The Walnut Lady Wildcats are Tippah County volleyball champions once again. Walnut won the 2026 Tippah County Volleyball Tournament on Saturday, Sept. 26, at Pine Grove School and kept the county crown it brought into the day. The North Tippah School District announced the title Saturday afternoon with a team photo of the Lady Wildcats holding the championship trophy and congratulated the team on being county champs “again.”
How the Tippah County Volleyball Tournament Worked
Four county schools played in this year’s tournament: host Pine Grove, Walnut, Ripley and Falkner. It was a round robin, so each team played the other three, and every match was best-of-three sets.
Saturday’s published schedule:
9 a.m. – Ripley vs. Falkner
10 a.m. – Ripley vs. Walnut
11 a.m. – Pine Grove vs. Falkner
Noon – Pine Grove vs. Ripley
1 p.m. – Falkner vs. Walnut
2 p.m. – Pine Grove vs. Walnut
Walnut opened against Ripley and took the first set 25-13, according to a live update from Tippah County Sports, which streamed every match of the day online.
Walnut Came In Rolling
The title comes in the middle of a strong season for Walnut. The Lady Wildcats beat Hatley 3-1 on Thursday, Sept. 24. That win put them at 23-4 overall and a perfect 7-0 in Class 2A Region 1 play going into the weekend.
Walnut also came in as the defending county champion. In 2024, the Lady Wildcats went 3-0 at the county tournament to take that year’s title.
The Rest of the Field
Host Pine Grove came into Saturday playing some of its best volleyball of the season. The Lady Panthers swept Biggersville 3-0 on Thursday, moving to 18-10 with five straight wins. Falkner entered at 7-13 overall and 5-3 in district play after a loss to Wheeler. Ripley rounded out the four-team field.
Results from Saturday’s other matches had not been released as of Saturday evening. Tippah County Sports said it will post its all-tournament team, including the tournament MVP, soon. Tippah News will add those honors when they’re available.
What’s Next
With the county title in hand, Walnut returns to its Class 2A Region 1 schedule and the push for a high playoff seed. The other three county teams also go back to district play as the regular season heads into its final weeks.
Congratulations to the Lady Wildcats, their coaches and their fans. Thanks also to Pine Grove School for hosting this year’s county tournament.
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
