ANDALUSIA, Ala. — The Pearl River volleyball team pushed Lurleen B. Wallace in each set Monday night but fell short against the Saints 3-0 (26-28, 22-25, 16-25).
"Our goal was to compete for every point against a good Lurleen B. Wallace team, and that's what we did," head coach Haley Chatham said. "I think we could have taken the first two sets with a little better decision-making in transition, but I'm still very content with the way we competed. We'll use this one and the next to keep us in a competitive rhythm and mindset for Friday's tournament."
Madi King (Leakesville; Greene County) nearly single-handedly put Pearl River (12-23) in front against Lurleen B. Wallace (24-4) to start the night, picking up a pair of blocks early on to put PRCC in front 6-4.
The Saints battled back to take a 9-6 lead that was erased. King smacked a kill in front of the backline, LBW sent one out of bounds and Sophie Warren (Brandon) clipped the top of the net for an ace, 9-9.
Lurleen B. Wallace jolted in front at the midway point of the set before Pearl River started to fight back. Trailing 21-18, LBW made an error, and Jordyn Wilks (Independence, La.; Hammond Magnet) followed with an ace. Two Saints mistakes later, and the score was tied at 21 apiece.
LBW rattled off three consecutive points, but PRCC didn't lie down as the Wildcats quickly tied the match up at 24-24. PRCC took one final lead in the match when a dig attempt by the Saints sailed too far over, and King thumped it down, but the Saints went on to win the opening set 28-26.
In the second set of the evening, Lurleen B. Wallace and Pearl River traded points all the way to an 8-8 tie. A 7-1 run by the Wildcats allowed them to take their second-largest lead of the day at 15-9. The run was aided by an Annalaura Williford (Bay St. Louis; Our Lady Academy) and a Morgan Mears (Hurley; East Central) block.
Pearl River's lead grew to seven points at 17-10, but that's when the Saints began to climb back into things. A big run saw the PRCC lead close and the score was tied at 19 apiece. Pearl River took a 22-21 lead late before the Saints took the set 25-22.
The final set of the night was back-and-forth through the first 24 points as the teams tied eight times throughout. A huge run by the Saints in the middle portion of the set put the game away as they went on to win 25-16.
NEXT UP
The Wildcats head to Coastal Alabama South on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. match. It will be the final match of the regular season.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).