Alison Welch is a friend of Tupelo’s volleyball program, but today she’ll be a foe.

The Lady Wave plays Olive Branch and its star player, Welch, at 3:30 p.m. today at Mississippi College in the semifinals of the MHSAA Class III state tournament.

“She’s the best player in the state,” Tupelo coach Clint Jordan said moments after his team defeated DeSoto Central 3-0 in Tuesday’s quarterfinals.

Hancock and Northwest Rankin play in today’s other semifinals match. The championship match is scheduled to start at 5.

In today’s Class I semifinals, Lafayette County plays Center Hill and Bay High faces Our Lady Academy at 9:30 a.m. The championship is scheduled for 12:30 p.m.

Lafayette County reached the semifinals with a win against Caledonia in the quarterfinals.

It was Welch who helped knock Tupelo out of the state playoffs in last season’s state quarterfinals.

“Alison is a great player,” said Tupelo’s Camile Walker. “You have to be aware of where she is.”

This year the Lady Wave is 2-0 against OB and Welch, who reached the semifinals with a win against Clinton.

Tupelo “plays really hard,” said Welch, who watched the Lady Wave defeat DeSoto Central. “They’ve got tall girls who can block shots. It will be a fight.

“I’m looking forward to (playing Tupelo). There’s nothing bad between us.”

Tupelo’s tall lineup features the Farmer sisters – 6-foot-2 Hannah and 6-foot Rachel and Sarah. All three played key roles in the Wave’s quarterfinal win against DeSoto Central.

Rachel and Hannah rank first and third in points scored this season.

“We do have a height advantage,” Jordan said. “They will try to hit it around us.”

Tupelo’s strategy for Welch, as always, will be to assign two blockers to her.

“We’d rather see her tip and score,” Jordan said. “They put her in a lot of different positions. You want to keep her from getting clean swings.”

Olive Branch, according to Jordan, is a strong serving team that puts a lot of pressure on its opponent.

“They force you to make plays,” he said. “They’re a solid team. They don’t make a lot of mistakes.”

Tupelo’s Walker, who is coming off an ankle injury, believes her team’s win against DeSoto Central set the stage for a state championship run.

“We always felt we could win (state),” she said. “The win over DeSoto Central showed us we’re capable of doing it.”