POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The Pearl River volleyball team was firing on all cylinders Sunday as it turned in a dominant sweep of Bevill State, 3-2 (25-13, 25-18, 25-19).
"Tonight we were able to keep our pace and play at a high level even when the scoreboard told us we could slack off," head coach Haley Chatham said. "It's super important to be able to do that in volleyball because its such a volatile game. After winning the first set, we had a great opportunity to see some different players on the court. Everyone made a great impact today and worked together to win the match."
SET ONE
Pearl River (17-9 overall) jumped all over Bevill State (1-26) to open things up, going ahead 9-0 in the early going. The remarkable run was highlighted by a Jasmine Burdine (Biloxi) block and a Julianah Overstreet (Vancleave) ace.
BSCC battled back into the match to cut the deficit to 13-8.
Soon after, The Wildcats took a 17-9 lead off the back of a pair of Addie McNeely (Brandon; Hartfield Academy) kills and an Allison Carpenter (Ocean Springs) ace.
PRCC saw its lead grow to 22-12 late in the set, thanks to a booming kill off the hand of Anna Claire Sheffield (Canton; Jackson Academy).
The Wildcats wrapped up the first set of the evening not long after. Burdine tallied a kill and Anna Claire Sheffield (Canton; Jackson Academy) capped off the set by crushing a kill off the hands of a Bear and out of bounds. The kill made the score 25-13.
SET TWO
Back-and-forth was the name of the game in the early going of set two as the teams battled to four ties.
PRCC finally took the lead for good when a Natalie Bartholomew (Brandon) kill made the score 9-8.
The Wildcats began pulling away after the score, extending their lead out to 19-14 late in the set with a Sarah McKinney (Delaware, Okla.; Oklahoma Union) kill.
Bartholomew took control over the last part of the set as she tallied a pair of kills before ending the set with an ace. The ace gave the Wildcats a 25-18 set-two victory.
SET THREE
The Bears jumped out to a 3-1 lead to begin what proved to be the final set of the evening.
PRCC promptly battled back into the set, tying things up off a McNeely kill and eventually going ahead 9-6 off a Bartholomew ace.
Pearl River built its lead out to 13-7 midway through the set as Franks smacked a kill off the hands of a defender and out of play.
Bevill State battled back to cut the Pearl River lead to just two at 16-14, but Sheffield got the Wildcats back on track with a kill tucked just in front of the back right corner.
Overstreet gave Pearl River a 19-14 lead soon after. The sophomore faked like she was going to set up a kill opportunity, but instead sent the ball over the net and just in front of the Bears for the point.
Sheffield picked up an ace soon after tucking the ball just inside of the back line to push the Pearl River advantage out to 23-14.
BSCC fought back to make the contest close but Franks picked up a kill to close out the set, 25-19.
NEXT UP
Pearl River returns to the court Wednesday for a matchup against Mississippi University for Women. The match inside Shivers Gymnasium is set for 6 p.m.
TUNE IN
Pearl River livestreams all games 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.
CASHLESS BOX OFFICE
To help improve traffic flow and fan experience, PRCC athletics box offices will be cashless in 2022-23. Only credit and debit cards will be accepted at the box office. Fans are encouraged to beat the lines and purchase their tickets in advance at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets.