Short-Handed Eagles Lose to Catholic

Only eight of the fifteen players on the roster suited up Tuesday night as the Lady Eagles hosted Catholic. ACA fell to the Lady Knights in three straight, 17-25, 19-25, 16-25. The Eagles started game one strong as they ran off the first five points on Alyson Thornton’s serve. The Lady Knights recovered quickly and scored 17 of the next 21 points for a 17-9 lead. The game stayed even from that point and Catholic prevailed 25-17. In game two, the Lady Eagles trailed 1-7 early, but stayed close to Catholic throughout the game before falling 19-25. In the final game of the night both teams played evenly through the first fourteen points of the game, but the Knights pulled away for the 25-16 win.

Eagle defense tries to stop Catholic at the net.

The Lady Eagles (0-4) will continue play this week Thursday night at MA.

Lady Eagles Lose Home Opener to Trinity

Alabama Christian lost its second straight match to open the season as the Eagles fell to Trinity in three games, 13-25, 14-25, 16-25. The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead in each game and ACA was unable to overcome the slow start in all three games. Trinity was aggressive throughout the match with strong play at the net.

Alyson Thornton led the offensive attack with six kills and added five digs, two assists and an ace. Hayley Cassidy added three kills, three digs and an assist. Michaelyn Manning had two kills and led the team with five assists and twelve digs.

Alabama Christian (0-2) will next play at Carver on Thursday, August 27th.

Lady Eagles Open 2020 Season

The start of Manuel Guice’s twelfth year as head coach of the volleyball program ended a streak that no one wanted to be a part of. Twenty-two weeks and two days had passed since a team from ACA competed against another school. Thursday afternoon, the Lady Eagle volleyball team ended the extended hiatus and opened the 2020 season with a match at Prattville Christian. 

This was the second year in a row that Alabama Christian began the season at PCA. ACA lost in a three game sweep to the Lady Panthers 21-25, 17-25, 15-25. Alyson Thornton led the team with eight assists and added four kills and three digs. Michaelyn Manning had a team high three aces with four kills, four assists and eight digs. Jordan Smithee contributed four kills and a block.

The Lady Eagles (0-1) next host Trinity for their home opener on Tuesday, August 25th.

Emily Thornton Finishes Career as One of ACA's Best Ever

October 21, 2019 marked the end of an amazing career for Emily Thornton. She recorded the most assists in ACA history with 3,223 and ranks 16th in the state of Alabama and one of only four players in the Montgomery area to accomplish the feat. Thornton also ranks in the Top 20 in program history in career aces and kills, joining Carlie Ainsworth, Sarah Ford and Katie Sanderson as the only four players to rank in the Top 20 in all three categories.

Thornton began her volleyball career at Alabama Christian as a seventh grader playing on the middle school team. Emily gravitated to volleyball due to the team aspect and the speed of the game. Volleyball, unlike other sports, can’t be dominated by one player or position, but takes a total team effort to affect the outcome of a game. Every play and every point depends on several members of the team and not just one position or player controlling the game.

As a freshman, Emily joined the varsity team and has remained a fixture for the past four years. When asked about that first year, Emily stated, “My first year on varsity, Carli Schofield took me under her wing and always made sure I felt included and would invite me to go places and eat with her and some of the older girls. That meant a lot to me because I didn’t really know any of the other girls, but she made sure I felt a part of the group.”

Emily and Carli with their favorite coach.

Manuel Guice has been Emily’s head coach for the past four seasons and has been a major influence through her high school years. Besides being her coach, Guice also taught Emily for two years and showed her the importance to think for herself and not continue thinking the same way she had always been taught. on the floor, Guice helped Emily become more confident in her abilities and in herself in general. He also pushed her to be the best and taught her to push herself which has helped her to become a better leader on and off the court. Thornton’s favorite memory from Coach Guice was at practice on the day that Guice had heard that Tom Petty had passed away. Guice, a classic rock connoisseur, stopped practice, told his team the news and played “Free Fallin” for the girls in tribute to the singer.

Emily and Coach Guice on Senior Night.

