Walnut Volleyball Sweeps Myrtle, Heads to North State Finals

The defending champions are still winning. Walnut volleyball swept Myrtle 3-0 on Thursday night, Oct. 8, and is headed to the North State finals for the fourth year in a row. The Lady Wildcats closed it out by winning the third set 25-20, according to Tippah County Sports.

The win raised Walnut’s record to 31-4. MaxPreps lists the team as unbeaten in district play at 8-0.

Walnut Volleyball Next Faces East Union

Walnut won the Class 2A state title last season. It now needs one more series win to return to the state championship. Tippah County Sports said the Lady Wildcats would face the winner of East Union and Hatley in the fourth round. Walnut’s MaxPreps schedule now shows East Union as the opponent, with a road date in Blue Springs on Monday, Oct. 12. The start time had not been announced as of Friday morning.

Walnut has been on a roll in the playoffs, sweeping every opponent so far:

• Oct. 3: beat Leland, 3-0
• Oct. 6: beat East Webster, 3-0
• Oct. 8: beat Myrtle, 3-0

Head coach Kelley Hopper told the Daily Journal before the season that her team would be “intentional” about defending its title after seven seniors graduated from last year’s championship team. So far that plan is working.

Ripley and Pine Grove Seasons End

Two other Tippah County teams saw their playoff runs end Thursday night. Ripley, which beat Itawamba AHS on Tuesday, lost 3-0 to New Albany in the Class 4A third round, according to MaxPreps.

Pine Grove also fell 3-0 on the road at Ingomar in the third round. The Lady Panthers finish the season 23-12, MaxPreps shows. Earlier in the playoffs they beat West Lowndes and West Union.

Supporting the Lady Wildcats

Walnut is the last Tippah County volleyball team still playing this fall. Fans should check Tippah County Sports’ social media pages for the start time and any live stream of the North State finals. Tippah News will post the result.

Source: Tippah County Sports; results via MaxPreps