OXFORD – The Our Lady Academy Crescents volleyball team earned its sixteenth state championship on Friday afternoon, defeating Alcorn Central 3-1 in the Class 3A title tilt before a huge crowd at the Gillom Athletics Performance Center on the Ole Miss Campus.
The Crescents also won the 2022 State Championship against Alcorn Central, the same team they lost to in the championship game in 2021. OLA moved to an incredible 42-4 overall on the season, with the 25-13, 20-25, 25-20, 25-15 decision. The Lady Bears of ACHS finished the season off at 31-6.
“All year these girls showed up and were hungry to get better,” said Crescents’ coach Emily Corley. “I am so proud of each one of them.”
The Crescents came out strong with a convincing first set (25-13), but they came out a little less aggressive in the second set, dropping the set 20-25.
“We stopped attacking,” said Corley, “which is not something you can do against Alcorn Central.
“Once the girls settled down, they started to play like we did all season,” said Corley. “They realized that they had to keep the pressure on Alcorn at all times because they are too good of a team to let up. We passed the ball well which allowed us to set and hit the ball.”
Ava Davis was selected as the Most Valuable Player by the Mississippi High School Activities Association.
Davis led the Crescents with 47 assists, 16 service points and 11 digs. Myah Favre had 27 kills, 10 service points and 10 blocks. Taylor Henley had 14 kills and 5 blocks. Ava Alonso had 16 service points and 10 digs. Kinsley Jean Stegall had 7 service points and 24 digs and was a catalyst on defense for OLA as well.
It was a rare award for Davis to be named as the MVP, an honor that usually goes to a hitter. The junior setter played every point of the match, and had all 41 of the Crescent’s 41 assists.
Davis quickly went to work in the all-important first set, as she set teammate Favre up for a trio of kills in the span of an 11-1 run to help OLA open an 18-7 lead and eventually secure the 25-13 final.
Alcorn Central bounced back in the second set for its only winning session of the match-up, but again OLA standout hitter Favre stepped up big in the third set asshe recorded six of her match-high 22 kills in that session.
After ACHS moved to within three points at 16-13 in the fourth and final set, Davis assisted on five kills down the stretch to seal the deal and bring yet another gold ball back to the Bay.
“It was just fun. We played well,” said Mike Meyers, Corley’s father who coached the Crescents to fourteen state championships. “It was a big venue – Ole Miss, playing on a college campus. Really fun for the girls.”
“She’s done a great job this year, and she gets better and better with experience,” said Meyers of Corley’s success of leading the Crescents to consecutive state championships. “The girls love playing for her.”
