By CURTIS ROCKWELL/Sports Director
CLINTON — A trio of prep volleyball squads from the “Southern Six” are still standing as the 14 best teams from across Mississippi converge here at A.E. Wood Coliseum on the campus of Mississippi College to decide seven state champions over the next few days.
OLA, Ocean Springs and George County will all end their respective seasons fighting for state titles over a 24 hour span beginning Thursday morning.
First up is OLA, and the Crescents are shooting for their fourth straight Class 3A state championship and 18th state crown overall as they take on Alcorn Central at 10 a.m.
Soon after that, Ocean Springs takes the court at 4 p.m., in the Class 7A state title tilt and the Lady Greyhounds will face Madison Central.
Ocean Springs is playing in its second consecutive Class 7A state championship match, after falling in five sets to Lewisburg last year. The Lady Greyhounds are looking for their first-ever state volleyball title.
Head coach Christina Daigle and her OSHS squad are coming off of a 3-1 win (27-25, 25-22, 21-25, 26-24) on the road Monday night in Brandon for the Class 7A South State championship.
Ocean Springs is led by a strong and experienced senior class that features Anna Hoffmayer, Lily Rutland, Lucy Pepper and River Schmidt as well as Rozlyn Vick and Claire Lebatard. The Lady Greyhounds are in the midst of one of the best seasons in program history, standing at a solid 39-5 coming into Clinton.
“”Winning back to back South State Championships is such a testament to the hard work of this team and the growth of the program,” OSHS head coach Christina Daigle said. “It is now an expectation to be there.We prepare all preseason and all season for these opportunities. It is no easy feat to beat Brandon.The fact that this group has done it two years in a row speaks volume to their talent, grit and resilience.”
Last year, despite taking the first two sets from defending state champion Lewisburg Ocean Springs couldn’t hold on for its first-ever state title in school history as the Lady Patriots bounced back and won three consecutive sets (20-25, 20-25, 25-18, 25-20, 15-8) for their second title in two years and sixth state title in program history.
Meanwhile, on Monday, Madison Central denied Lewisburg a shot at its third straight state title with an exciting 3-2 (25-20, 23-25, 8-25, 25-14, 15-13) road win in the Class 7A North State Championship match.
The Lady Jaguars are 28-10 overall.
“We are thrilled to welcome the MHSAA and the top volleyball teams throughout our state to our campus for the second consecutive year.” said Mississippi College Athletic Director Kenny Bizot. “We are grateful to the MHSAA for choosing A. E. Wood Coliseum to host their volleyball championships. We appreciate our relationship with the MHSAA, and we are looking forward to hosting another great week of championship volleyball.”
The 2024 event was held at Mississippi College after seeing Ole Miss and Mississippi State play host for several years.
The championships will open on Thursday, Oct. 16 with classes 3A, 5A, 4A and, 7A beginning at 10:00 am. On Friday, Oct. 17, classes 6A, 1A and 2A will compete with a start time of 10:00 am for the day.
Gates will open at 9 a.m., each day. Tickets, which are $15 apiece with no additional charges, will be available at the door and through GoFan and all matches will be broadcast live via the NFHS Network (misshsaa.tv).
Here is the MHSAA volleyball state championship schedule:
MHSAA Volleyball State Championships
At Mississippi College’s A.E. Wood Coliseum, Clinton
Thursday
CLASS 3A
10 a.m. — Alcorn Central vs. OLA
CLASS 5A
Noon — Lafayette vs. Sumrall
CLASS 4A
2 p.m. — New Albany vs. Newton County
CLASS 7A
4 p.m. — Madison Central vs. Ocean Springs
Friday
CLASS 6A
10 a.m. — Lake Cormorant vs. George County
CLASS 1A
Noon — Ingomar vs. Ethel
CLASS 2A
2 p.m. — Walnut vs. Lake
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