BOONEVILLE, Miss. - Northeast Mississippi Community College's volleyball schedule in 2025 reflects the increasing popularity and growth of the sport inside the Magnolia State.
The Lady Tigers will play just under half of their matches against opponents from the expanding Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) this fall.
Nine MACCC members now sponsor volleyball with the addition of East Central Community College, Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Southwest Mississippi Community College. Compare that to just two years ago when Northeast became only the fourth school to venture into this activity.
The Lady Tigers will compete against six first-year programs overall. That also includes non-conference matchups with Jackson State (Tenn.) Community College, Northwest-Shoals (Ala.) Community College and Reid State (Ala.) Technical College.
"We're excited about the addition of those teams in our state and the rise of volleyball at the community college level," said Northeast head coach Brenda Mayes. "That's great because a lot of young ladies are participating in our sport."
Four new regular season tournament locations dot the Lady Tigers' agenda as well. Northeast starts things off from August 22-23 at the Mississippi/Alabama Crossover, which is hosted this year by Itawamba Community College.
The Lady Tigers return to Fulton for the Volleyboo Round Robin on Friday, October 24. Northeast will also participate in the Lurleen B. Wallace Tournament and the Alabama Gulf Coast Classic.
Northeast welcomes Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) University and Jackson State for a home opening doubleheader on Monday, August 25. The Lady Tigers will host 11 matches in legendary Bonner Arnold Coliseum, which is tied for the most in a single season in the program's short history.
The conference slate begins nearly a month earlier than it did last year. Northeast gets the defending MACCC champion in Northwest Mississippi Community College right off the bat on Wednesday, August 27.
The Lady Tigers will remain active during the school's first-ever full-week fall break. Northeast sandwiches a trip to Freed-Hardeman in between home games with East Central and Northwest-Shoals on three consecutive days from October 6-8.
Northeast meets 11 of the 15 volleyball playing institutions of the neighboring Alabama Community College Conference (ACCC). The Lady Tigers face Bevill State (Ala.) Community College just once after squaring off five times during the previous campaign.
The Lady Tigers will recognize their second sophomore class on Wednesday, October 22 when Southwest comes to town. Northeast's final tune up before the postseason happens five days later at Northwest.