HANCEVILLE, Ala. — It was a mixed bag of results for the Pearl River volleyball team on the first day of the Alabama/Mississippi crossover tournament hosted by Wallace State. The Wildcats won a five-set thriller against Gadsden State 3-2 (22-25, 25-18, 22-25, 25-12, 15-13) and fell to Calhoun 3-0 (17-25, 20-25, 13-25).

"I'm proud of the Gadsden State match. It's not easy to win against the same team three times in a row," head coach Haley Chatham said. "We knew Calhoun was a very good team way before today. We were able to run a couple of players in some different spots against them. It was a good, fast match to see who could speed up their defense, make quick reads, and find ways to score against a good block."

PEARL RIVER 3, GADSDEN STATE 2.
Just as the other three Pearl River (7-4 overall) and Gadsden State (2-10) matchups have been this season, Friday's match was another battle. The Cardinals pulled away with a 25-22 victory in set one before the Wildcats evened the scoreline with a 25-18 victory in set two. 

Gadsden State snatched the third set 25-22, forcing Pearl River to move into do-or-die mode. The Wildcats didn't fold under the pressure and rattled off an impressive 25-12.

Pearl River finally grabbed the victory when it won a tight fifth set, 15-13.

CALHOUN 3, PEARL RIVER 0.
The Wildcats knew they were in for a battle in their second match of the day against Calhoun (11-3). They found themselves in an early 8-3 hole to begin the set, and the Warhawks used the momentum to spark a 25-17 victory in the set.

Pearl River grabbed the lead in the early going of set two, but the Warhawks fought back to take the lead, 13-12. Sammie Smith (D'Iberville) briefly tied things up with a block, but CCC went on to win the set 25-20.

Calhoun had Pearl River's number in what proved to be the final set of the day, picking up a 25-13 victory.

UP NEXT
Pearl River returns to the court on Saturday for a 9 a.m. match against Wallace State and a 1 p.m. match against Lurleen B. Wallace.

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