POPLARVILLE, Miss. — The Pearl River volleyball team got its 2023 campaign started in the best way possible Saturday afternoon, making quick work of Coastal Alabama East, 3-0 (25-22, 25-23, 25-17).
"I think the best thing we did today was keeping our heads while working through tough spots," head coach Haley Chatham said. "We didn't panic, we didn't repeat the same errors too many times, and we utilized our options well. That's the experience factor our sophomore group is bringing this season."
SET ONE
Coastal Alabama East (0-1 overall) jumped out to a 3-1 score in the early portion of the contest before Sammie Smith (Biloxi; D'Iberville) led Pearl River (1-0) to a tie. A long rally ended when Smith used a soft touch to drop the ball between a trio of Coyote players. She followed it up by picking up an ace, 3-3.
The Coyotes briefly retook the lead 4-3, but the Wildcats embarked on a run highlighted by Natalie Bartholomew (Brandon), sending a kill off the fingertips of a CAE player, 10-6.
Pearl River battled out to a six-point, 19-13 lead when the kill attempt by the Coyotes was hit a little too hard and sailed out of bounds.
Although the play didn't result in a point for the Wildcats, Lauren McLamore (Brandon) and Jolee Gibson (Brandon) made a remarkable effort, with the scoreline sitting at 20-14. The sophomore dove to her right to keep a ball in play, sending it in the air in the process. Gibson turned around and laid out to again send the ball in the air. McLamore got to her feet quickly and smacked the ball back over the net with her back turned to keep the rally going.
"It's so good to have Lauren back on the court," Chatham said. "Her effort is tough to match. She's settling back into her game, knowing we will depend on her tremendously to keep the ball off the floor."
CAE fought back to trail by just three points at 24-22 late in the first set, but Smith ensured it would get no closer. Gibson (Brandon) set up Smith, who looked as if she was going to smash the ball right at a Coastal Alabama player but pushed it down for the point, 25-22.
SET TWO
Bartholomew moved the Wildcats ahead 5-2 in the early going of the second set, using perfect placement on back-to-back kill attempts to get it done.
The Coyotes continued to play with some grit, fighting back to tie the game up at 6-6 and then doing it again to make the score 10-10.
A long rally for the 11th point ended when freshman Peyton Hoffmayer (Ocean Springs) smashed a kill off the hands of a Coyote player.
The battle continued throughout the middle of the set as CAE tied the contest up at 15-15. Although the Wildcats pulled ahead 18-15 on an error by the Coyotes, Coastal Alabama fought back again to square up the contest at 20-20.
Addie McNeely (Brandon; Hartfield Academy) faked out the opposing team to push the Wildcats ahead. She looked as if she was going to hit the ball with some authority but saw enough space to tap the ball between three CAE players, 23-22.
Moments later, Abbie Franks (Ocean Springs) and Hoffmayer combined for a big-time block to end the set with a 25-23 scoreline.
"Peyton Hoffmayer played close to flawless today," Chatham said. "She put up some big blocks in crucial moments, and most of her swings put the ball to the floor."
SET THREE
Bartholomew picked up another kill in the early part of the third set, tucking a ball just inside the backline for a 3-1 advantage.
PRCC extended its lead to 10-6 midway through the set, but Coastal Alabama did not go away quietly, fighting back to trail by just one point, 11-10.
Pearl River rallied from there, moving ahead 16-10 with the help of a few miscues from the Coyotes.
After extending the lead out to 21-16, the Smith takeover began. Delaney Sisson (Auburn, Ala.) set up Smith for a booming kill in front of defenders. A few points later, Smith sent a thunderous kill off the hands of a CAE block attempt and out of bounds by the Pearl River scorer's table. The following play saw Smith push the ball over the net for another point.
McNeely put an end to the set on the very next play as she blocked a ball over the net and down for match point, 25-17.
After the match, Chatham talked about the play of her outside hitters Bartholomew and Smith.
"Sammie and Natalie just know how to get the job done. They give us such offensive power, and today, the frustration factor from the past was almost non-existent for them," she said. "They overcame bad plays and blocked plays by adjusting their speed and location. In doing that, they are opening new doors for us and are putting more points on the board."
NEXT UP
Pearl River remains at Shivers Gymnasium for a Monday matchup against Coastal Alabama South. The match begins at 5 p.m.
CASHLESS BOX OFFICE
To help improve traffic flow and fan experience, PRCC athletics box offices are cashless. 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 or fans can download the HomeTown Ticketing app to their mobile device to purchase and store their tickets.
TUNE IN
The Wildcats will once again livestream all matches 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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