Coach Guice had this to say about Emily, “I am so thankful to have had Emily as a part of my team the past four years. I brought her up as a freshman in 2016 and she was a part of the rotation as a setter.She handled that extremely well, especially considering how young she was. I told her from day one that I would not treat her like a freshman, and I didn’t. I have loved getting to see her grow and develop as a person and a player. Emily has been a presence for us the last four years that we all could depend on. You can’t break a record like that without being consistent and reliable. She is a hard worker and extremely competitive. As great a player as she has been, she is even a better person. She is a great example to her teammates as well as her fellow students at ACA. I am going to miss having her on my team, but am excited to see what the future holds for her.”

Emily and Alyson prepare for the next point.

This season marked a first for Thornton, as she was able to play with her younger sister Alyson, a freshman, on the varsity squad. Emily and Alyson have been able to make many memories this season and have enjoyed playing together on the floor and not just watching each other from the sidelines. They also have been able to help each other on the court since they played the same position.

This season is also the end of an era for Thornton as she played her last season with longtime teammate Savannah Fonville. The two have played volleyball together for the past ten years and have always enjoyed being on the same team. From their first year at the YMCA in third grade until this year, the duo always had fun together on the court and kept each other loose even in tense situations.

Emily and Savannah on Senior Night.

Thornton knows she will miss being on the floor next year and it will be strange watching from the bleachers and not having a part in the outcome of the match. She will also miss her teammates and being around them doing something she loves. Thornton will not pursue a collegiate volleyball career, but plans to concentrate on her degree in the fields of physical therapy or pharmacy.

Alabama Christian's Season Ends with Loss to Catholic

The Lady Eagles season came to an end, Monday afternoon, with a loss to Catholic in the opening round of the 4A Area 4 tournament by a score of 14-25, 17-25, 16-25. In the final game of the year, Monica Willingham and Alyson Thornton led the offense with eight kills each and Thornton added 10 assists. Emily Thornton had six kills and a team high 17 assists. Savannah Fonville added 11 digs.

For the season, freshman Alyson Thornton led the team in kills (252) and aces (50). Senior co-captain Savannah Fonville was the team leader in digs (391) while senior Mary Hall had the most blocks (32). Emily Thornton, also a senior co-captain, led the team in assists (689).

ACA Wins Two of Four Matches in Prattville Tournament

Alabama Christian played in the final weekend tournament of the season in Prattville on Saturday and came away with two wins in four matches. The Lady Eagles won their first two games of the day by defeating PCA 26-24, 25-21 and St. James 25-12, 25-17. ACA lost the last two matches to Pelham 17-25, 11-25 and LAMP 25-21, 12-25, 10-15 to end the day.

For the tournament, Jordan Smithee led the offense with 23 kills with Alyson Thornton recording 22 kills, 30 assists and a team high six aces. Mary Hall and Monica Willingham each had 16 kills with Willingham tying Alyson Thornton with a team best six aces. Emily Thornton led the team with 47 assists on the day.

The Eagles compete in the Area Tournament at Catholic against the top seeded Knights on Monday with a spot in the super regional at stake.

Lady Eagles Split Tri-Match on Senior Night

Six seniors, Bailey DiNunzio, Savannah Fonville, Mary Hall, Aniya Jackson, Emily Thornton and Monica Willingham, won the last game played on their home floor with a 23-25, 25-18, 15-13 defeat of Wetumpka in the second game of a tri-match Thursday night. ACA lost to PCA in the first match of the night by scores of 13-25, 25-22, 13-15.

The Lady Eagles started slowly against PCA and never led in the game, except 1-0 on the first point of the match. In game two, the Eagles again started slowly and trailed 11-19 before scoring 14 of the next 17 points to even the match 1-1. Alyson Thornton and Savannah Fonville served the last 12 points to clinch the game. In game three, momentum was in the Eagle’s corner after Mary Reagan Hilyer made two saves during a rally and helped ACA take a 12-11 lead. The Lady Panthers withstood the scare and finished off the Eagles 15-13. Alyson Thornton led the offense with eight kills and three aces while Mary Hall, Jordan Smithee and Monica Willingham each added four kills. Emily Thornton had 21 assists and three aces with Savannah Fonville contributing 11 digs.

Against Wetumpka, the Eagles led game one 17-13, but let the lead slip away losing 23-25. With game two tied 7-7, ACA pulled away and evened the match to force a third game. The third game was close throughout, but the Eagles prevailed 15-13 to send the seniors home winners. Jordan Smithee hit the ball as well as she had all year and had 15 kills in the match. Monica Willingham added four kills. Emily Thornton had 16 assists while her sister, Alyson had eleven. Savannah Fonville, who spent most of the night diving on the floor for balls had nine digs.

The cross country seniors were also recognized on Thursday night. The five runners were Payton DeCapite, Marlo Duggan, Kyndall Foley, Judd Hardin and Timia Nelson.

Emily Thornton's Record Setting Week Earns Her Athlete of the Week

Emily Thornton had a week to remember as she broke the all time assists mark in Alabama Christian history. Thornton passed the 3,000 assist plateau against Catholic on Tuesday, becoming just the 21st player in the state to ever break that mark and only the fourth player from the Montgomery area. On Saturday, at the Shrimp Fest Invitational in Gulf Shores, Thornton broke the school record with her 3,099th assist against Fairhope and finished the day with 3,122 assists. Thornton is currently ranked 17th in state history for career assists.

Lady Eagles Split Six Matches in Shrimp Fest Invitational

Alabama Christian finished 3-3 in six games at the Shrimp Festival Invitational in Gulf Shores. The Lady Eagles defeated Guntersville 25-17, 25-17 and Saraland 25-22, 23-25, 15-12 on Friday night. On Saturday, ACA lost to Carbon Hill 22-25, 17-25 and Our Lady Academy 16-25, 19-25 before beating Fairhope 25-12, 25-18. The Eagles ended the day with a loss in a rematch with Guntersville 25-18, 19-25, 10-15.

ACA was led by Alyson Thornton with 34 kills with 23 digs and four aces. Jordan Smithee contributed 31 kills and had a team best seven aces. Emily Thornton added 19 kills and a team high 106 kills. Against Fairhope, Emily Thornton became the all time leader in assists at ACA passing Blair Brendle.

Alabama Christian's Emily Thornton Surpasses 3,000 Career Assist Milestone

Emily Thornton’s 17 assists against Catholic Tuesday night pushed her past the 3,000 assist mark for her career. The senior captain currently has 3,016 assists for her career. Thornton joins Blair Brendle as the only Alabama Christian players to accomplish this feat.

The Eagles were unable to defeat the Knights on the night, losing in three games, 9-25, 20-25, 18-25. ACA started slowly in the first two games and never recovered and despite the better start in game three could not put together a consistent effort and lost the final game.

Jordan Smithee led the team with eight kills while Mary Hall, Alyson Thornton and Monica Willingham each had five kills.

ACA Swept by St. James in Capital City Conference Tilt

Two old rivals clashed Monday night as St. James visited Alabama Christian and the Lady Trojans came away victorious winning, 28-26, 25-22, 25-20. Both teams were inconsistent all night and allowed long runs to their opponent in all three games.

The Lady Eagles came out flat and allowed St. James to jump out to an 11-0 lead to start the match. ACA had trouble adjusting to the very soft, short serves of the Lady Trojans. The Eagles erased the deficit and took a 25-24 lead late in the game, thanks to Jordan Smithee’s service game which accounted for six straight points. In the end, ACA ran out of gas and lost 26-28.

In game two with the game tied 5-5, the Lady Eagles allowed six straight points to St. James, committing errors on five of the six points. Once again, the Eagles fought their way back and pulled to within one point at 22-23, but gave up the final two points of the game and lost 22-25. Game three played out like the previous game as ACA allowed nine straight points to the Lady Trojans to trail 10-17. After pulling to within one point, 20-21, St. James scored the last four points to win the game and the match.

Jordan Smithee led the team with 10 kills, two blocks and two aces. Alyson Thornton had seven kills while Mary Hall and Monica Willingham both contributed six kills. Emily Thornton had 28 assists and two aces.

ACA (14-17) will play at home again tomorrow against Catholic in an importanrt area contest.

Emily Thornton Named ACA Athlete of the Week

Emily Thornton led the Lady Eagles to a 2-1 record last week and was named the ACA Athlete of the Week. The senior captain had 18 kills with 33 assists and two aces in the three contests. Thornton leads the Eagles in kills and assists on the season, which has only been done one other time in program history. Thornton ranks second all time in assists and eighth in aces in school history.

ACA Swept by Trinity in Three Straight

The Lady Eagles lost an area contest to Trinity Thursday night in three straight games. The first game was very close, but ACA was unable to take the lead late and lost 22-25. Mary Hall was injured in game two with the score tied 17-17 and the Eagles struggled down the stretch and fell 21-25. In game three, the score was tied 10-10 early, but Trinity gained the momentum and won the game, 13-25.

Emily Thornton led the team with nine kills and added 10 assists. Jordan Smithee had seven kills and Mary Hall added five kills and two blocks. Alyson Thornton led the team with 18 assists and Savannah Fonville had six digs.

ACA (8-13) have the weekend off and will resume play Monday as they visit Catholic.

Lady Eagles Sweep Tri-Match at Wetumpka

Alabama Christian beat Park Crossing (25-16, 25-21) and Wetumpka (25-13, 25-14) in a tri-match at Wetumpka Monday night. The Eagles improved to 8-12 on the season with the sweep and hope to use the wins to help get ready for an area contest against Trinity, Thursday.

Against Park Crossing, ACA came out strong and won game one easily. The Eagles came out flat for game two and fell behind 5-13 early in the game. Alyson Thornton ran off seven straight points to even the score 13-13. Park Crossing responded with five straight points to take a 13-18 lead. After cutting the lead to 17-19, Hayley Cassidy served a run of five points to take the lead. The Eagles held on for a 25-21 win to take the match. Emily Thornton led the offense with six kills and nine assists. Jordan Smithee and Monica Willingham each added five kills. Alyson Thornton contributed nine assists and, along with Smithee, had three aces.

ACA faced Wetumpka in the second match and dominated from the beginning of game one. The Eagles jumped out to a 5-1 lead and cruised to 25-13 win. Bailey DiNunzio, Jordan Smithee, Hayley Cassidy, and Alyson Thornton all ran off at least three points in a row with their serve in the game. In game two, Emily Thornton’s serve accounted for 11 of the team’s 25 points. Savannah Fonville served the last two points to close out the match. Alyson Thornton’s seven kills led the team while Bailey DiNunzio had five kills and two aces with Monica Willingham adding four kills. Emily Thornton had 14 assists and two aces. Savannah Fonville led the team with 17 digs.

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Lady Eagles Lose Tough Match in Five Sets to Prattville

ACA started strong as they built a 2-0 lead, but could not finish off the Lady Lions as Prattville stormed back to win the last three games and win the match, 26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 23-25, 10-15. This was the third time the Eagles lost to Prattville this year, but have improved with every contest.

Alabama Christian out hustled and outplayed Prattville in the first two games. In game one, the Eagles trailed 8-13, but steadily closed the gap and won the game, 26-24. Bailey DiNunzio ran off four straight points serving in the comeback and Emily Thornton served the last three points for the win. Game two was even until Savannah Fonville scored four straight points to break a 5-5 tie and the Eagles never trailed again in the game.

ACA came out flat in game three and the Lions built an early 10-1 lead and the Eagles never recovered. The Lady Eagles had their best chance to finish off the Lions in game four. After trailing 5-11 early in the game, the Eagles rallied and led 23-21 late in the game, but couldn’t finish and Prattville scored the last four points of the game to even the match 2-2. The Eagles fell behind early in the deciding game five and were never able to break through with the lead.

Emily Thornton produced a solid performance with a team leading 15 kills and 20 assists. Alyson Thornton added 11 kills and 18 assists and led the team with two aces. Jordan Smithee had nine kills and an ace while Savannah Fonville led the team with 12 digs.

ACA (6-11) will host LAMP on Thursday in an important area contest.

Volleyball's Alyson Thornton Named Athlete of the Week

Freshman Alyson Thornton is the ACA Athlete of the Week . Thornton was nominated as the Player of the Week from the Montgomery Advertiser last week and continued her steady play this week for the volleyball team. in an area contest against Trinity, Thornton had five kills with 12 assists in a losing effort. For the season, Thornton leads the team in kills and aces and ranks second in assists.

