A one-year realignment for MHSAA volleyball places Nanih Waiya and Noxapater in a new region, but keeps Louisville in the same region. Because the discontinuation of slow-pitch softball by the Mississippi High School Activities Association has resulted in numerous schools adding volleyball as a fall sport for girls, there will be competition in all six MHSAA classifications. Last fall, there were four classifications, with 1A, 2A and 3A schools combined into Class I. Nanih Waiya and Noxapater will compete in Region 5-1A, along with Ethel, which will be fielding a team for the first time. Ethel is among the schools that replaced slow-pitch with volleyball. Last fall, Nanih Waiya and Noxapater competed in Region 4 of Class I with 3A schools Aberdeen, Amory, Choctaw County and Kemper County, and West Lowndes, a 1A school. Choctaw County won the region and Amory qualified for the playoffs as runner-up. Aberdeen was third. Nanih Waiya finished fourth in the region but Noxapater was winless in region play. Being in a three-team region, rather than a seven-team region, and not having to compete against larger schools, will obviously improve the chances for Noxapater and Nanih Waiya to qualify for the playoffs for the first time. Coaches Dayna Hunter of Nanih Waiya and Pam Mills of Noxapater are happy with the change. “I'm very pleased,” Hunter said. “We competed well when we competed with all those 3A schools, which is great for a school our size. We should be strong competitors in this 1A classification.” Mills said school size was not the only problem for Noxapater, which was fielding a team for only the second year. “It was more the fact that the schools we were playing were so much more experienced. They have been playing for years.” She's excited for the opportunity to compete for a playoff spot. “They (her players) have worked hard to get where they are. Unfortunately, I graduate five seniors this year, so in a sense we are starting over. But my younger girls have worked really hard and they are ready to step up and play.” Nanih Waiya will have a veteran team with the loss of only one part time starter from the first six. Louisville remains in Region 4-4A with Kosciusko, Lanier and Yazoo City. It's the same four teams that made up the region last year when Lanier was first, Kosciusko made the playoffs as runner-up and Louisville was third. The tentative MHSAA schedule has practice beginning July 27, scrimmage August 3, a classic match August 7 or 8, the first match August 11 and playoffs to begin Oct. 15. There will be another reclassification in 2021.
