While the return of high school football dominated the headlines when it came to local athletics last weekend, another regional team was busy competing in its own late-night sport.

Having opened its season last week, the Orange Beach volleyball team took part in the Smith Lake Classic at Curry High School on Saturday.

The Lady Makos finished 3-1 in the event’s pool play, which set them up for a deep run in the elimination bracket. They first took down Mortimer Jordan and Culliman in the quarterfinals and semifinals respectively, setting up a late-night championship game against Fayette County.

Orange Beach secured the 2-0 victory to claim the overall title, but they had to do so while battling the clock. The final game concluded at 12:29 a.m. Sunday morning, just one minute before the contest would have been called off due to time constraints.

Overall, the Lady Makos finished with a 6-1 record in the event, and while a plethora of individuals helped achieve that result, junior middle hitter Izzy Wall was the star of the show.

Wall tallied 41 kills, 14 errors and 54 attempts to give her a .500 percentage across the tournament, and her efforts earned her Gulf Coast Media’s Athlete of the Week honor after public voting concluded Tuesday evening.

Wall and the Lady Makos will next be in action when they participate in the Hub City Classic at Robertsdale High School, which takes place across Friday and Saturday.

Our other nominees for the week include Spanish Fort quarterback Jaylyn “JJ” Thibodeaux, Foley wide receiver Jaxson Dixon and Baldwin County quarterback Ray Johnson.

And be sure to check back here Monday at noon to cast your vote in GCM’s next Athlete of the Week ballot!