FULTON, Miss. — The Pearl River volleyball team had to roll with the punches Tuesday evening against Itawamba but did it with precision, sweeping the Indians 3-0 (25-21, 25-23, 25-15) for their first MACCC sweep of the 2025 season.
"I couldn't be more proud of this group tonight. Getting that first conference sweep of the season is big, and it happened because we stayed steady when things got tight," head coach Haley Chatham said. "When ICC made its push in set one, we didn't panic — we answered. It was the same in set two. The girls locked in, trusted our system, and found ways to respond. Focus and composure allowed us to close it out."
The Wildcats couldn't have gotten it done without the incredible play of Morgan Mears (Hurley; East Central) and Reagan Ziegler (Lacombe, La.; Lakeshore) at the middle blocker positions.
"Mo and Reagan were great for us in the middle. They were reading really well, getting across the net fast, and making smart choices on their swings," Chatham said. "Our serve receive gave our setters clean looks, and she did a great job feeding them in rhythm. It was great to see them take advantage and really control the middle for us."
Pearl River (11-6 overall; 5-1 MACCC) jumped out early, scoring five quick points before Itawamba (5-6; 2-4) could find its rhythm. The early surge forced a timeout, but the Wildcats maintained their momentum.
PRCC quickly extended its lead into double digits, going up 17-7. Lila Willett (Chelsea, Ala.) slammed down the 16th point with a powerful left-handed swing, and Claire Smith (Coldwater; Lewisburg) set up Mears for a thunderous 17th point.
Itawamba made a late push, trimming PRCC's double-digit lead to 21-19. But the Wildcats responded with key plays down the stretch: Ziegler recorded a kill, Jordyn Wilks (Hammond, La.; Hammond Magnet) added an ace, and Mears finished the set with a cross-court kill off the hands of a diving Indian, sealing the frame 25-21.
The second set presented a new challenge. PRCC built an early lead, but Itawamba moved ahead 13-12 after 25 points and held a narrow edge until 20-19. The Wildcats tied the score three times before a service error by ICC, and a decisive kill from Ziegler clinched the 25-23 win and a 2-0 match advantage.
Pearl River dominated the third set to close out the sweep. Wilks delivered a knuckle serve that dropped just out of reach of the Itawamba defensive specialist, sparking a 9-4 lead. The Wildcats extended the advantage to 15-7 behind a middle kill from Avery Wheat (Gonzales, La.; East Ascension), an ace from her former high school teammate Skyla Rann (Gonzales, La.; East Ascension), and a line-drive kill from Willett.
PRCC pushed the lead to nine points before an errant return from Itawamba handed the Wildcats a 25-15 set victory and their first clean sweep of conference play this season.
NEXT UP
Pearl River returns home Monday for a 6 p.m. match against Meridian.
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.
TUNE IN
All home Pearl River Volleyball games are livestreamed for free at PRCCMedia.com/gold. Fans who have Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV devices can also watch the Wildcat broadcasts by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from their app stores.
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