POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Following a thrilling regular season, the Pearl River volleyball team is ready to start the postseason this weekend as the Wildcats host the Region 23 Tournament.
"We love home matches. The support that our Pearl River family brings is truly unmatched. The athletes, coaches, students, staff and administration make our home matches memorable and so much fun," head coach Haley Chatham said. "They certainly contribute a bit in giving us a home-court advantage, but we will have to capitalize on that and go to work to win the region and make it to Mobile.
"We are thrilled to host the Region 23 Tournament, and having earned those hosting rights is just icing on the cake."
MATCHUPS
Pearl River (21-12) earned the No. 1 seed after finishing with a 6-1 record against MACCC foes. The Wildcats will take on the fourth-seeded Northeast Mississippi Tigers (6-26) at 3 p.m. on Friday. No. 2 Northwest Mississippi (25-16) squares off with third-seeded Itawamba (15-16) at 5 p.m. on Friday. The winners of each match will compete for the Region 23 Championship on Saturday at 4 p.m.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS
Pearl River is led by outside hitter Natalie Bartholomew (Brandon), who recently became PRCC's single-season and career kills record holder. The sophomore enters the week with 393 kills, 264 digs, 32 service aces, 22 blocks and 20 assists. Narrowly trailing behind Bartholomew is fellow outside hitter Sammie Smith (Biloxi; D'Iberville) with 340 kills. She's also racked up 268 digs, 67 blocks, 41 service aces and 28 assists.
Middle blocker Abbie Franks (Ocean Springs) leads The River in blocks with 73. She's also contributed 92 kills, 34 digs, nine aces and nine assists. Freshman Madi King (Leakesville; Greene County) stepped in at middle blocker following an injury to sophomore Addie McKneely (Brandon; Hartfield Academy) and has picked up 39 kills and 22 blocks.
Opposite hitter Peyton Hoffmayer (Ocean Springs) has played in all 33 matches for the Wildcats, racking up 118 kills, 61 digs and 48 blocks.
Jolee Gibson (Brandon) and Delaney Sisson (Auburn, Ala.) have been incredible at the setter position, tallying 513 and 387 assists, respectively. Libero Lauren McLamore (Brandon) leads Pearl River in digs with 292. She's also picked up 28 service aces.
ABOUT NORTHWEST
Jacia Hayes leads the charge for the Rangers with 331 kills. Kaley Rikard is second on the team with 262. Layla Dyer has been lights out as a setter, picking up 809 assists through 41 matches.
Kailey Gooch is first on the team with 80 blocks, and Hayes trails narrowly with 76. Caroline Howard and Cristen Cleveland are first and second on the team in digs, with 434 and 345 apiece.
The Wildcats went 1-1 against NWCC during the regular season, but earned the No. 1 seed after sweeping the Rangers in the second matchup.
ABOUT ITAWAMBA
Sophomore outside hitter Aubrey Swanson leads the Indians in kills with 222, and Bree Lyons is second with 158. Audrey Hamill and Presley Jones have shared the wealth in assists, tallying 448 and 307, respectively.
Ashelyn Isbell leads ICC in blocks with 47, while Anna Grace White is second on the team with 45. Kensley Woolbright has been stout on the defensive side of the court and leads the team with 437 digs.
ABOUT NORTHEAST
The Tigers are led by freshman Irby Norris in the kills department with 253. Trailing her is Madison Maxwell, who has tallied 188 this season. Kami Wilf has been incredible at the setter position and currently has a total of 669 assists.
NEMCC has a pair of defensive standouts in Giselle Lopez and Amberianna Shorter. They have collected 258 and 239 digs, respectively. Skyla Adair is first on the team in blocks with 35, and Avery Thomas is second with 26.
TICKETS
Tickets are on sale now for $12 and can be purchased at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets. Pearl River 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.
TUNE IN
All matches for the 2023 Region 23 Tournament will be livestreamed 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.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).