For the first time in school history, the T.R. Miller Lady Tiger volleyball has clinched a spot in the Elite 8 volleyball tournament.

The Lady Tigers earned their spot in the Elite 8 with a 3-0 win at Montevallo Thursday in the sub state round of the playoffs.

The Lady Tigers will play Ashville Wednesday morning at 11 a.m. at the Pelham Civic Center in the Elite 8.

“What a great win for these young ladies,” T.R. Miller Lady Tiger head coach Greg White said. “We were down in all three matches and they just kept fighting back and never gave in. Montevallo had a very good team. They had a great crowd, a pep band, a loud student section, a really loud and wild environment but our girls handled it all very well and stayed focused on the game.”

White said he told the game, they stole game from Montevallo as T.R. Miller won 28-26 to take a 1-0 lead in the match.

“Montevallo was up the whole game three to four points or more and we just wouldn’t go away,” White said. “We kept fighting back and chipping away at the points and finally we had a chance to get the win. The win in game one was a great confidence booster and the girls truly realized they had a chance to do something special.

“From that point on we were the more aggressive team and I think that proved to be the difference in the match.”

After the 28-26 win in game one, T.R. Miller took game two 25-20 and game three 25-20 to get the win.

In game one, Leah Brundidge led with six service points and five assists and Elizabeth Nelson led followed with six service points and six assists. Taylor Guthrie had six points and six kills. T.R. Miller was down 22-16, but tied the game at 24 and went on to win by two.

In game two, T.R. Miller was down 14-9 and cut the lead to 17-15 before taking the lead 20-18 and winning by five.

Nelson led with six points and six assists and Natalie Neal had four points and five kills. Leigh Margaret Bostic finished with four points and four kills.

In game three, Waters had eight service points, seven in a row to end the game, and eight digs. Guthrie had six points and seven kills in the win. Neal, Brundidge, and Nelson had three points each and Bostic had two points.

Amber Nelson had five kills in the win.

T.R. Miller was down 9-5 in the game three and cut the lead 11-9. The Lady Tigers then went on top 14-12 but trailed 20-18 before senior Waters came in and hit seven straight points for the win.

“We’ve spent a lot of time over the last few weeks talking about opportunities and what to do when your opportunity comes,” White said. “These girls responded and now we have an opportunity to play in the Elite 8 for the first time in school history.

“They have represented T.R. Miller greatly and I can’t be more proud of them.”

The sub state win over Montevallo Thursday improved the Lady Tigers to 20-10 overall.