Volleyball teams across the Southern Six are preparing for region play, which is set to tip off next week.
Playoff races will begin to take shape as teams look to qualify for postseason play.
Non-district matches continue this week as Coast squads look to solidify playing time and work on strategy.
Thursday night’s slate is highlighted by a matchup in Kiln between Gulfport and Hancock.
The Lady Admirals come in at 5-3 while the Lady Hawks are 6-3.
Biloxi (6-4) will host OLA on Thursday night. OLA is off to a 9-1 start with the Crescents’ only loss coming to Brandon in the finals of the season-opening tournament in Jackson.
East Central will host George County in a rivalry game on Thursday night while Ocean Springs will host 7A rival Oak Grove.
Class 7A gets region play underway on Tuesday, highlighted by a matchup between rivals Harrison Central and Gulfport.
Harrison Central (7-2) takes on Pearl River Central on Thursday night in its final non-district tune-up.
Biloxi will play at D’Iberville on Tuesday while St. Martin will face Jackson County rival Ocean Springs.
The Lady Greyhounds and the Lady Admirals head into region play as the favorites, and the two heavyweights will collide on Aug. 29 in the first of their two region meetings.
Ocean Springs defeated Gulfport 2-1 in the kickoff tournament in Jackson.
Biloxi and D’Iberville joined Ocean Springs and Gulfport in the playoffs last year and look to battle Harrison Central and St. Martin in what could be a competitive region.
Region 4-6A play kicks off on Aug. 27 as defending South State champion Hancock battles George County.
The Lady Rebels finished third in region play last season, but a run through the postseason got them to their first South State appearance in school history.
Long Beach, which finished second in the region last season, opens district play on Aug. 27 at home against Pascagoula. The Lady Bearcats will host Vancleave on Thursday night in a battle of playoff-tested programs.
West Harrison, which qualified as the fourth seed last season, will open at Picayune on Aug. 27.
Region 4-6A looks to be one of the deepest regions in 6A as last year’s postseason success proves.
Pearl River Central begins its second season in Region 3-6A by opening against Hattiesburg on Aug. 27. The Lady Blue Devils, still in search of their first win of the season, will host Harrison Central on Thursday night.
In Region 4-5A, East Central opens its title defense at Wayne County on Aug. 27. The Lady Hornets have dropped early contests to 7A Biloxi and 6A Hancock while picking up a win over Greene County.
Cross-county rival Vancleave hopes to challenge the Lady Hornets for region supremacy as the Lady Bulldogs open play at Laurel on Aug. 27.
Vancleave and East Central play each other on Sept. 5 in the first of their two region meetings.
Gautier opens against Stone High in a crucial early-season contest. The Lady Gators look to battle Stone and Wayne County for a playoff spot.
Laurel continues to try building a competitive program and cannot be overlooked.
Region 8-4A has Poplarville looking to defend its title. The Lady Hornets open up against Greene County on Aug. 27.
Bay High will host Pass High that same day while Moss Point will host Greene County on Aug. 29 in the five-team region.
Poplarville finished 8-1 last season to take the top seed, but only two games separated Bay High, Pass High and Greene County in an extremely competitive region.
OLA looks to continue its dominance of Region 8-3A as the Crescents play Perry Central on Aug. 22 while St. Patrick takes on Tylertown the same day.
The Lady Irish take their first shot at OLA on Aug. 27 as these two teams are the class of the region.
West Marion rounds out the five-team region.
Resurrection, which looks like the class of Region 8-1A once again, opens district play at home on Aug. 22 against East Marion, which finished second in the region last year.
The Lady Eagles host St. Martin on Thursday night.
