Hinds records and Southwest volleyball breakthrough lead Mississippi rundown

Mississippi's strongest standalone reports in the 24 hours ending at 4:45 p.m. Central Wednesday came from the playing field. Hinds quarterback Jaylon Ruffin set program marks in a win over a ranked opponent, Southwest Mississippi volleyball earned a first for its program, and a Southern Miss golfer won by six strokes. The day also brought a PGA Tour opportunity for a former Mississippi State golfer and results that shape the next stage of several college seasons.

Featured image: Football file photo from the MS News Group media library. It does not show the Hinds–Mississippi Gulf Coast game. The library lists no photographer credit or original caption.

Mississippi News

MS News Group's posts in this window were two general news briefings and the previous day's rundown. With no standalone news report to add without repeating those aggregates, this edition concentrates on the original sports coverage below.

Mississippi Sports

Ruffin rewrites Hinds records in championship-clinching win

Hinds quarterback Jaylon Ruffin accounted for 592 yards and six touchdowns in a 49-42 victory over No. 5 Mississippi Gulf Coast, a performance that earned him MACCC Offensive Player of the Week. His 456 passing yards set a Hinds single-game record; he completed 29 of 37 attempts for four touchdowns and added 136 rushing yards and two scores. The sophomore also broke the college's career total-offense record. The win secured Hinds a place in the MACCC Championship, making the records part of a consequential late-season result rather than a statistical footnote. Read the Hinds report on Sports Mississippi.

Southwest volleyball gets its first postseason victory

Southwest Mississippi defeated East Central 3-1 in the opening round of the Region 23 playoffs, the first postseason win in Bears volleyball history. Southwest took the first two sets 25-16 and 25-14, lost the third, then closed with a 25-17 fourth set. Lillian Daviss had 16 kills, Ina Smith added 11 kills and 12 digs, and Addie Raye Pennington supplied 34 assists. The Bears are scheduled to visit second-seeded Pearl River in the next round. Read the Southwest volleyball report on Sports Mississippi.

Endicott earns a PGA Tour start through a playoff

Former Mississippi State golfer Garrett Endicott is set for his PGA Tour debut at the Mexico Open after shooting 4 under in a Monday qualifier and winning a four-man playoff for a place in the 120-player field. His first round is scheduled for Thursday in Nueva Nayarit. Endicott led Mississippi State last season with a 70.63 scoring average, the program's second-best single-season mark, and finished his college career with school records for career scoring average and par-or-better rounds. Fellow Mississippi State alumnus Chad Ramey is also listed in the tournament field. Read the Endicott report on Sports Mississippi.

Cuyvers wins The Judson; Bellendir receives SEC honor

Southern Miss junior Louise Cuyvers closed with a 4-under 68 to win The Judson at 12-under 204, six strokes clear of the runner-up. It was the lowest 54-hole total of her career, and Southern Miss finished second in the team competition, 12 strokes behind South Alabama. Read the Southern Miss golf report on Sports Mississippi. Separately, Mississippi State sophomore Alicia Bellendir was named SEC Golfer of the Week after sharing medalist honors at The Fin at 5 under, her first career win. She recorded the event's lowest round and led its field with 18 birdies. Read the Bellendir report on Sports Mississippi.

Jones ends regular season with emphatic soccer result

No. 9 Jones College beat Hinds 5-0 in men's soccer, its largest winning margin in 36 meetings between the programs. Lyle Hardisty scored three times as the Bobcats finished the regular season 15-1-2 overall and 9-1-1 in conference play. Jones outshot Hinds 19-1 and allowed no shot on goal. The Bobcats are scheduled to open postseason play at home against Co-Lin on Friday, giving the shutout immediate relevance beyond the final score. Read the Jones soccer report on Sports Mississippi.

Millsaps women picked to lead their basketball league

Millsaps received seven of nine first-place votes and topped the Southern Athletic Association women's basketball preseason poll. The selection is the first No. 1 preseason ranking for a Millsaps team since the league began holding these polls in 2021-22. The Majors went 21-8 last season, won the SAA tournament and earned an automatic NCAA Tournament berth. First-team all-conference guard Garin Freeman and second-team selection Tia Anderson return. The poll is a forecast, not a result, but it reflects the expectations created by that postseason run. Read the Millsaps basketball report on Sports Mississippi.

Ole Miss closes exhibition play with second-half surge

Ole Miss beat UAB 92-78 in its final men's basketball exhibition after trailing 45-44 at halftime. Six Rebels scored in double figures, led by Adam “Budd” Clark with 18 points and seven assists. The account credits forced turnovers early in the second half with helping Ole Miss take control; the Rebels also outscored UAB 38-14 in the paint and assisted on 22 of 32 field goals. The result offers a late preseason look at the team's scoring balance, while remaining an exhibition rather than a regular-season win. Read the Ole Miss exhibition report on Sports Mississippi.

Southern Miss women win exhibition by 44

Southern Miss defeated East Texas Baptist 89-45 in a women's basketball exhibition. Kennedy Langham scored a game-high 16 points and made all four of her 3-point attempts. The Golden Eagles held the Tigers scoreless for the first seven and a half minutes of the second quarter and led 46-24 at halftime. Hayleigh Breland contributed 14 points, while Whitney Hart had 10 points and a team-high seven rebounds. Like the Ole Miss result, this was preseason play, but it showed both perimeter scoring and a sustained defensive stretch. Read the Southern Miss exhibition report on Sports Mississippi.

Southwest soccer ends with a win and two Galvan marks

Southwest Mississippi women's soccer closed its season by beating Co-Lin 3-0. Nicole Galvan scored twice, and the Lady Bears finished 7-9-1, matching the program record for wins in a season and reaching that mark for the first time since 2009. Galvan ended the season with a school-record 14 goals and set the program career goals record at 26 across two seasons. Wesley Porter scored the other goal and assisted on Galvan's second, while goalkeeper Addison Champagne made two saves in the shutout. Read the Southwest soccer report on Sports Mississippi.