The Lady Eagles (6-10) will play against Prattville on Tuesday of this week and host LAMP on Thursday in a key area match.

Lady Eagles Split Four Matches in Party on the Plains Tournament

The ACA volleyball team continued to improve as they finished 2-2 in the Party on the Plains Tournament in Auburn this weekend. The Eagles opened play against the host school, Auburn, and were beaten in two sets, 17-25, 18-25. ACA bounced back in the next two pool games, winning in three sets both times. ACA defeated Pike Road 25-15, 19-25, 15-7 and Tuscaloosa County 25-14, 14-25, 15-7. The Lady Eagles closed the day with a three set loss to Prattville, 25-23, 21-25, 11-15.

For the tournament, Alyson Thornton led the team with 18 kills and Mary Hall, Jordan Smithee, and Monica Willingham each had 16 kills. Hall had a team high four blocks while Savannah Fonville led the squad with 40 digs and eight aces. Emily Thornton had 41 assists and sister Alyson Thornton added 38 assists. Emily Thornton’s six aces on the weekend moved her into 10th place all time in school history with 133 career aces.

Alabama Christian Handles Pike Road in Four Games

After losing to Pike Road last week, the Lady Eagles bounced back with an impressive road win over the Patriots Thursday night. ACA played one of their best games of the year and Coach Manuel Guice was particularly pleased with his team’s play at the net as the Lady Eagles had several blocks and touches that Bothered the Pike Road hitters.

In game one, the contest was close and the Eagles held an early 9-7 lead. ACA outscored Pike Road 16-5 to finish with the help of Jordan Smithee and Emily Thornton serving well to help secure the win. In game two, the Eagles started slowly and trailed 11-15 midway through the game. From that point, Bailey DiNunzio ran off five straight points and Savannah Fonville followed with six in a row to win the game, 25-18.

Game three saw the Eagles start strong, but they could not hold the lead and Pike Road won their only game of the night, 18-25. ACA closed out the match by winning game four, 25-15. The Lady Eagles closed out the night on a 15-5 run and left the gym with a very important win.

The offensive output was evenly distributed with Mary Hall leading the team with nine kills and Alyson Thornton added eight kills. Jordan Smithee had three aces to pace the team and Mary Hall had three blocks. Emily Thornton’s 21 assists was season high for the Lady Eagles.

ACA (4-7) will travel to Auburn this weekend for the Party on the Plains Tournament.

ACA Drops Both Games of Tri-match

ACA hosted Carver and Pike Road Thursday night and were defeated by both teams. The Lady Eagles were beaten by Carver in the first match, 21-25, 24-26. The night was finished with a tough three set loss to Pike Road, 23-25, 25-19, 13-15. Carver was able to defeat Pike Road in the other match to finish undefeated on the night.

Emily Thornton led the Eagles on the night with eight kills and 23 assists. Monica Willingham, seeing her first action of the year, added seven kills. Bailey DiNunzio had four aces and Savannah Fonville finished with a team high 18 digs.

The Lady Eagles (1-3) will continue play this weekend as they compete in the Mayor’s Cup.

ACA Earns First Victory of the Year Over Elmore County

The Lady Eagles evened their record to 1-1 on the season with a 25-17, 19-25, 26-24, 25-18 defeat of Elmore County. ACA showed improvement in their second game of the year. Coach Manuel Guice liked the progress he saw and knows that time on the court is what this team needs with all of the new players this year.

With the score tied 3-3 in game one, the Lady Eagles took charge and took a 19-11 lead and went on to win by eight. After falling behind early in game two, ACA could get no closer than four points. It looked as if Elmore County was going to take game three leading 21-24 late, but in the pivotal moment of the match the Eagles ran off five straight points and took the game, 26-24. The Eagles closed out the match in the fourth game for the hard earned victory.

Alyson Thornton led the offense with 12 kills and had three aces in her serve game. Emily Thornton had 20 assists while Savannah Fonville added 18 digs. Aniya Jackson and Alyson Thornton led the team at the net with three blocks each.