By Robert Wilson
MaxPreps recognized Jackson Academy as Mississippi’s No. 1 volleyball program last week.
Now the Lady Raiders want to back up their lofty praise by winning another state championship after having their five-year state title run broken by Madison-Ridgeland Academy last season.
JA showed that passion, drive, and fire needed to win another state title against another rival Monday night as the Lady Raiders defeated Jackson Prep 25-15, 25-11, 25-14 in a three-set sweep in a non-district Division I matchup before an estimated 500 at JA’s Raiderdome in Northeast Jackson.
JA – which has won nine of the last 11 state titles – improved to 8-0-1 (a 1-1 tie to Collierville, Tenn., High) and defeated Prep for the 39th consecutive time. The Lady Raiders have never lost to Prep dating back to when the program started in 2011. Prep dropped to 5-2.
“It’s absolutely our mission to get back to the championship, but we are truly enjoying each other together,” said JA coach Melissa Denson, who has won five state titles in her eighth season at JA and has a 260-57 record at JA and a 299-84 record in 10 career seasons, the first two at Clinton High. “This team is extremely close and so much fun. I think last year lit a fire under our girls. They’ve matured so much over their club seasons and this summer. We were so young last year. This year they’re coming in knowing how those big moments feel and are better prepared.
“For us to win state we have to be mentally tough. With the new mix-up in the districts, it’ll look different this year. We have to be able to perform under pressure. We have all the pieces and talent to do it, just need to continue to grow through the season and peak at the right time. Our schedule is really tough, which helps.”
The Lady Raiders are led by 6-foot-2 junior outside hitter and Loyola Marymount University commitment Carson Caraway, who was named the MaxPreps Preseason Mississippi Player of the Year and Preseason All-American earlier this month.
JA returns four other starters – junior outside hitter Madelyn Rodrigue, junior setter Darby Horn, 6-2 sophomore middle blocker Kinsley Ables, and junior Libero Anna Holladay Craft from last year’s team, which finished with a 30-16-3 record. New starters are sophomore setter Lillie Henson, senior opposite hitter Kinsey Williams and freshman middle blocker Asia Lindsay.
Despite a week and a half layoff between games, JA looked sharp on Monday night.
“We tried to keep the gym competitive on Tuesday and Thursday last week and run practice like normal games to stay in competition mode,” Denson said. “With the district changes within the MAIS, we had to drop some matches to allow them to schedule within their new district. It’s been hard, but we figured it out and did the best we could with time off.
“I think we hit the ball really well tonight. Carson and Kinsley had great nights offensively. Anna Holladay passed and served well. We have some things to clean up, but after only playing each other for the last week, I expected that.”
Caraway is definitely JA’s leader. She is a strong contender to win the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year, which would continue JA’s tradition of winning the award. JA alumni Conley Chinn (2016), Parker Bracken (2020 and 2021), Lakin Laurendine (2022 and 2023) and Kaylee Lowther (2024) also won the award.
“Carson is such a light to our team,” Denson said. “She loves her teammates so much and she loves JA. She’s proud to wear that JA on her jersey and has every girl’s back on and off the court. Carson holds the standard high in the gym and sets the example by her actions. She is the full package in a teammate, high academics, and a great player. Carson truly is the example of what JA volleyball is.
”Carson has the ability to score from wherever she is on the court. She can swing from either pin and the back row, which makes it hard to slow her down. She’s been working hard on different shots to dd to her toolbox. She’s a true high level 6 rotation pin.”
Carson has continued to improve as she has grown older. She started since she was an eighth-grader at JA.
“Carson’s mindset has changed,” Denson said. “She’s matured and believes in herself. Carson has always been the young one on the varsity and having to step into a leadership role this year helped her prepare for this year. She’s worked hard in the off season and really improved in every aspect of the game, but the biggest improvement is that Carson believes in herself.”
“Last year for us was a big learning lesson,” Caraway said. “Most of the starters last year had never played in a championship game before so they really didn’t know what to expect. That atmosphere is so much different than just a regular game. Since our team was pretty young, I think that whole atmosphere really got to us. We are so excited about this year though. Compared to last year, our team chemistry is the best this year. We truly all are there to support each other. This season has already been one of my favorites, and I can’t wait to see what we do by the end of the season.
“I feel like last year we struggled with our confidence just a little bit. For the most part, we were a young team, so we had a lot to figure out. This year, we’re much more confident in our abilities. Last night was a bigger game for us, and I’m super proud of how we played. We had fun and didn’t stress about mistakes or anything like that.”
Carson had dozens of Division I offers but chose Loyola Marymount, which is located in Southern California, just outside of Los Angeles.
“I’m so excited for her journey to LMU,” Denson said. “They picked up the eighth overall recruiting class for 2027 in the nation. The coaches value the same things she does in culture. They really care about their players, and she loved that aspect. LMU is outside of LA and has so many opportunities academically, professionally, and athletically for her. It was just right fit.”
“When I went to camp in LA this summer, I was really impressed with the campus and the area,” Caraway said. “It was a lot different than anything I’m used to, but I think that’s why I liked it so much. The coaches were amazing and the impression they made really stuck out to me. I was looking for a family atmosphere and that was really important to their staff and players. I could tell how much they cared about each other. There are so many opportunities and I really felt like I’d grow as a person and athlete under their staff.”
While JA is searching another state title, Prep is looking to repeat last season’s success when the Lady Patriots won a school 20 games.
“We return three starters (senior middle hitter Caroline Hammack, junior middle hitter Grace Watkins, and sophomore outside hitter Leigh Hand) from that group that had the most wins in program history,” said fourth-year Prep coach Lauren Markle, who played volleyball at Peoria Notre Dame, Ind., High and the University of Montevallo, Ala. “We have some new players that transferred to Prep over the summer and they have been a great addition to the team by raising the level of play. We are a very young team this year with five starters only being sophomores, but I think that’s a great opportunity to have because of the potential for growth. This team will be completely different by the end of the season and that will be exciting to watch. I am grateful to be part in guiding them along the way as they improve.
“Tonight, the girls were mentally ready to play JA. They know what they’re up against coming here and we wanted the challenge. I am very proud of the effort and grit they displayed. The score doesn’t reflect how well they played in my opinion. We just couldn’t stop some tough serving runs from JA. We will learn from tonight and be ready to play against Thursday.”
