Two Tippah County teams are still alive in the Ripley Walnut volleyball playoffs picture after home wins Tuesday night. Ripley beat Itawamba Agricultural 3-1, and Walnut swept East Webster 3-0. Both teams will host third-round matches on Thursday, Oct. 8.
Final scores are listed on both schools’ MaxPreps schedule pages. Ripley will host New Albany at 6 p.m. Thursday, and Walnut will host Myrtle, with a start time still listed as to be announced.
Ripley Lady Tigers top Itawamba Agricultural
Ripley dropped one set but held on to beat Itawamba Agricultural in four sets at home. It was the Lady Tigers’ second straight four-set playoff win. They also beat North Pontotoc 3-1 at home in the first round on Saturday, Oct. 3.
The win also came with a birthday twist. The Tippah County Sports Facebook page said head coach Julianna Potts celebrated her birthday Monday, and that all she wanted was a second-round win. Her team delivered it a day later.
Next up is a big test. New Albany comes to Ripley on Thursday for a 6 p.m. match, with a trip to the next round on the line.
Walnut keeps rolling in the volleyball playoffs
Walnut has not dropped a set in the postseason so far. The Lady Wildcats swept Leland 3-0 in the first round on Oct. 3, then swept East Webster 3-0 on Tuesday. Walnut also beat county rival Ripley 3-0 during the regular season on Sept. 28, so the Lady Wildcats come into Thursday playing some of their best volleyball of the year.
Walnut will host Myrtle in the third round on Thursday. Fans should check the school’s social media pages for the final start time.
Thursday playoff schedule
New Albany at Ripley: Thursday, Oct. 8, 6 p.m.
Myrtle at Walnut: Thursday, Oct. 8, time TBA
Fans can watch for updates on the Ripley and Walnut school pages and on the Tippah County Sports Facebook page. Thursday’s matches will be played before Tropical Storm Isaias is expected to bring wind and rain to north Mississippi this weekend.
Tippah News will post results after Thursday’s matches.
Jon Ross Myers is the executive editor and publisher of the Mississippi News Network, Mississippi's largest digital only media company. He can be reached at editor@tippahnews.com
