FULTON, Miss. — In a match full of ups and downs, the Pearl River volleyball team battled back to defeat Itawamba 3-2 (25-22, 26-28, 19-25, 25-23, 15-10) to advance to the Region 23 Championship.
"Tonight was the fifth time we have faced ICC this year. We knew this one would be a battle and they would not go away easily," Pearl River coach Haley Chatham said. "I'm very proud of the fight we put up and the maturity we showed as well."
With the victory, the Wildcats will play at Northwest tomorrow at 1 p.m. for a berth in the Gulf District tournament.
"We have to come out of the gate strong tomorrow and establish ourselves offensively," Chatham said. "We know Northwest will be just as ready for a battle for the title as we are."
SET ONE
Itawamba (16-11 overall) struck first in set one taking a quick 2-0 lead. Pearl River (23-12) responded shortly after and tied the set 3-3 courtesy of back-to-back kills by Jasmine Burdine (Biloxi) and Natalie Bartholomew (Brandon).
The kills sparked a run for the Wildcats that gave them a 6-3 lead. The run included a combination block by Anna Claire Sheffield (Canton; Jackson Academy) and Burdine.
The two teams began to exchange scores and eventually found themselves tied 11-11.
Pearl River took the lead through a Sheffield kill and slowly began to build on the lead before putting away the set, 25-22.
SET TWO
Pearl River jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in set two after back-to-back kills by Burdine and Sammie Smith (Biloxi; D'Iberville) and another block by Burdine.
The Indians responded quickly and tied the score 4-4.
With the score tied 7-7, Julianah Overstreet (Vancleave) immediately gave the Wildcats the lead 8-7 with a booming kill.
Itawamba was not fazed and recaptured the lead moments later.
The Indians battled to hold off the Wildcats throughout the remainder of the set, winning 28-26.
SET THREE
The Wildcats were off and running in set three, claiming five of the first six points thanks to a pair of Smith kills.
Itawamba sliced into the deficit right after, cutting the score to 5-3. Bartholomew halted the Indian rally with a monstrous kill to set the score 6-3.
Pearl River increased the lead 10-5 shortly after with another Overstreet kill, forcing an Indian timeout.
Itawamba took advantage of the timeout and mounted a comeback by chipping away at the deficit, eventually tying things 14-14.
The Indians never looked back from there taking the set 25-19.
SET FOUR
Itawamba took an early 6-2 lead in set four, but Pearl River did not let that faze them and scored four straight points to tie the set 6-6.
The Indians took a 9-7 lead shortly after and increased it to 12-9 moments later. Allison Carpenter (Ocean Springs) led the Wildcats back with a serving run that included two aces to tie the score 12-12.
After a quick Itawamba response, Smith registered another booming kill that sparked another run for the Wildcats. The run included another Burdine block and a kill that gave the Wildcats a 17-14 lead.
The Indians rallied to tie the score yet again, but Pearl River go two more massive kills from Bartholomew to retake a 19-18 lead. The switch in momentum provided a spark for the Wildcats as they took the set 25-23 to force a winner-take-all set five.
SET FIVE
Itawamba jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Smith turned in a pair of thunderous kills to spark four consecutive points by the Wildcats.
Bartholomew added on to the run with a booming kill to increase the lead to 7-3. After a quick Indian response, Bartholomew got the offense going again with another kill that allowed the Wildcats to open a 12-5 lead.
Itawamba did not go away quietly and chipped away at the deficit 14-10. The Wildcats secured a 15-10 win moments later as a ball off the hand of the Indians sailed harmlessly out of play.
UP NEXT
The Wildcats have a quick turn around as they return to action tomorrow at 1 p.m. at Northwest. The Region 23 Championship game will be livestreamed at NWCCRangers.com/watch.
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