touch the ball more, you’re going to have a little better success and this group was determined. They want to perform well.”

In addition to Stevenson, junior middle hitter Ann Cobern Chapman and libero Grace Jackson were selected to the all-Capital City Conference team, along with Trinity libero Jackie Miller, Alabama Christian setter Emily Thornton and Catholic’s versatile Ansley Dean.

Catholic’s first-year coach, Sellers Dubberley, was selected as the all-Capital City Conference Coach of the Year after steering the Knights, which were last in Area 4 last season, into their first state tournament as a 4A squad.

“In years past, people essentially discounted Catholic,” Trinity coach Sarah Dubberley said. “Last year, they didn’t take a set from anyone in the area during the regular season. Now, obviously, that’s not the case.”

2019 All-Capital City Conference Volleyball Team

Ann Cobern Chapman, MH, Jr., Montgomery Academy

Ansley Dean, MH, Sr., Catholic

Grace Jackson, L, Sr., Montgomery Academy

Jackie Miller, L, Sr., Trinity

Millie Stevenson, S, Sr., Montgomery Academy

Emily Thornton, S, Sr., Alabama Christian Academy

Honorable Mention: Merrily Capouya, OH, Jr., St. James; Hollister Dorey, MH, Sr., Trinity; Savannah Fonville, OH, Sr., Alabama Christian Academy; Danielle Greene, MH, So., St. James; Mary Elizabeth Hill, MH., Sr., Trinity; Brooke Horne, MH, Sr., Montgomery Academy; Katherine O’Connor, L, Sr., Catholic; Pressley O’Ferrell, OH, Jr., Trinity; Meghan Pineda, OH, Sr., Catholic; Jordan Smithee, MH, Jr., Alabama Christian Academy; Anaya Thomas, OH, Jr., Montgomery Academy; Alyson Thornton, S, Fr., Alabama Christian Academy; Mary Gray Turner, OH, Sr., Montgomery Academy.

Player of the Year – Millie Stevenson, Montgomery Academy

Coach of the Year -- Sellers Dubberley, Catholic