After dropping a tight second set on the road, the Pearl River volleyball team dug in defensively and stormed back to finish off Northeast 3-1 (25-19, 26-28, 25-14, 25-18).
"We knew after dropping the second set that it wasn't about changing our whole game plan, it was about raising our defensive intensity and matching their effort," Pearl River head coach Haley Chatham said. "Northeast out-hustled us in that set, and we challenged our group to respond. From that point on, we did a much better job of covering the floor and turning those digs into transition opportunities. Once we cleaned that part up, we ran the tempo we wanted and controlled the match a little more."
Pearl River (9-6 overall; 3-1 MACCC) knew it was in for a battle right from the opening set against Northeast (3-13; 1-4). The Wildcats held a narrow 17-16 advantage late before Lila Willett (Chelsea, Ala.) added a point with a kill off a block attempt and Jordyn Wilks (Hammond, La.; Hammond Magnet) followed with an ace for a 19-16 lead. As the set pushed along, reigning MACCC Offensive Player of the Week Avery Wheat (Gonzales, La.; East Ascension) thumped a kill and Mallory Hesterman (Brooklyn; HomeLife Academy) followed with one of her own. PRCC closed things out 25-19.
The Wildcats found themselves in a big early hole in set two, trailing by as many as six points at 9-3. PRCC showed some grit, however, rallying all the way back to tie things up at 10 apiece. From there, the teams couldn't be separated, as the score was tied 10 different times until Northeast finally squeaked out a 28-26 victory.
Pearl River had to bounce back following the setback, and it did just that. With the third set tight early, PRCC led by just one after 21 combined points. From there, the Wildcats caught fire, outscoring Northeast 15-3 down the stretch to secure a commanding 25-14 win.
The Wildcats carried the momentum into the fourth and final set. Leading 17-13, PRCC rattled off three straight points — highlighted by another Willett kill — to extend the advantage to 20-13. Willett then tucked a ball down the left line to push the score to 22-16, and Wheat capped the match with a kill off a block that sailed out of bounds, giving Pearl River a 25-18 victory.
TICKETS
Tickets for the 2025 Pearl River volleyball season are available now at PRCCAthletics.com/Tickets. Advance-purchase tickets are $8, while gameday tickets are $10.
TUNE IN
All home Pearl River Volleyball games are 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.
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