CALEDONIA — Late in Thursday’s MHSAA Class 4A quarterfinal match against Tishomingo County, Caledonia volleyball coach Samantha Brooks offered senior setter Emily Clark a reminder.
“Don’t forget about Sophie back there,” Brooks said.
With the match on the line, Clark made sure to remember.
She set up junior Sophie Johnson for an emphatic kill, ending the match in style as the Cavaliers swept the Braves to advance to Monday’s state semifinals.
“It felt really amazing to lead my team to the victory at the end,” Johnson said. “It was just really relieving.”
Set scores were 25-15, 25-19 and 25-22 as Tishomingo County inched closer to taking a set but never could.
Caledonia learned from its mistakes Tuesday, when it let North Pontotoc equalize a second-round match after the Cavaliers went up two sets to none.
The Cavs prevailed in five sets but were determined not to let Thursday’s match get that far.
They came out and backed it up, finishing off the sweep of the Braves.
“I’m so proud of us for that, because Tuesday wasn’t the best, if I say so myself,” Johnson said. “This time, we did a lot better.”
Caledonia rallied from a 20-18 deficit in the third and final set to keep Tishomingo County off the board. Braves standout Reese Moore served into the net, and the Cavs’ Jessie Horton got a tip to drop on the visitors’ side of the court.
Caledonia won three more points to go up 23-20, changing the complexion of the set and perhaps the match.
It wasn’t the first time the Cavaliers made an important mini-rally. They stopped a Braves run early in the first set and charged ahead after Tishomingo County went up 6-4 in the second.
“I think it’s important because when the opponent gets a lead, having to try to close that gap can be tough,” Brooks said. “I feel like it’s just a sign of mental toughness when you can climb back and close that gap.”
The Cavaliers jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first set, but the Braves won the next four points. Caledonia responded by winning seven of the next nine points, taking a 17-8 lead, and then finishing off the opening set.
The Cavs won six of the final nine points to take the second set, but what Johnson acknowledged was a stressful match against North Pontotoc remained on their minds.
“I know that we thought back to Tuesday’s match where we won the first two, and every time that we started a new set, we were like, ‘Alright, it’s 0-0 again,’” Brooks said.
Thanks to Johnson’s match-winning kill, the Cavaliers wrote a new story Thursday.
The junior is finding success as a right-side hitter in her first season playing the position. A lifetime setter — like her sister Camryn, the former Caledonia standout who was in attendance Thursday — Johnson was moved to a new position with Clark holding down the setter spot.
Johnson said the transition was “really difficult” but that she’s come to enjoy hitting, too.
“Now that I’m hitting, it’s been really fun, actually, and I think I like it a little bit more,” Johnson said.
The way she finished off the Braves, it was easy to see why.
Clark was the first player to Johnson after the ball hit the floor, screaming in celebration as the rest of the Cavaliers sprinted up the court or jumped off the bench to join the fray.
Brooks’ plan had worked, and Caledonia was moving on.
“Emily didn’t forget about her,” Brooks said. “She set her.”
Caledonia will host New Albany, a 3-1 winner over Pontotoc on Thursday, in the Class 4A semifinals Monday.
The Cavs beat the Bulldogs in five sets in both regular-season meetings this year.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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