CLINTON — Sumrall is trying to keep a championship. New Hope is trying to finish a postseason run that nearly ended three days ago.
The defending champion Lady Bobcats and the comeback-minded Lady Trojans meet at 4 p.m. Central today, Thursday, Oct. 15, in the MHSAA Class 5A volleyball state championship at A.E. Wood Coliseum on the Mississippi Christian University campus in Clinton. MHSAA
Sumrall brings a 32-6 record, eight consecutive victories and the experience of winning last season’s title. New Hope brings the confidence of a team that fell behind two sets to none against rival Caledonia in Monday’s North State final—and found a way to win the next three. MaxPreps.com
One team has already shown it knows how to finish a championship season. The other has just shown how difficult it can be to eliminate.
A year ago, Sumrall turned its breakthrough into a championship, defeating Lafayette to win the first volleyball state title in school history. Thursday offers the opportunity to make that achievement the beginning of something rather than a single unforgettable season.
Coach Taylor Harvison’s team has put itself in position to repeat with a strong finish. The Lady Bobcats went 10-0 in Region 3-5A, and MaxPreps ranks them No. 1 in Class 5A and No. 11 statewide entering the final.
Their postseason began with straight-set victories over Northeast Jones and Purvis. In Monday’s South State championship, Sumrall traveled to Vancleave and defeated the Bulldogs 3-1, closing the match with a 25-15 fourth-set victory.
That victory provided another reminder of the scoring threat New Hope must confront. Rivers Dedeaux delivered 23 kills and five total blocks against Vancleave, according to the match statistics reported to MaxPreps. Sumrall finished with 53 team kills and 10 service aces.
For New Hope, the challenge is not simply surviving an occasional powerful swing. It is keeping Sumrall from repeatedly turning a good pass into an attack on its own terms.
New Hope’s path has required a different kind of strength
New Hope’s defining postseason moment came when there was almost no room left for error.
Caledonia won the first two sets of Monday’s North State final 25-22 and 25-13. The Lady Trojans needed three consecutive set victories to keep their season alive. They answered 25-20, 25-22 and 16-14, completing a five-set comeback and earning their place in Clinton.
“We just had to relax,” New Hope coach Laura Lee Holman told The Commercial Dispatch afterward.
That simple message could be just as important Thursday. A championship match creates its own pressure, particularly against an opponent that has already won on this stage. New Hope’s response against Caledonia offers evidence that an uncomfortable start does not have to dictate the ending.
The Lady Trojans had reached the semifinal by sweeping Florence and Lafayette, winning their first six playoff sets before being pushed to the limit by their county rival.
MaxPreps places New Hope No. 7 in Class 5A and No. 40 statewide, below Sumrall in both rankings. Those numbers favor the defending champions on paper. They cannot account for every variable in a single championship match.
Players who could shape the final
Sumrall
Rivers Dedeaux is the centerpiece of the Lady Bobcats’ attack. The junior outside hitter was named the 2026 C Spire Class 5A Miss Volleyball, giving Sumrall the classification’s top individual award winner as it pursues another team championship.
In statistics reported to MaxPreps through the semifinal, Dedeaux has 560 kills, averages 5.0 kills per set and carries a .312 hitting percentage. She also has 191 digs and 81 aces, making her a factor well beyond the front row.
Natalie Nesler, a senior setter and right-side player, has 670 reported assists and 112 aces, along with 122 kills. Her serving gives New Hope another problem to solve before it can establish its own offense.
At the net, senior middle blockers Allie Kate Brewer and Presley Shoemake have 69 and 60 reported total blocks, respectively. Their presence makes the quality of New Hope’s passing and setting especially important.
New Hope
Callie Edmiston is worth watching after contributing timely kills during the comeback against Caledonia. The Commercial Dispatch highlighted her attacking during New Hope’s rally, and MaxPreps lists her as a sophomore middle hitter.
The Lady Trojans’ roster also includes senior libero Tatum McBride, senior setter and defensive specialist Sarah Ruffin, and junior outside hitter Lauren Barrett. Their positions put them in the middle of Thursday’s central challenge: handling Sumrall’s serving, creating a usable second contact and giving New Hope opportunities to attack rather than simply return the ball.
New Hope has not posted individual season statistics to its MaxPreps team page, so a direct statistical comparison between the two lineups is unavailable.
Where the championship could turn
The first pass is the clearest place to watch. Nesler and Dedeaux’s serving totals suggest Sumrall can apply pressure before a rally develops. New Hope’s best response would be consistent serve reception that keeps its setters from chasing the ball and allows its hitters to attack with options.
For Sumrall, the task is to sustain that pressure without assuming an early advantage will be enough. New Hope’s semifinal showed precisely why a two-set lead is not the same as a finished match. The Lady Bobcats will need to keep earning points even if the opening exchanges go their way.
There is no meeting from this regular season to use as a direct comparison; MaxPreps lists the teams’ head-to-head record at 0-0 entering Thursday. Their first encounter will decide the championship.
For Sumrall, the opportunity is to defend what it built. For New Hope, it is to give a remarkable comeback an even bigger ending.
