MHSAA 6A volleyball championship: Lake Cormorant sweeps Hancock for back-to-back state titles

OXFORD, Miss. — The Lake Cormorant Gators are back to back state volleyball champs.

The Gators (31-9) won the first two sets over South State Champ Hancock, 25-18 and 25-19 and survived a late surge from the Hawks to clinch the match with a 25-22 win in the third set.

It was the Gators’ first championship since moving to Class 6A and their MHSAA State Championship in a row.

“I’ve been impressed almost from the first practice with the determination and the focus this team has showed,” Lake Cormorant coach Christina Morgan said. “They just refused to lose in big matches like this one.”

The final set was the only one that Hancock truly contested. The Hawks (34-9) led it 19-15 at one point, but Lake Cormorant finished the match on a 10-3 run to clinch.

Just like last season, the Gators were led by sensational sophomore Sofia Gonzalez, who was named Class 6A Miss Volleyball by the MHSAA and the Mississippi Association of Coaches two weeks ago.

The sophomore earned MVP honors Thursday, leading her teammates to start a “So-fi-a” chant as she collected the trophy before the Gators hoisted the Golden Ball trophy.

“She’s been so important to this team,” Morgan said. “She deserves all the recognition she’s getting as one of the very best players in the state.”

Photos by Austin Frayser

2023 MHSAA 6A State Volleyball Championship - Lake Cormorant vs. Hancock

The Lake Cormorant Gators captured their second consecutive state championship with a 3-0 win over Hancock on Thursday, Oct. 19 at the University of Mississippi.