By Robert Wilson
Madison-Ridgeland Academy’s Fallon Humphries – the Mississippi Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year – is more than just a volleyball player.
She showed her versatility and was a starter on MRA’s basketball team, which finished its season last week and was the MAIS Overall Tournament runner-up and won 31 games.
Humphries also contributes on MRA’s track and field team and finished second in the shot put and discus in the Class 6A meet last spring.
She is the third MRA athlete to win a Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year award, joining Josh Hubbard (boys basketball for the 2022-23 season and now playing at Mississippi State) and Kennedi Sanders (girls track and field for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons and is running track for Southern Miss).
The 6-foot-1 Humphries will be playing indoor volleyball for the University of North Florida where she will be joining her sister, Cameron, who plays beach volleyball for North Florida.
Humphries – an outside hitter – led MRA to a 36-8 record and the MAIS Division I volleyball championship this past season, the first one in school history, and defeated five-time defending state champion Jackson Academy in three sets for the title.
She also helped MRA’s volleyball team as a junior when MRA 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 won a school record 41 games and had a 30-match winning streak during the season.
In addition to earning the Mississippi Gatorade Player of the Year, Humphries was named the 2024 MaxPreps Mississippi Player of the Year, 2024 MAIS Player of the Year, 2024 MAIS All-Star Game MVP and four time All-MAIS first team. She is MRA’s all-time kills leader (1,092) and single season kills leader (513 in 2024).
“Fallon is a great athlete,” MRA athletic director Ross Hailey said. “Her first love is obviously volleyball and she’s worked incredibly hard at her craft. Fallon loves to compete, and she loves being around her friends. She’s chosen to help our school by being a part of our basketball and track programs, and she’s made even more friends and gotten close to others by choose to put MRA first. Fallon is certainly deserving of such a prestigious award like the Gatorade award, and we wish her nothing but the best as she pursues her goals and dreams.”
“Fallon is one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever had the pleasure to coach,” MRA coach Ross Dorr said. “It has been an honor to coach her for the past four years. The Gatorade award confirms she is the best player in the state of Mississippi. I can’t wait to see what she accomplishes at North Florida. I think winning the Gatorade award was just an explanation point at the end of a phenomenal season and a phenomenal high school career. She gave me all her effort every time she stepped on the court. And was a leader both on and off the court as well. In the championship game, her toughness and determination were key factors that kept our team in the right frame of mind to know we were going to be successful.”
“Fallon will be a force on the floor right away at outside,” North Florida head coach Kristen Wright said. “She has an excellent arm, she’s competitive, driven and is a dedicated athlete. She will work to become a six-rotation main stay for our program. We’re excited about high her floor her already is but how high her ceiling is also.”
“Congratulations to Fallon on being the first MRA girl to receive the honor and for a great senior season,” said JA coach Melissa Denson, who has coached the last five Mississippi Gatorade Players of the Year (Parker Bracken in 2020 and 2021, Lakin Laurendine in 2022 and 2023 and Kaylee Lowther in 2024).
Humphries – who hadn’t played basketball since her sophomore year – led the team with five rebounds per game and averaged three points.
“Fallon was definitely willing to come back and try to help this team,” MRA coach Stephen Force said. “She didn’t really know what role she would have but knew she wanted to be a part of the opportunity to win a championship. Fallon was an incredible practice player. She was always working hard and trying to improve.”
“Fallon was a very important piece to this team,” MRA senior Libero and Itawamba Community College signee Chloe Carr said. “We all knew that we could trust her on and off the court. She was always willing to work hard and be the best she could be every day whether it was morning workouts, afternoon practices or games.”
“Fallon was always very encouraging and a really good leader in everything we did in workouts and things off the court,” MRA sophomore setter Emerson Dorr said. “She was always hard working and pushed everyone to always do their best. As a setter, I could get her the ball and feel like she would score, and she was always reliable.”
“This past season will be one that I will always remember,” MRA junior middle Reese Roundtree said. “We accomplished so many things, including being the first team at MRA to win a state championship. What made this even better was playing alongside one of my best friends, Fallon. She brings out the best in everyone and is always there when you’re doubting yourself. Fallon is encouraging both on and off the court. She has worked so hard to become the amazing person and player she is today, and I can’t wait to see what God has planned for her future in volleyball.”
In addition to throwing the shot and discus for MRA this spring, Humphries has started her summer college weight/training plan now that basketball is over. She has about three more weeks of club volleyball with Coqui Volleyball Club. Humphries and her father, Shane, work on her serve and receiving serve.
Humphries reports mid-June to North Florida, located in Jacksonville on the Atlantic Coast.
Humphries is the daughter of Shane and Tracie Humphries. Shane played football, basketball, golf, track and tennis at Chamberlain-Hunt Academy in Port Gibson and played golf at Delta State. Current MRA football coach Herbert Davis and current MRA boys basketball coach Richard Duease coached Shane in the all-star football and basketball games. Tracie played basketball on the 1993 Overall championship team at Parklane Academy in McComb and played basketball at Southwest Mississippi Community College. Cameron played volleyball, basketball and track and field at MRA and now plays beach volleyball for the North Florida. She set the triple jump school record and was a starter on the volleyball team since the eighth grade. Humphries’ cousin, Jacob Fleming, played football at Southern Miss and her grandfather, Grady Humphries, played baseball at Louisiana-Monroe.
