RIPLEY, Miss. — The Ripley volleyball team is moving on. The Lady Tigers came from behind to beat North Pontotoc on their home court Saturday in the first round of the MHSAA Class 4A playoffs, and they are now set to face Itawamba Agricultural High School on Tuesday.
Tippah County Sports, which covers all four of the county’s high school programs, called it a “hard fought come from behind win for Ripley.” The match started at 11 a.m. Saturday, and the outlet’s postgame report sent the Lady Tigers on to the next round.
Ripley Volleyball Leaders Against North Pontotoc
Several Lady Tigers posted big numbers in the playoff opener, according to Tippah County Sports:
Sydney Bates led the attack with 20 kills.
Ruthie and Maggie McCafferty, sisters, combined for 27 kills.
Stella Roberts ran the offense with 15 assists.
Anna Hays Cook led the defense with 13 digs.
Set-by-set scores were not included in the postgame report.
The win continues a strong fall for Ripley. Earlier this week the Lady Tigers wrapped up the Region 3-4A championship for the second year in a row, which earned them a home match to open the postseason.
Next Up: Itawamba AHS on Tuesday
Ripley’s second-round opponent is Itawamba AHS, which hosted Yazoo City in its own first-round match Saturday. Tippah County Sports said the Lady Tigers will play IAHS on Tuesday. Match time and site had not been posted as of Saturday evening, so fans should watch the school’s and Tippah County Sports’ social media pages for details.
Other Class 4A first-round matches in northeast Mississippi included Byhalia at New Albany, Corinth at Senatobia, Gentry at Mooreville and Clarksdale at Tishomingo County, according to a regional playoff scoreboard compiled by Hardwired 662.
Around the Area: Hickory Flat Advances, Ashland Eliminated
Benton County had a split result in the Class 1A bracket on Saturday:
Hickory Flat swept West Tallahatchie 3-0 to advance. The Lady Rebels’ program posted that Hickory Flat “takes the Ws in 3 straight sets” in the first round.
Ashland saw its season end with a 3-0 loss at Houlka.
This fall marked the first time all of Tippah County’s high school volleyball teams reached the playoffs, Tippah County Sports noted. Results for Walnut, Falkner and Pine Grove had not been posted by Saturday evening.
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
