STARKVILLE — Starkville volleyball had just finished off a long run to defeat Heritage Academy in the second set of Tuesday night’s match, 25-14.
The Yellow Jackets had everything working through the first two sets of the match, up 2-0 at that point … and then the floodgates opened thanks to junior setter Riley Suggs.
When Suggs took to the service line to begin that third set, she stayed there for 11 straight points, including four straight aces, as Starkville began the set up 11-0.
Heritage managed to score just six points in the third set alone, unable to stop the Yellow Jackets, who were firing on all cylinders as they defeated the Patriots in straight sets, 3-0.
Set scores were 25-15, 25-14 and 25-6.
“We were really excited coming out,” Starkville head coach Haley Maughan said. “We had a goal set — keep them under 10 — and finally, we pulled through in that third set, so really excited we got to end tonight on a win.”
The serve-receive game for Starkville (8-14) was working in a big way, and with players like Suggs setting up the big hitters for the Yellow Jackets, the kills started piling up.
In that third set, Starkville was showing a part of itself that hasn’t come out as much this season, one that was having fun and enjoying itself.
Much of it began with sophomore Zariyah Edwards, who had herself a game in the hitting department with a team-leading eight kills, but especially in that third set, every time she recorded a kill, she would “chop” down her teammates and the bench.
As the set started with that incredible service run from Suggs, it ended with authority on an Edwards kill and a fun celebration at the end with her quite literally standing taller than the rest.
“The last set, we really wanted to make it fun and have a fun time, so we did a little cheer and all that stuff to keep the team going just to have fun overall because volleyball is fun,” Edwards said.
Suggs echoed the same sentiment postgame, as it seemed like the slight errors that Starkville ran into in the first two sets went away in the final set of the match.
Ending the set on a 14-6 run is just as impressive as the 11-0 start, and it shined a light on the complete game the Yellow Jackets played.
“In that third set, Coach (Maughan) was really pushing us,” Suggs said. “We were having fun. I really think that’s what happened, and I think we were also ready to get out of here because Coach told us she wanted us done before the sun sets.”
On the other side of the court, Heritage (2-10) struggled to start off the match, getting down early in the first set and keeping pace to an extent but not going on a big enough run to fully get back in.
The second set, they kept pace early on, but a long run toward the end of the set took the air out of the Patriots. In that final set, simply put, Heritage was outplayed.
“We just have to stay positive,” Heritage Academy head coach Tori Brooks said. “When you get down on yourself, you bring your teammates down. It’s been hard for us because all season, we haven’t had a full team. Tonight, we had two starters missing. Last time we played Starkville, we had two starters missing, so my girls are just tired.”
Heritage will have to regroup quickly to prepare for next Monday’s match against Pillow Academy, a program to which the Pats lost in straight sets earlier this season.
Contrastingly, Starkville looks to take this positive momentum from Tuesday’s victory into its second-to-last district match of the season against Grenada at home at 6 p.m. Thursday.
The Yellow Jackets defeated Grenada in straight sets to begin their district schedule over a month ago on Aug. 15.
Other scores
Prep volleyball
Caledonia 3, Mooreville 0
MOOREVILLE — Caledonia improved to 5-0 in district play this season after a dominant straight-set victory over Mooreville on the road on Tuesday night.
Set scores were 25-21, 25-11 and 25-16.
The second set was the defining set of the match for the Cavaliers (13-3), who had one of their best sets of the season defensively.
Caledonia will host South Pontotoc in its next game at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
Prep girls soccer
Starkville Academy 1, Magnolia Heights 0
SENATOBIA — Starkville Academy soccer defeated Magnolia Heights on the road in a 1-0 shutout on Tuesday evening.
The Volunteers (4-7), improved to 2-2 in district play with the win, a gritty win against a team this program dominated against a home a month ago.
Starkville Academy will host Washington School in its next match at 3:30 p.m. Thursday.
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