BOAZ, Ala. — Pearl River wrapped up a strong showing at the Snead State Invitational on Friday, finishing 2-1 with dominant straight set wins over Gadsden State (25-22, 25-13, 25-21) and Northwest-Shoals (28-26, 25-21, 25-19) before falling to host Snead State (23-25, 22-25, 25-22, 10-25).
“It really was a good day overall,” head coach Haley Chatham said. “I thought our group came out with a strong will to bounce back from the loss on Wednesday. Playing three matches in a day is tough physically, but it gives you a great chance to see how your team responds to fatigue and momentum shifts.
“Days like this help us learn what it takes to be consistent and compete deep into long matches, when it really counts.”
PEARL RIVER 3, GADSDEN STATE 0.
Pearl River (21-9 overall, 9-3 conference) and Gadsden State (14-13, 7-4) battled point-for-point in set one of the Wildcats’ opening match of the Snead State Invitational. After six ties and seven lead changes early, Pearl River pulled ahead 9-7 following a key block by Reagan Zeigler (Lacombe La.; Lakeshore).
The Wildcats kept the pressure on, extending their lead to 12-9 with a Ziegler kill off a perfect set from Claire Smith (Coldwater; Lewisburg), followed two plays later by a thunderous kill from Mallory Hesterman (Brooklyn; Homelife Academy).
The set continued to go back-and-forth, featuring six more ties and lead changes before Pearl River clinched a 25-22 win. The final point came when a Gadsden State defender attempted to block a Lila Willett (Chelsea Ala.) kill but contacted the antenna, sealing the set for the Wildcats.
Set two started strong for Pearl River, as the Wildcats jumped out to a 6-2 lead highlighted by a service ace from Kinsley Jean Stegall (Saucier; Our Lady Academy). However, PRCC saw their momentum slip, falling behind 8-6 before going on a 4-0 run to reclaim a 10-8 lead thanks to a momentous kill from Avery Wheat.
Gadsden State battled back to tie set two at 11-11, but the Wildcats responded with a dominant 14-2 run. The surge was capped off by a service ace from Skyla Rann (Gonzales, La.; East Ascension) and a powerful kill from Morgan Mears (Hurley; East Central) off an assist from Smith to win the set 25-13.
Looking to close out the match in straight sets, Pearl River opened the third with a 6-3 lead over the Cardinals, highlighted by a block from Mears. The Wildcats continued to control the pace, extending their advantage to 17-13 after a smooth assist from Smith set up a kill by Willett. Riding that momentum, PRCC sealed the set 25-21 to compete the sweep.
PEARL RIVER 3, NORTHWEST-SHOALS 0
The Wildcats trailed early in the opening frame, falling behind 8-4 before rallying to tie the set 11-11. The equalizer came on a kill from Wheat, set up by the freshman Smith.
Pearl River then went on a 4-0 run, powered by two service aces from Mears, to take a 15-11 lead midway through the set. Northwest-Shoals (5-21, 0-11) battled back late, cutting the deficit to 22-21 before Mears delivered again with two kills off assists from Smith, extending the lead to 24-21.
The Patriots wouldn’t go away quietly, tying the set at 24-24 and again at 25-25 and 26-26. However, the Wildcats held firm eventually closing out the set 28-26.
Set two began as another close battle, with both teams locked at 4-4 before Pearl River sparked a 4-0 run that forced a Northwest-Shoals timeout. The Wildcats kept the momentum going out of the break, extending their lead to 11-5 after back-to-back kills by Willett.
The Patriots responded again, clawing back to tie the set 19-19. From there, it was all Pearl River. The Wildcats pushed ahead 24-20 following a key block by Mears and a Patriot service error on set point secured the 25-21 win and a two-set lead.
In set three, the teams traded points early, resulting in five ties before a block by Mears gave the Wildcats an 11-10 lead. Although the Patriots tied it again at 11-11, PRCC responded with a 6-1 run to pull ahead 16-12.
Pearl River extended the margin to 20-14 following a Mears kill set up by Smith and never looked back. Holding a 24-19 lead, Smith sealed the match with a service ace to complete the 25-19 win and the straight-set sweep.
PEARL RIVER, SNEAD STATE
Pearl River fell behind early in set one, trailing 8-5 before cutting the deficit 10-8. The Wildcats then caught fire, going on a 9-1 run powered by an Avery Wheat (Gonzales, La.; East Ascension) kill off the assist from Stegall to take a commanding 17-11 lead over host Snead State (15-6, 8-2).
The Parsons, however, refused to go away quietly, battling back to even the score at 19-19 and forcing a Pearl River timeout.
Out of the break, the teams continued to trade points, eventually tying the set at 22-22. A monstrous kill from Mears broke the deadlock, giving PRCC a 23-22 lead and prompting a Snead State timeout.
Despite the momentum, the Wildcats were unable to close it out, falling 25-23 in a hard-fought set one.
Pearl River fell behind 9-5 early in set two against Snead State but responded with an impressive 11-2 run that propelled the Wildcats past the Parsons, forcing a Snead State timeout and giving Pearl River a 16-11 lead.
The set remained tight late, tied at 18-18 and again at 20-20. A kill from Hesterman, assisted by Smith, gave the Wildcats a 21-20 lead, but the Parsons rallied to take set two, 25-22.
Pearl River opened the third set with a kill from Mears off a back set by Smith to take an early 1-0 lead over the Parsons. The Wildcats maintained their momentum, extending their advantage to 10-7 following a kill by Willett.
The set then featured a key block by Ziegler that extended Pearl River’s lead to 16-13. The Wildcats then pushed their advantage to 19-14, prompting a timeout from the Parsons.
Pearl River extended its lead to 24-17 in the third set before a three-point run by Snead State cut the deficit to 24-20, prompting a timeout by the Wildcats. Out of the break, PRCC closed out the set 25-22 to stay alive in the match.
In the fourth set, however, the Wildcats struggled to find momentum, falling 25-10 as Snead State closed out the match. With the loss, Pearl River finished 2-1 on the day at the Snead State Invitational.
