The Fayetteville-Perry Lady Rockets are the 2025 Brown County Volleyball Tournament champions. Photo provided by Fayetteville-Perry High School
Ripley Lady Jays finish runner-up with hard-fought victory over Eastern
Georgetown’s Ashley Mullins goes for a dig during the Brown County Volleyball Tournament held Aug. 16. Photo by Wade Linville
Ripley’s Chelsea Swisshelm comes through with a dig during the Lady Jays’ win over Eastern in the Brown County Volleyball Tournament held Aug. 15 at Georgetown. Photo by Wade Linville
Fayetteville-Perry’s Christina Murphy rises for a kill while Ripley’s Jasmine Young attempts a block during the Brown County Volleyball Tournament championship game on Aug. 16. Photo by Wade Linville
Ripley’s Harlie Polley delivers a serve during the Brown County Volleyball Tournament on Aug. 16. Photo by Wade Linville
Ripley’s Jasmine Young rises for a kill during the Lady Jays’ win over Eastern in the Brown County Volleyball Tournament held Aug. 16. Photo by Wade Linville
Ripley’s Katherine Cox comes through with a kill while competing in the Brown County Volleyball Tournament at Georgetown on Aug. 16. Photo by Wade Linville
Eastern’s Kendall Spriggs records a dig in the Lady Warriors’ match against Ripley during the 2025 Brown County Volleyball Tournament. Photo by Wade Linville
Fayetteville-Perry’s Maya Murphy sets teammate Tegan Combs up for a kill during the championship match of this year’s Brown County Volleyball Tournament on Aug. 16. Photo by Wade Linville
Eastern’s Saige Igo hammers down a spike while competing in this year’s Brown County Volleyball Tournament at Georgetown on Aug. 16. Photo by Wade Linville
Another rousing season of high school volleyball is officially underway, and four varsity teams of high schools in Brown County faced off at Georgetown Jr./Sr. High School on Aug. 16 to vie for this year’s Brown County Volleyball Tournament title.
With match victories over Georgetown and the Ripley-Union-Lewis-Huntington Lady Jays, it was the Fayetteville-Perry Lady Rockets finishing as this year’s Brown County Volleyball Tournament champs.
Match format was the best of three sets for Saturday’s volleyball tournament.
The Lady Rockets started off their day by claiming a match victory over the Georgetown Lady G-Men (25-14, 25-15).
The Ripley Lady Jays won a hard-fought battle against the Eastern Lady Warriors to advance to the championship game against Fayetteville.
After Ripley took a 1-0 lead in the match, the Lady Warriors got off to a 10-4 lead in set two. But the Ripley girls came rallying back behind the service of senior Kendra Padgett to cut the Eastern lead to 10-9.
The Lady Jays continued to hang tight, and it was an ace by Ripley senior Harlie Polley that left them trailing by just one (12-11) midway through set two.
The Lady Warriors were able to expand their lead to 23-19 late in set two, en route to a 25-23 victory to tie the match at one set win apiece.
The Lady Warriors got off to another good start in set three against Ripley, holding a 10-5 lead. But once again it was a gutsy rally by the Ripley Lady Jays that trimmed the Eastern lead to 14-13 at the midway point of the deciding set to 25 points.
The Lady Warriors failed to return a Polley serve, which tied the set at 14 apiece. Later, it was a kill by Ripley senior Raquel Hackney that put the Lady Jays up 16-14.
Eastern trailed by just one, 17-16, following an ace by senior Raylee Brummett, and it was Brummett serving for another point to tie the set at 17.
A block by Ripley junior Jasmine Young landed for a point, lifting the Lady Jays to an 18-17 advantage.
The Lady Jays were able to expand their lead to 22-18 in set three, going on to win the set 25-21. The win in set three gave the Lady Jays a 2-1 match victory over the Lady Warriors, and the opportunity to face Fayetteville-Perry for the 2025 Brown County Volleyball title.
The Lady Rockets, headed by the program’s 20-year head coach Sharon Sheets, managed a 25-19 win over the Lady Jays in set one.
Ripley’s senior heavy varsity squad coached by Jeannette Cox didn’t go down easy, and midway through set one of the championship match the two teams were knotted at 13.
The Lady Rockets were able to pull away late. A kill by Fayetteville-Perry junior Christina Murphy lifted the Lady Rockets to a 16-14 lead.
The Lady Rockets led 19-15 before it was a kill by Young that cut their lead to three late in set one.
It was Fayetteville-Perry senior Ava Baker closing out the Lady Rockets’ six-point win from the service line in set one.
The Lady Rockets suffered a 25-21 loss to Ripley in set two, but returned to capture a narrow 25-22 victory in set three to win the championship match 2-1.
Fayetteville-Perry sophomores Tegan Combs and Ellie Shiffer led the Lady Rockets in kills in the championship match with seven each.
Fayetteville-Perry junior Maya Murphy recorded a total of 23 assists in the championship match and leads the Southern Hills Athletic Conference in assists so far this season with 36.
Christina Murphy finished the championship match with four kills, and Fayetteville-Perry senior Scarlett Crawford contributed with three kills.
It was Georgetown defeating Eastern in the consolation match to finish third in this year’s Brown County Volleyball Tournament.
In junior varsity action at this year’s Brown County Volleyball Tournament, it was the Ripley Lady Jays finishing in first place.