During Saturday’s back-and-forth championship match against Wetumpka, Stanhope Elmore’s Kelbi Johnson never broke her concentration. Whether it was dropping the first set or helping her team storm back to force a tiebreaker, Johnson never changed the look on her face until the final point.
That is nothing new to her teammates but Johnson proved herself to be one of the team’s most important leaders without having to say much throughout Saturday’s home tournament. Johnson was all over the floor as the Mustangs dominated three consecutive matches to get to the final.
“She’s an all-around athlete but she can be her own worst critique sometimes,” Stanhope coach Virginia Barber said. “We kind of joke with her about it but she doesn’t show emotion. I know when she’s upset but not many people do so we just let her play her game. She’s just competitive and that’s the biggest thing. She wants to win.”
With so many new faces for Stanhope, players have been shifted from position to position to find the best combination early. Fortunately for the Mustangs, Johnson can play just about anywhere.
During the two pool play matches, Johnson led the team with 19 kills and recorded 16 assists.
“We moved her to middle in the last couple of games,” Barber said. “She’s just a stud athlete so to have someone like her there has really helped us.”
Johnson continued to be Stanhope’s best player on the floor during the elimination matches. The Mustangs matched up against Tallassee in the semifinals, a rematch of the season opener the Tigers won.
Stanhope fell behind early in the first set but Johnson helped bring her team back with five kills and the Mustangs took a late lead before closing out the first set, 27-25. Johnson finished the match with seven kills and six assists and Stanhope defeated Tallassee in two sets.
“She’s only a sophomore so she’s still young,” Barber said. “Her confidence is building and I tell her all the time that she is one of the best athletes in the school but she has to play like that. She’s amazing on and off the floor.”
In the championship against Wetumpka, Johnson showed off even more of her versatility, leading the team with five digs to go along with six kills and six assists. Johnson also had two aces in the third set when Wetumpka had match point.
“She has been playing for me for four years now,” Barber said. “She has played varsity softball since seventh grade so she’s used to the big stage. I think her just being competitive has really helped her.”
