Walnut’s bid to repeat as Class 2A volleyball champion ended one victory short of a return to the state final Monday, Oct. 12, when unbeaten East Union swept the Lady Wildcats in the North State championship match.
The host Urchins won 25–17, 25–13, 25–21, improving to 37–0 and closing Walnut’s season at 31–5. The verified final also ended a 12-match winning streak that had carried the Lady Wildcats through the county tournament, the end of district play and three playoff rounds.
Molly-Kate Rolison supplied a team-high 12 kills and Vivian Brown distributed 22 assists for Walnut, according to Brad Locke’s Daily Journal game report. East Union countered with 20 kills from Ann Fleming Leflore and 24 digs from Reagan Johnson.
Walnut’s closest set came with its season on the line. After trailing 15–9 in the third, the Lady Wildcats narrowed the margin to 17–14 before East Union finished the sweep. Earlier, a 14–5 Urchins run had turned the opening set in the hosts’ favor, producing an 18–13 lead, the Journal reported.
Walnut had reached the North State final without dropping a playoff set. The Lady Wildcats had swept Leland on Oct. 3, East Webster on Oct. 6 and Myrtle on Oct. 8, winning nine consecutive playoff sets before Monday’s trip. Against East Union, they could not claim the set needed to extend the match.
Walnut finished first in Class 2A Region 1 with an 8–0 district record, according to its season schedule. Its final month included September county-tournament victories over Ripley, Falkner and Pine Grove, followed by regular-season sweeps of Ripley and Baldwyn before the playoffs began.
East Union accounted for two of Walnut’s five defeats. The Urchins also won their Sept. 1 meeting, 3–1, on the same court. Monday’s rematch brought Walnut’s first loss since a Sept. 12 tournament match against Tupelo and sent East Union forward to face Enterprise in the championship match.
