HUNTSVILLE - Spring Garden volleyball coach Ben Carroll said he'd tried to build some confidence in the Lady Panthers all at practice in preparation for the North Volleyball Super Regional in Huntsville.

Whatever he did must have worked.

Spring Garden captured its 30th win of the season with a sweep of South Lamar Friday in the Class 1A tournament's opening round. The scores were 25-22, 25-18, 25-11.

Spring Garden (30-18) advances to Saturday's second round, where it will face eighth-ranked Athens Bible at 10:30 a.m.

Athens Bible (25-8) defeated Brilliant in other opening-round action 23-25, 25-9, 25-12 and 25-11.

"I think they responded well," Carroll said of his team. "They knew they were playing an area winner. We had a good crowd here, a lot of parents, and I think that helped us."

Carroll also called the Lady Panthers winning their 30th match of the season "a milestone" for both him and his team.

"It's a testament to how they believe in me and how much I believe in them," Carroll said.

Haley Motes led the Lady Panthers with 10 kills, 15 digs, three blocks, two assists and an ace. Dallas Smith added 12 kills, two digs and two blocks. Madison Sides contributed seven kills, 16 digs and three aces.

Jacqueline Haney had 13 digs, nine assists and three aces. Emory Reedy came away with seven kills and 10 digs. Darby Bryant managed 21 assists, six digs and two aces. Maddy Micha finished with nine digs.

With South Lamar (23-7) now behind them, the Lady Panthers can now turn their focus to Athens Bible.

Carroll said he believes the Lady Panthers match up well with them.

"I think it's going to come down to the team who makes the least mistakes," he said, noting the Lady Panthers have a little work to do on their passing. "It's really encouraging to win that first match. I think we've got a good chance to advance on further."