POPLARVILLE, Miss. — On a night where Shivers Gymnasium was jumping with excitement, Pearl River volleyball shined in a straight set sweep over rival Gulf Coast 3-0 (25-18, 25-21, 25-17).  

Prior to the big match, Pearl River celebrated its incredible 2025 sophomore class. 

"Early on, we asked our girls to step up and be leaders, and they've done a great job," head coach Haley Chatham said. "We talk in matches and practices about putting on the backpack — about who's going to put the team on their back and get something going in those hard spots." 

Two sophomores put on the backpack early and helped Pearl River (23-10 overall; 11-4 MACCC) jump out to an 8-2 lead over Gulf Coast (16-3; 7-8) in the opening set. Avery Wheat (Gonzales, La.; East Ascension) started the scoring, and Morgan Mears (Hurley; East Central) followed with a service ace before Wheat added one of her own. 

Sophomore Lindsey Hall (Hattiesburg; South Jones) also notched an ace before Lila Willett (Chelsea, Ala.) converted off an assist from Claire Smith (Coldwater; Lewisburg) to extend the Wildcats' lead to 18-12. Four more kills from Wheat and two from Mears sealed the first set for Pearl River, 25-18. 

Gulf Coast opened the second set with a point — the first time Pearl River trailed in the match — but the Wildcats quickly responded with a 7-1 run highlighted by a Reagan Ziegler (Lacombe, La.; Lakeshore) block to take an 8-2 lead. 

The Bulldogs battled back to tie it 8-8, but three Willett kills, an Olivia Shirley (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) kill and a Mears block pushed Pearl River back in front, 15-10. After a late offensive surge from Gulf Coast, Skyla Rann (Gonzales, La.; East Ascension) delivered the Wildcats' fifth ace of the night to make it 22-20.  

Willett followed with another kill, and two more from Mears along with Hall's second ace on the night finished off the set, 25-21, giving PRCC a 2-0 lead. 

Up two sets in the match, the Wildcats fell behind 2-0 in the third before finding a spark on Sophomore Night. Back-to-back aces from Wheat put Pearl River ahead 10-5, and Willett continued to shine with two more kills. Mears added another to stretch the lead to 16-10 — the largest of the set. 

From there, Pearl River controlled the tempo, adding seven more kills — three from Wheat, two from Willett and one from Shirley — to finish off Gulf Coast 25-17 and complete the sweep. 

NEXT UP 
The Wildcats are back in action Saturday in Brewton, Alabama, taking on Andrew College at 1 p.m. and Coastal Alabama-North at 3 p.m.  

For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).