Walnut kept the Tippah County volleyball championship without surrendering a set Saturday, sweeping Ripley, Falkner and host Pine Grove to claim its third consecutive county title. Senior outside hitter Molly-Kate Rolison earned Tippah County Sports’ tournament MVP honor as the Lady Wildcats finished the Sept. 26 round robin 3–0.
The three 2–0 victories pushed Walnut to 26–4 overall and extended its winning streak to seven matches. The Lady Wildcats entered the tournament at 23–4 after Thursday’s four-set win at Hatley, then won all six sets against their county rivals.
Walnut established an early advantage against Ripley, taking the opening set 25–13 before completing the sweep. The Lady Wildcats followed with a straight-set win over Falkner and closed the afternoon by beating Pine Grove in the day’s final match, securing the championship on the Panthers’ court.
Rolison has committed to play at Northeast Mississippi Community College, according to Tippah County Sports’ MVP announcement. North Tippah School District also confirmed Walnut’s championship Saturday.
Pine Grove reached the closing matchup after sweeping Ripley 2–0. That win gave the host Panthers a chance to finish the tournament against Walnut with the county title at stake, but the Lady Wildcats completed their perfect afternoon.
Ripley had opened the tournament by defeating Falkner 2–1, winning the deciding third set before its losses to Walnut and Pine Grove. The four-team event used best-of-three matches, with each school scheduled to face the other three.
The Walnut–Ripley matchup returns Monday, Sept. 28, this time at Walnut for a varsity match scheduled for 6 p.m. Central. Falkner travels to Jumpertown that evening, while Pine Grove’s next posted varsity match is at home against Saltillo on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 6 p.m.
