In the spring,the Kosciusko athletic department faced a difficult decision: forge ahead with its slow-pitch softball program or jettison it in favor of volleyball.
Athletic officials and the school board ultimately decided to adopt volleyball, and the school then set out to assemble its inaugural team.
Fast forward a few months and the Kosciusko Lady Whippets are headed to their first-ever MHSAA volleyball playoff appearance.
Kosciusko (6-4, 4-2) defeated Yazoo City last Thursday by scores of 25-16, 25-21 and 25-13 to sweep the series and clinch a spot in the playoffs in their inaugural season.
“I think the girls are really excited,” Kosciusko coach Lauren Peresich said. “It’s way more than anything I could have asked for. I just expected getting a team and teaching them the game, and they caught on really quickly. I just have a bunch of girls who really don’t like to lose.”
Kaitlyn Broyles provided an early momentum-shifting hit that ignited the Lady Whippets. The energy sparked the three-match sweep of Yazoo City.
“(She) had a really good hit that made us fired up and helped us get on that streak,” Peresich said.
The Lady Whippets still have three more regular-season opponents to contend with before the postseason. Kosciusko hosts Columbus this Thursday and Winston Academy on Oct. 10 for Senior Night. The Lady Whippets conclude the regular season with an Oct. 15 road match at Noxapater.
Peresich said she does not foresee her players disregarding their regular-season games and losing their focus.
“They learned really early in the season not to celebrate too soon,” Peresich said. “We would be doing really well and then they’d start celebrating, and then they’d start losing. During the match, they learned don’t celebrate too soon. And we always say, ‘Keep a level head.’ So that’s how we’re approaching this, as well.”
Kosciusko enjoyed a 6-1 month of September that saw it reel off five consecutive wins before falling to Lanier on Sept. 19. The Lady Whippets are not just content with securing a spot in the playoffs. They intend to show they belong and plan to have a sustained run. For now, Peresich and her players are savoring the monumental moment.
“I would have never imagined when I got asked a couple months ago if I wanted to be the head coach of volleyball that we would ever be where we are,” Peresich said. “But I am so grateful that these girls brought into what we’ve got going on here and they trust me and they trust Coach (Corey) Guyton (KHS girls basketball coach) to lead them to somewhere like the playoffs in their first year.”
