BOAZ, Ala. — The Pearl River volleyball team secured playing time for their entire roster as they opened the Snead State Tournament with two big wins. The Wildcats battled back from a two-set deficit in the day's first match to defeat Lawson State 3-2 (25-22, 23-25, 16-25, 25-23, 15-9). The River followed with a sweep of Cleveland State in the nightcap 3-0 (25-10, 25-14, 25-10).
"We are thankful to have had a good day of matches. We got some players into some new spots again today," Pearl River head coach Haley Chatham said. "Recent events have reminded us that sometimes line-up changes are beyond our control. Being able to get more players time and experience on the court helps us be ready in those instances."
PEARL RIVER 3, LAWSON STATE 2
Pearl River (17-12 overall) jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead in the first set over Lawson State (12-6) behind the serving of Jolee Gibson (Brandon) and AnnaLaura Williford (Bay St. Louis; Our Lady Academy). Strong net play by Madi King (Leakesville; Greene County), winning a fifty-fifty ball at the net, and Natalie Bartholomew (Brandon) with consecutive points with a block followed by a hard kill helped fuel the run.
The Wildcats extended the first set lead to 14-4 behind four service wins by Bartholomew. During the run, Bartholomew recorded an ace from the service line, and Williford had a strong point with a kill at the net.
Lawson State closed the gap to seven, 15-8. King stopped the Cougar run with a big strike off a perfectly placed Delaney Sisson (Auburn, Ala.) set. The Cougars closed the Wildcat lead to one with a seven-point run, 20-19. Bartholomew moved the momentum back to the Wildcats with a kill down the Cougar line, 21-19. Williford followed with a shot, finding a hole in the back of the Lawson State defense, 22-19. The Wildcats closed out the first set, 25-22.
Lawson State grabbed the momentum early in the second set, grabbing a 7-3 lead. The Wildcats fought back to grab a six-point lead, 19-13. Both teams traded blows through the remainder of the set before Lawson State pulled ahead and took the set, 25-23.
Lawson State kept the momentum gained in the second set and jumped to a six-point lead early in the third set. The Cougars closed out the third set with a 25-16 win.
It appeared the fourth set was going to follow the same pattern as sets two and three, with the Cougars jumping out to a 7-3 lead. The Wildcats fought back behind strong serving and the net play of King, who had a strong kill to the middle of the Cougar back line. King followed with a big win of a fifty-fifty ball at the net to bring the score within one, 8-7. PRCC took the lead behind the serving of Gibson, 9-8. Both teams traded points, and Lawson State took back the lead, 13-12. Bartholomew took control, winning a point with a tap shot off a Cougar blocker, 13-13. The Wildcats then retook the lead, 15-13, with an ace by Bartholomew. Pearl River extended the lead to four, 18-14, behind a Williford kill that the Cougar defense could not control. With the score tied, 19-19, Peyton Hoffmayer (Ocean Springs) drove a kill off a Cougar defender for a point, 20-19. The Wildcats held off Lawson State to take the fourth set, 25-23.
Lawson State once again jumped out to a quick lead in the decisive fifth set, 7-4. Williford kept the Cougar defense off balance and picked up four service wins to give the Wildcats the lead, 8-7. With the Wildcats holding on to an 11-9 lead, Lillie Franks (Ocean Springs) took control of the net, scoring three of the Wildcats next four points, 15-9, and securing the match for the Wildcats after being down 2-1.
"It is always good to see our players fight and figure it out," Chatham said. "We love to see it."
PEARL RIVER 3, CLEVELAND STATE 0
The Wildcats grabbed early momentum behind the serving of Gibson, 7-1. Pearl River kept the pressure on Cleveland State behind the serving of Sisson, increasing the lead to 12-4 following a Bartholomew spike, which forced a Cleveland State timeout. Coming out of the timeout, Sisson kept Cleveland State off balance, and the Wildcats extended the lead to twelve, 16-4.
Bartholomew, with a kill down the line, and Allie Varner (Madison; Germantown), with two big kills, kept the Cougar defense on its toes, 19-6.
The Wildcats closed out the first set 25-10.
Gibson again set the tone, picking up for service points to open set two. With a 5-2 score, Bartholomew's three service points, including an ace, forced Cleveland State into a timeout, 8-2. The Cougars came out of the timeout, winning two points, 9-4. Varner prevented Cleveland State from grabbing any momentum with a hard shot off a Cougar defender, 10-4.
A Williford kill down the line kept the Wildcat lead at six, 13-7. Bartholomew gave the Wildcats a seven-point lead with two big points at the net, 15-8, one coming on a fifty-fifty ball and the next, a cross-court shot to the Cougar end line.
King pushed the Pearl River lead to nine, 19-10, with a quick shot finding a hole in the middle of the Cleveland State defense. The Wildcats closed out the set 25-14.
Both teams traded points to open the third set, with Pearl River grabbing a quick 5-2 lead. An excellent diving dig by Lauren McLamore (Brandon) kept a rally alive and pushed the lead to four, 6-2. With the Wildcats holding on to a three-point lead, 10-7, four service points pushed the Wildcat lead to six, 13-7. The four-point run was highlighted by a heads-up play by Kyleigh Passeau (Lucedale; Greene County), finding an opening in the back corner of the Cougar defense.
With the Wildcats up 20-10, Gibson came up to serve again. Gibson kept the Cougars off balance, forcing them into three unforced errors on four serves, 24-10. Varner closed the match with a kill off the Cleveland State defender, 25-10.
"Natalie played six rotations through two straight matches and was the go-to offensively for us," Chatham said. "She is such a great leader, and she really shined in all aspects today."
NEXT UP
The Wildcats will be back in action tomorrow for day two of the Snead State Tournament in Boaz, Ala. They will play Snead State at 9 a.m. and Bevill State at 11 a.m.
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