MOBILE – In a battle of defending state champs, 5A St. Paul’s Episcopal took a 3-0 home win over 3A Bayside Academy Tuesday. As 3-0 sweeps go, it was still close at 25-19, 25-19, 25-17.

Saints coach Kelli Hillier said it was really a battle of graduation-loss replacements.

“We both lost a lot of strong players last year,” she said. “We both have some young players stepping into big roles and I think whichever way it went, it was good for us to play and I knew it would be competitive and it was. (Bayside coach) Ann (Schilling) always has her teams ready and we always expect them to to be tough. Nobody ever takes Bayside for granted. They always show up.”

Schilling said her team played hard, but inexperience was evident.

“I think our youth showed tonight,” she said. “At critical times, we did some not real sporty stuff. We stepped backward a little, but we’ll pick it back up and move forward. I’m working with setters and making some adjustments there. If you take away (Jennifer) Percy’s serve, we’re right there in the game. With the kind of serves she was hitting, especially in that third game, my young setters just aren't use to dealing with the kind of passes they're going to get off those serves.”

Percy led the Saints with four aces and seven kills.

Bayside was led offensively by last year's 3A MVP Savannah Simmons who scored 13 kills, two blocks and an ace. She also scooped up 14 digs.

Gabby Deshotel added six kills and four blocks; Jhalen Caffey, three kills, six digs, a block and an ace; Virginia Pittman, four kills, two blocks, one ace and two digs; Maggie Niemeyer, two kills, two assists; Sydney Chandler, two digs, 11 assists; Rachel Cooper, two blocks and two assists; Emily Mace, 12 assists; Lizzy Williams, eight digs and an ace; Gigi Eyre, 16 digs, four assists and an ace.

The Lady Admirals take the court at Fairhope which concludes today at Fairhope High Pirate Gym at Greeno Rd.(Hwy. 98) and County Rd. 44.