MHSAA 5A volleyball championship: Harmony Jackson leads Lafayette past East Central
OXFORD — Newly minted 5A Miss Volleyball Harmony Jackson and the Lafayette Lady Commodores had won just about everything they could win, but there was one trophy missing from the case — a MHSAA State Championship Golden Ball.
And after Thursday’s dominating 3-0 win over South Champ East Central at the Gillom Center at Ole Miss, the Lady Dores can scratch that one off the list.
Lafayette (26-9) dominated the first set, winning 25-15 behind the strong play from Jackson. The senior had six kills and four blocks, and provided played great defense when she shifted to the back-court.
“We wanted this one,” Jackson said. “This program is everything to us, and to me. We have put in so much work and we felt like we were the better team. We just had to play up to our potential.”
The second set was the only one that was seriously contested.
East Central (24-15) got much better play out of Morgan Mears and Kaitlynn Hooks in the second set, and the Hornets built an 18-13 lead before the momentum swung again.
The Lady Dores finished the set on an 11-3 run to win it 25-21, taking whatever wind was left out of East Central’s sails.
“We played a lot of tight matches down the stretch,” Lafayette coach Taylor Elliott said. “We played a couple of good 7A teams, so we knew what it was like to grind and go multiple sets.”
The Lady Dores jumped out to a 20-10 lead in the third set, and held on to win it 25-15.
Jackson provided the final service ace, which sent the Lafayette student section — seemingly the whole school — into a frenzy.
Jackson picked up her MVP trophy, and the Lady Dores hoisted the gold ball they had long coveted.
“It’s amazing to even get here,” Elliott said. “And to win it is just the cherry on top. I couldn’t be any prouder of our girls and what they’ve accomplished.”
MHSAA 5A Volleyball Championship - Lafayette Commodores vs. East Central Hornets
