CALEDONIA — There was much more than just volleyball at stake Thursday night as Caledonia and New Hope took to the court for the seventh annual “Dig Pink” match.

The annual match, which has now raised an estimated $35,000 for breast cancer research, brings the rivals together for a common cause – and, a trophy.

There was plenty of action on the court, however, in the final regular season match for the Trojans and Cavaliers as both get ready for what they hope are deep Mississippi High School Activities Association playoff runs.

Just like earlier in the season, New Hope got the last laugh this time, retaining the “Dig Pink” trophy in a straight-set win over Caledonia, 25-16, 25-18, 25-15.

“It’s a fun game,” New Hope head coach Allison Woolbright said. “It’s a fun rivalry and it really could go either way because the energy is so lively from both sides, but it does feel good to come out with a win.”

Unlike their first meeting of the season, the Trojans (21-18) were in control the entire match, not allowing Caledonia (26-10-1) to score more than 20 points.

New Hope operated like a well-oiled machine, with the back line playing well and the service game on-point, capitalizing on offensive chances and displaying defensive prowess.

“It’s not about who’s the better team, but who plays harder that night,” senior Annie Woolbright said. “We’ve been off in our last couple of games, but today, everything seemed to be clicking from when we woke up to through practice and into the match.”

Over the last three seasons, this rivalry has been a lopsided one, despite Caledonia taking home hardware in the form of its first state title last season.

New Hope is 6-1 against the Cavaliers since 2021, and Thursday night was another instance where the Trojans dominated their rivals.

Just this season alone, Caledonia has lost six of seven sets in two matches, including six straight after winning the first set at New Hope earlier in the season.

“We put up a good fight at times,” Caledonia head coach Samantha Brooks said. “We just didn’t continue to fight throughout the night. We didn’t play like the team that we are. … We didn’t put the ball away like we should.”

While it wasn’t the Cavaliers’ best performance, considering the importance of this rivalry, it was good preparation for what’s to come in the Class 4A playoffs, which begin on Saturday.

“This was practice for the playoffs,” Brooks said. “Ultimately, we want to win. This is a big game for us. New Hope is always a big game for us. We love to play them and this was great practice for what’s ahead.”

As for New Hope, the win not only ended the regular season in style, but gives them bragging rights until next August.

Oh, and hoisting a trophy at the end of the day wasn’t a bad way to end things, either.

“We have to bottle this energy, this desire to win,” Coach Woolbright said. “We might just have to think everyone is Caledonia because we always play our best against them.”