POPLARVILLE, Miss. — There was a little bit of everything inside Shivers Gymnasium on Saturday for Pearl River volleyball.
The Wildcats opened the day with a statement sweep of Coastal Alabama North, 3-0 (25-13, 25-23, 25-11), avenging last year's loss to the Coyotes. In the nightcap, PRCC showed its toughness, rallying late to outlast first-year program East Central in a five-set thriller, 3-2 (25-18, 22-25, 20-25, 25-15, 17-15).
"In the second set, we slipped back into the mindset of letting off, but when we take care of the little things and communicate, everything gets easier," head coach Haley Chatham said of the sweep against Coastal Alabama. "I hope they continue to remember the results and the little moments that make us successful."
Chatham added that the nightcap demanded even more resilience.
"They (East Central) don't make many mistakes, and in the fifth set, they finally made a few," she said. "After the first set, they made a good matchup change and outmatched us. We had to work around that, and it took two sets to figure out how to overcome it. We held on in the fifth and closed it out."
PEARL RIVER 3, COASTAL ALABAMA NORTH 0
A year removed from being swept by Coastal Alabama North, Pearl River flipped the script in dominant fashion.
After an even start in the first set, the Wildcats broke free with a five-point swing highlighted by three aces from Avery Wheat (Gonzales, La.; East Ascension). They quickly followed with a 9-0 surge powered by kills from Lila Willett(Chelsea, Ala.), Wheat, and Morgan Mears (Hurley; East Central), plus a pair of aces from Skyla Rann (Gonzales, La.; East Ascension). By the time the run ended, PRCC led 18-6 on its way to a 25-13 win.
The second set proved tighter, featuring eight ties, the last at 17-17. Willett came up big down the stretch, recording four kills to push PRCC to a 25-23 victory.
The Wildcats carried that momentum into the third set, racing to a 9-2 lead thanks to three Reagan Ziegler (Lacombe, La.; Lakeshore) kills and four more from Wheat. PRCC closed in style, rattling off seven straight points capped by a forceful block from Mears to seal the sweep, 25-11.
PEARL RIVER 3, EAST CENTRAL 2
The first-ever meeting between Pearl River and East Central lived up to the hype, going the distance in front of a lively home crowd.
PRCC took control late in the opening set behind a balanced attack, highlighted by aces from Lindsey Hall (Oak Grove) and Rann and kills from Willett and Mallory Hesterman (Brooklyn; HomeLife Academy), pulling away for a 25-18 win.
The Warriors responded by edging the Wildcats in the next two sets, 25-22 and 25-20, to take a 2-1 lead.
Facing elimination, Pearl River turned to its firepower. Willett, Ziegler, and Wheat sparked a 14-10 advantage midway through the fourth, and Willett closed strong with four kills in the final stretch as PRCC forced a decisive fifth set with a 25-15 victory.
The finale was as tight as it gets, featuring six ties and multiple lead changes. With PRCC trailing 14-13, Ziegler delivered back-to-back kills and a massive solo block to flip the score to 16-15. That set up Wheat to serve match point, and her knuckling ball forced an East Central receiving error to give PRCC the dramatic 17-15 win.
TICKETS
Tickets for the 2025 Pearl River volleyball season are available now at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets. Advance-purchase tickets are $8, while gameday tickets are $10. Season passes are available now for $63 plus fees.
HOW TO WATCH
The Wildcats livestream all home games for free at PRCCMedia.com. Fans with Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV devicescan also watch by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from their app store.
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