NEW HOPE — When the New Hope volleyball team won the first set against Ridgeland 25-9 in Tuesday’s MHSAA Class 5A second-round playoff match, the lopsided victory turned out to be dangerous.
The stellar start for the Trojans, who had reached the second round for the first time in school history, gave them confidence. A little too much confidence.
“You come out in the second set, and you’re like, ‘We’ve got it. It’s fine,'” junior middle blocker Micaela Hudgins said.
Ridgeland looked sharp and New Hope looked a little sloppy as the Trojans and the Titans battled in a crucial second set. At 19-19, the two teams reached the 11th tie of the set. It proved to be the last.
Ridgeland committed two straight attack errors before winning the next point. After a kill from middle hitter Zoe Goodman, one of the eighth graders on a young New Hope team, freshman libero Kensley Woolbright served up an ace that the Titans couldn’t touch, and the Trojans won two of the next three points to win the second set 25-21.
New Hope’s response when a letdown was near kept what could soon have been a tied match firmly in the Trojans’ grasp. New Hope won a battle of a third set to sweep the Titans 3-0 and advance to Thursday’s state semifinal against Long Beach, breaking new ground for the Trojans once again. Set scores were 25-9, 25-21, 25-23.
“It’s a big accomplishment, honestly, because we made history tonight,” junior outside hitter Daylyn Nettles said.
Nettles credited the win to the resilience the team found throughout months of practice.
“We actually learned throughout the season that we had to be mentally tough and actually work together, because when we don’t, we just lose, and we all fall apart,” Nettles said.
While the Trojans were prone to misplays in the second and third sets, they never seemed particularly discouraged, never seemed like losing was even an option. Not bad for a team without a single senior.
“We’re really excited,” Nettles said of reaching the semifinals. “We didn’t think we were gonna be going there.”
The trip to Starkville for the state final four — if the Trojans win Thursday, they’ll play in Saturday’s Class 5A final — may not have been expected, but it sure is what the Trojans dreamed of.
“It feels incredible, because we’ve worked all year for this,” Hudgins said. “I’ve been on this team since eighth grade, and this is what we’ve been working for.”
That work showed throughout Tuesday night’s match with thunderous kills in a dominant first set, crisp passing throughout and unlikely digs in key moments.
“This is really just a team effort,” New Hope coach Allison Woolbright said. “There’s so many things that have to happen for it all to come together.”
Woolbright pointed out the play of Kensley Woolbright, her libero, as well as big kills from Goodman and freshman Madyson McBrayer, as being instrumental in the win.
For Ridgeland head coach Jessica Packer, the loss was frustrating for how close the Titans came in the second and third sets, but Packer said she was happy with the effort her players displayed.
“That makes me proud that at least they’re fighting for it, and it shows that they’re wanting to win and being aggressive,” Packer said.
Senior outside hitter Madison Majors was particularly effectual, especially on her serve. She broke a 3-3 tie in the third set with three consecutive aces that seemed to indicate a turning tide for the Titans.
“Her serves really stepped up, and she really pushed herself to be a leader,” Packer said. “Getting her kills in and turning around in the back row and having some aces against a team that passes really well was really strong for us.”
But after Majors’ third ace put Ridgeland up 6-3, New Hope battled back. Down 8-7, the Trojans rattled off five straight points and didn’t trail until an attack error gave Ridgeland a 22-21 lead. At 23-23, Ridgeland’s Mercedies Caldwell hit her serve wide, and Nettles unleashed a serve on match point that the Trojans’ Eden Moorehead could only deflect backward and out of play, giving the Trojans a straight-set win.
“I’m just kind of in disbelief,” coach Woolbright said. “It’s been a roller coaster and exciting. A lot of anxious feelings and uncertainty, but it’s certainly been fun.”
The fun and the accompanying anxiety are far from over: New Hope gets to face the Quadrant 3 champion, Long Beach (20-8), at 4 p.m. Thursday at the Newell-Grissom Building in Starkville.
Nettles knows the Bearcats will be a big challenge: “It’s gonna be very nerve-wracking because we’re young,” she said.
But, as Tuesday showed, New Hope has overcome similar challenges before.
Theo DeRosa reports on Mississippi State sports for The Dispatch. Follow him on Twitter at @Theo_DeRosa.
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