The Middleton volleyball season came to an end Wednesday afternoon at the TSSAA state tournament. The Lady Tigers pushed Halls to a fifth set before falling 3-2 in a consolation match at Rockvale High School, according to the official TSSAA Division I Class A bracket.
The match started at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2026. It was Middleton’s second match of the state tournament, one day after a quarterfinal loss to CSLA.
Middleton Volleyball Takes Halls the Distance
Middleton came out strong and won the first set 25-16. Halls answered by taking the next two sets, 25-20 and 25-22, to move within one set of the win.
With their season on the line, the Lady Tigers responded in a big way. Middleton won the fourth set 25-10 to force a deciding fifth set. Halls held on to take the tiebreaker 15-11 and close out the match.
Set 1: Middleton 25, Halls 16
Set 2: Halls 25, Middleton 20
Set 3: Halls 25, Middleton 22
Set 4: Middleton 25, Halls 10
Set 5: Halls 15, Middleton 11
Halls moves on in the consolation bracket with a match Thursday, Oct. 22, at Rockvale High School. The Class A championship match is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 23, at MTSU in Murfreesboro.
Back-to-Back Matches at State
Middleton reached Rockvale with a 23-8 record listed on the state bracket. On Tuesday, Oct. 20, the Lady Tigers lost to CSLA 3-0 in the quarterfinals, with set scores of 25-18, 25-14 and 25-9. That result sent Middleton into Wednesday’s consolation match with Halls.
Making the state tournament was a big step on its own. Middleton earned its trip with a win over Gibson County, after sweeping Hillcrest in regional play earlier in October.
A Season to Remember for the Lady Tigers
Even with the loss, the Lady Tigers finished the year among the final group of Class A teams still playing in Tennessee. Players and coaches have pointed to their skill and their faith as keys to the run, and the five-set battle with Halls showed a team that kept fighting to the last point.
Middleton is a Hardeman County school just north of the Mississippi state line, and many Walnut and northern Tippah County families follow the Lady Tigers. Congratulations to the players, coaches and families on a strong season.
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
