By Robert Wilson
When Ross Dorr took the job as Madison-Ridgeland Academy’s volleyball coach four years ago, his goal was to bring a MAIS state championship to the program for the first time in school history.
Dorr – a former MRA, Southern Miss and Delta State basketball player – reached his goal Monday night.
MRA defeated five-time defending MAIS Division I state champion Jackson Academy in three sets for the state title before an estimated 500 at Mississippi College’s A.E. Wood Coliseum/Mike Jones Court in Clinton.
MRA finished with a 36-8 record and didn’t lose a conference game. JA – which had dominated MAIS volleyball over the past decade not only winning the last five state titles but also nine of the last 10 years – finished 30-16-3. MRA defeated JA for the third time in three meetings. JA – whose only losses were to MRA in league play – did defeat MRA 2-1 in
MRA has gradually improved since Dorr took over and was very close to bringing home a state title and reaching Dorr’s goal last season. The Lady Patriots led 12-11 in the fifth set in the state championship match, but JA rallied to score five of the last six points to keep its state title string going. It was the closest state title match in the 12-year history of the event. MRA made school history last season when the Lady Patriots defeated JA for the first time, ending the Lady Raiders’ streaks of 55 consecutive wins against MAIS competition and 43 straight wins against Mississippi teams (MAIS and MHSAA).
MRA returned six of the seven starters off last year’s team, which finished with a school record 41 wins (with seven losses) and had a 30-match winning streak during the season.
It was the MRA’s year.
MRA defeated JA in four sets at JA – the first time MRA had beaten JA at JA in school history – on Aug. 20. Then, despite dealing with the loss to MRA senior Robert Noah, who passed away in an automobile accident coming back from Oxford, and his funeral the week of the game, MRA’s girls – many who were close to Noah – were able to focus and defeat JA again in four sets at MRA.
“MRA and my old ball coach, Richard Duease (the winningest basketball coach in Mississippi history and then MRA’s athletic director), brought me in to change the mentality and culture of MRA volleyball,” Dorr said. “That season saw MRA have its first winning season in school history. From then to now, I have to give credit to the senior classes for buying in and helping me and (assistant) coach Elizabeth Sandridge build a champion. The ones who should be acknowledged are the prior year’s seniors, Avery Irby, Addison Morris, Caroline Oilphant, Ansley Jones, Molly Grace Amis, Addie Griffin, Cameron Humphries, Mary Hayes Maxey, Sam Morris, Emma Gentry, and McLaine Dorr (Dorr’s daughter). They paved the way for the first championship trophy.”
Monday’s win was an exclamation point to finish off the season. Each set was close with many lead changes, but MRA scored the crucial points near the end of the sets to win all three. MRA won 25-23, 25-21 and 25-20. Unlike last year’s state title game, the Lady Patriots didn’t let a lead slip away.
“I couldn’t be prouder of this team,” Dorr said. “We lost in the championship last season by the closest possible margin and the girls were determined to win it this year.”
MRA was led by its seniors, outside hitter and University of North Florida commitment Fallon Humphries, Libero Chloe Carr and defensive specialist Kinsey Griffin.
“Fallon hit the ball as hard as I’ve ever seen her and played like the best player in the state that she is,” Dorr said. “Chloe played great all night making huge digs that swung momentum at key times. Kinsey was able to take everything JA threw at her and still give our setters a good ball. All three ended their MRA careers the way a coach wants a kid to walk away. They gave me everything they had and left nothing in their tanks. It was literally what 100 percent looks like.”
There were many others who helped MRA get its historic win.
“(Junior) Selah Sandridge set the tone early with big kills in the first set and scored the championship point the same way with a bomb,” Dorr said. “Our two middles, (junior) Reese Roundtree and (junior) Lily Sistrunk, didn’t put up big stats but both made key plays at critical times. (Sophomore) Emerson Dorr (Dorr’s daughter) scored nearly every time she hit from the front row and (sophomore) Ella Eatherly was great setting our front row – murder’s row – and made it easy for them to find a kill. (Junior) Alyssa Dampier (daughter of former Mississippi State and NBA star Erick Dampier) was intimidating and lethal on the right side. She got kills and blocks and was an anchor for the front row defense. After everything is said and done, I always ask my teams if they gave me and their teammates everything they had. I didn’t have to ask after last night.”
JA lost six seniors – including Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year and Southern Miss signee Kaylee Lowther (JA’s fifth straight Gatorade POY) – to graduation from last year’s 35-13 team, which was 18-1 against MAIS teams.
Even though JA was talented – led by 6-foot-3 sophomore outside hitter and MaxPreps and vballrecruiter.com All-American Carson Caraway and 6-1 senior middle hitter and Southern Miss commitment Sophia Sosa – the majority of the team didn’t have the experience like JA’s championship teams of past seasons.
JA coach Melissa Denson didn’t win a state title for only the second time in her seven years at JA. She has a 252-56 record at JA and a 291-83 record in nine career seasons, the first two at Clinton High.
“It was a tough game for our girls,” Denson said. “We couldn’t seem to find our rhythm. Our passing broke down, which didn’t allow us to run the offense we typically run. Skill wise it wasn’t pretty, but I’m proud of how they battled and didn’t give up. The majority of our team is so young that this was their first time in an arena like this. I think we will be better moving forward from it. It’s always hard to end on a loss, especially for the seniors. I’m thankful for all their dedication to the program over the years that have consistently led us to the championship match. MRA played a great game and it was their year.
“The future is bright for our team and I can’t wait to see how we bounce back and grow from this.”
