Northeast secures season sweep of West in tough Region 4-4A

Sep. 27—The Mississippi High School Activities Association's Region 4-4A has been a particularly tough volleyball region this season, as Northeast Lauderdale (21-6, 6-0 Region 4-4A), West Lauderdale (22-14, 1-4 Region 4-4A), Newton County (23-4, 4-2 Region 4-4A) and Choctaw Central (15-12, 0-5 Region 4-4A) all have winning records this season and a combined record of 81-36.

The Northeast Lauderdale Trojans secured a perfect record in 4-4A by sweeping West Lauderdale at home on Tuesday, but both teams will make the playoffs this year. Region 4-4A is the only 4A region made up of four teams rather than five following MHSAA offseason realignment, and the top four teams from each 4A region make the playoffs under the new postseason bracket structure.

The Trojans gave up six sets in their six region matchups, not including the 2-1 victory that Northeast Lauderdale picked up over West Lauderdale in the Lauderdale County School District Volleyball Tournament. Northeast Lauderdale coach Debrah Everett said the Trojans had to mentally prepare for each region match as if they were headed into battle.

"I think the competition in 4A is pretty tough. I think the level of competition in our district specifically is extremely tough. West Lauderdale, Newton County and even Choctaw (Central) can't be counted out. It's really a tough district," Everett said. "We didn't have one where we were like, 'We're going to win.' We went in thinking, 'We've got to fight.'"

West Lauderdale coach Doug Everett echoed his wife's sentiments regarding the difficulties of playing in Region 4-4A, saying it is the best district top-to-bottom in Mississippi.

"My wife and I have spent all weekend watching videos of every team in the south and every team in the north that's going to come out, and there will be one good team per district, but we've got three really good teams in the district that are extremely competitive, and honestly, I'd be really shocked if one of us three out of this district didn't get to South State," Doug Everett said.

Fans of both the Knights and the Trojans packed Northeast Lauderdale's gym on Tuesday to see a compelling match between two region rivals whose rosters feature standout players like Northeast Lauderdale's Audrianna Green and West Lauderdale's Hailey Duque. Doug Everett said the dominant team in the rivalry flip-flops every year, and the Trojans have not made many mistakes so far this season.

"I think it's a healthy rivalry that our area needs," Debrah Everett said. "The stronger the teams are, the better our area is going to get, so it's a positive thing. I'm happy that they have a strong team; I'm happy that we have a strong team."

The Northeast Lauderdale coach said her team played well because Raven Ramsey hit well on the outside, Destiny Holliday earned some service points and Green provided clutch defense and blocking, even though she would have liked her players to pass better.

"We just gave up too many runs on serves," Doug Everett said on Tuesday's match. "We just kept giving up these runs over and over again, and honestly, that's probably a top-three or four team in 4A in the state, and we're a top-ten team, so we're both good teams, but ultimately we just had too many mistakes too often."

The West Lauderdale coach said his team needs to cut down on their mistakes before the playoffs get under way, and the Knights need to do a better job of receiving serves in particular. He said the Knights pass the ball well, so there is no reason they should give up big runs in every set like they have this season.

"It's hard because my expectations for this team was a state championship," Doug Everett said. "With that said, I still think we have the team to do it. We made a lot of switches tonight. I had players playing outside that haven't played there all season, I had players playing opposite that weren't there all season. We're trying to clean up some stuff going into the playoffs. The season hasn't gone the way we want it to, but I really think we're still in a position to be one of those teams in South State if we get it together going into the playoffs."

Debrah Everett said she feels good heading into the postseason. She said the Northeast Lauderdale's ability to receive serves and put balls away will determine whether the Trojans can make a run in the playoffs this season.

"I want to stay focused, I want to keep our heads down and just prepare," Debrah Everett said. "I don't want to celebrate too early; I don't want to get a big head. I just want to stay focused."

Contact Christian Knox on Twitter @TheChrisKnox