Heath Hambrick 

The Lady Wildcat volleyball team competed in the First Annual Cullman Oktoberfest Volleyball Classic on Saturday against really good competition. Fort Payne finished the tournament just 2-4. 

The Lady Wildcats opened the day with a 2-0 victory over American Christian Academy to begin pool play. Fort Payne took both sets by a score of 25-16 and 25-23. 

In the second pool game, the Wildcats faced off with 7A No. 6 Huntsville. Fort Payne fell to Huntsville 2-0 after the Crimson Panthers took both sets 27-25 and 25-12, 

The final pool game of the day, the Lady Wildcats took on Danville. Fort Payne fell to Danville 2-0. Even though the two sets were close, Danville still pulled off the win. The set scores were 25-21 and 29-27. 

Fort Payne picked up its second win of the day in the quarterfinals of the silver bracket. The Lady Wildcats defeated Holly Pond 2-0, winning both sets 25-16. 

The day ended for the Lady Wildcats in the semi-finals against 2A No. 3 Winston County. 

“We had to battle for most of the day. We fought hard every match; we just found ourselves in a hole sometimes. I'm proud of the effort and the girls showed, and I love being around this amazing group,” said Head Coach Heather Powell. 

Even though the day didn’t end the way that the Lady Wildcats had hoped, they did achieve one thing Saturday. With the two wins posted in the tournament this year, the Lady Wildcats have tied the single-season record for wins at 38. This is the fourth time that the Fort Payne volleyball program has reached 38 wins. The three previous times this was accomplished were 2001, 2013, and 2023. 

Fort Payne’s record stands at 38-12 (3-0) with the regular season finale Tuesday night on the road at Southside-Gadsden. With a win on Tuesday, Fort Payne will win the regular-season area championship and host the area tournament next week.