Sydney Bates supplied 20 kills as Ripley rallied past North Pontotoc 3–1 on Saturday, Oct. 3, advancing in the Class 4A girls volleyball playoffs alongside fellow Tippah County winners Pine Grove and Walnut.
The Lady Tigers’ comeback highlighted a four-match opening round that sent three county programs forward and ended Falkner’s season. Pine Grove and Walnut advanced without dropping a set; Falkner fell in three at Tupelo Christian Prep.
Ripley’s attack extended well beyond Bates. Sisters Ruthie and Maggie McCafferty combined for 27 kills, Stella Roberts recorded 15 assists and Anna Hays Cook led the defense with 13 digs, according to Tippah County Sports’ game report.
The four-set victory lifted Ripley to 16–15 and extended its winning streak to three matches. After closing the regular season with sweeps of Senatobia and Clarksdale, the Lady Tigers had to recover from a deficit to keep their postseason going.
Pine Grove left little room for a West Lowndes recovery in Class 1A. The Panthers won the first two sets by identical 25–18 scores, then conceded just eight points in the third to complete a 3–0 sweep.
Now 22–11, Pine Grove followed Thursday’s four-set win over Saltillo with its second consecutive victory.
Walnut carried its own sustained run into the Class 2A bracket, sweeping Leland 3–0 for a 10th straight victory. The Wildcats improved to 29–4 after finishing district play unbeaten at 8–0.
Falkner could not join them in the next round. Tupelo Christian won 25–10, 25–12, 25–11 in their Class 1A meeting, holding the Eagles to 33 points across three sets. Falkner finished 9–17, including a 7–3 district record.
Ripley’s next listed opponent is Itawamba Agricultural on Tuesday, Oct. 6; Walnut meets East Webster the same day. Both Ripley’s schedule and Walnut’s schedule list 6 p.m. Central starts. Pine Grove’s next listed opponent is West Union, with the date and time still unposted.
