By Thomas Sellers Jr.
MEMPHIS — One step away from a preseason goal, Millington Lady Trojans Head Volleyball Coach Jennifer Gallo made sure her players were focused on the task.
The Lady Trojans entered the Raleigh-Egypt Gymnasium with a mission to win their Region 8-2A Semifinal against the Hamilton Lady Wildcats. Millington took care of business over the District 16-2A champions 25-6, 25-7 and 25-4.
“We are heading to Sectionals, regardless of tomorrow’s outcome,” Gallo declared moments after the Hamilton victory. “We are playing in Sectionals Thursday.”
Millington will face rival the Covington Lady Chargers for the Regional title at Raleigh-Egypt Tuesday at 5 p.m. The winner of that showdown will host Sectionals on Thursday. Loser of the Region 8-2A championship game will have to travel to the winner of the Region 7-2A title contest.
“We set our minds to whatever it takes in August,” Gallo said. “We planned on going all the way through October.”
Since 2015, the Millington Volleyball program has achieved success by reaching Sub-State multiple times and winning a Region title during that stretch.
Gallo blended her youthful talent and used her coaching staff’s expertise to help the Lady Trojans reach this milestone in 2022.
“We’ve become a team,” she said. “We build each other up. We lift each other up when we’re down. We’re girls and we fight. We argue and get into our moods. But at the end of the day when we step foot out there on that court, we’re going to play together as a team and a family.”
Millington’s familiar foe of Covington is the last obstacle in the Lady Trojans’ way of winning Regionals and hosting Sub-State. The Lady Chargers have been pushed to the limits by Millington on several occasions but always managed to come up victorious.
Gallo said her team has to believe they can outlast Covington for the title.
“For us to play the best game we’ve played all year,” she concluded. “It can be done.”
