The MHSAA 5A volleyball playoffs are set, and both Caledonia and New Hope have earned the right to move on to the postseason after a long run through the regular season, which concluded Thursday night with Region 1-5A victories for both teams.

Columbus (3-16, 1-9) and West Point (7-9, 1-9) both fell short of the playoffs.

The Cavaliers rebounded from a loss to rival New Hope on Tuesday with a 3-0 sweep at Columbus to end their regular season on a high note. The Cavs dominated the first set, 25-6, the second set, 25-11 and took the third set, 25-12, to move to 19-12-2 overall and 6-4 in conference games. Caledonia finished at the No. 4 spot in the region standings and will open the first round of playoff action with a 6 p.m. contest at Florence on Oct. 7.

“I’ve watched a little bit of film on them. I definitely don’t want to take away from the fact that they are No. 1 in their district and that they’ve earned their spot, and we are preparing for their strengths,” head coach Samantha Brooks said. “Honestly, we’ve not seen them, we’ve not played there so it’s going to be a challenge. (It’s) a three-hour bus ride to play there and we don’t always play the best when we travel, sometimes we do. We’ll kind of see what that holds, but we are excited to have this opportunity. This is our first year in 5A, and this is our debut in 5A playoffs.”

Florence (18-5), which led Region 2-5A at 10-0 in conference games, made the playoffs last year but exited the postseason in the first round in a 3-0 loss to Gautier. The match’s winner will move on to play the winner between No. 7 Pontotoc or No. 8 Lanier on Oct. 9.

New Hope ended its regular season campaign on a two-game winning streak after it defeated West Point 3-0 on Thursday and captured the No. 3 spot in the conference.

The Trojans will play at Vicksburg (15-4, 8-2 Region 2-5A) in the first round at 6 p.m. on Oct. 7. The Gators ended their regular season with a 3-0 loss at Florence and was knocked out of last year’s postseason in the first round with a 3-0 defeat by Lake Cormorant. The match’s winner will move on to play the winner between top-seeded Lafayette or No. 2 Cleveland Central on Oct. 9. The state championship game will be played at 11 a.m. Oct. 16.

West Lowndes also has made the postseason in the 1A ranks after a 2-6 finish in Region 3, where it finished fourth in the conference. The Panthers closed out their regular season Thursday with a 3-1 loss at Meridian. The Wildcats took the first set 25-18, and West Lowndes responded with a 25-21 win in the second set. Meridian dominated the third set, 25-8, and pulled out a narrow 26-24 victory in the fourth set to claim the match. West Lowndes will begin the playoffs at West Bolivar today at 6 p.m. to open the first round. It’s a team head coach Ashley Clark doesn’t know much about, but the Panthers are preparing for a battle.

“Honestly, I don’t know anything about this team, so we’re going as blindsided as we should. I want them to be prepared for any type of team,” Clark said. … “They’re excited. They actually can’t believe (the season) is coming to an end,” head coach Ashley Clark said of her team. “I told them, ‘It doesn’t have to come to an end. Win (today).’”

This year the Eagles posted an 11-1 overall record and a 6-0 mark in Region 4 games, and are coming off a first-round loss in last year’s playoffs. The state championship game will be played Oct. 12.