Lake Cormorant rallies past Long Beach 3-1 to clinch MHSAA 5A Volleyball Championship

STARKVILLE — It took a set for Lake Cormorant to find its footing, but once it did, the Gators couldn’t be stopped in Thursday’s MHSAA 5A Volleyball Championship.

Led by freshman Sofia Gonzalez, the Gators shrugged off a 25-9 loss in the first set and won the next three to beat Long Beach 3-1 and win their fifth state championship in eight trips under coach Christina Morgan.

“I think our nerves got the best of us in that first set,” Morgan said. “But I told the girls we just had to pretend like that didn’t happen and just start over, because that’s not the way we play.”

The Gators (30-12) bounced back to win the second set 25-18 and the third 25-17.

In the fourth and final set, Long Beach jumped ahead to a 13-9 lead, but Morgan called a quick timeout to re-settle her team.

The Gators pulled even at 18-18, then won eight of the final 10 points to clinch it, 25-21.

Gonzalez was the key. The freshman outside hitter was nearly unstoppable in the final three sets, and took home MVP honors for her efforts.

“She’s been phenomenal all year,” Morgan said. “Tonight, she put a lot of balls exactly where we needed her to put them.”

The loss ended a dream season for Long Beach (19-5). The Bearcats had stormed through 5A South on the way to the state championship, but struggled after dominating that first set.

“I think we just got complacent,” Long Beach coach Rebecca Tillman said. “We didn’t play up to our potential after that first set, and that was out of character for us.”

Photos by Austin Frayser

2022 MHSAA 5A Volleyball Championship: Lake Cormorant versus Long Beach