The Pearl River volleyball team didn't ease up during its season opener Thursday night inside Shivers Gymnasium, storming past Bishop State in straight sets 3-0 (25-17, 25-20, 25-14).
"Tonight was a great way to start the year. Last season, we had a tendency to get comfortable and lose our competitive edge," head coach Haley Chatham said. "We drilled that into their heads that you can't do that. Nine points in volleyball are nothing. We did a great job of putting things away tonight. I was proud of that."
Pearl River (1-0 overall) was locked in a 14-14 tie with Bishop State (0-1) in the opening set of the year before it finally started to pull away late. After moving ahead 17-16, Claire Smith (Coldwater; Lewisburg) added two more with a kill and a block on the following opportunity. The two-point swing pushed the Wildcats ahead 19-16 and forced a Bishop State timeout.
Immediately out of the timeout, Avery Wheat (Gonzales, La.; East Ascension) picked up where she left off a season ago, tacking on back-to-back kills and giving PRCC a five-point, 21-16 advantage. Smith went on to finish off a set-one victory with a kill, 25-17.
The scoreline was tight early in set two, with the teams deadlocked at seven points apiece. When Skyla Rann (Gonzales, La.; East Ascension) took over the serve, PRCC began to build a nice advantage. Rann racked up three aces, and Lila Willett (Chelsea, Ala.) shook off some freshman jitters to tally three kills, making it 13-7 Pearl River.
"Skyla was so much more commanding tonight than her entire freshman season," Chatham said. "We're going to need that all year. She's the quarterback of our team. Lila absolutely showed how talented she was tonight. We're lucky to have her on our team."
Two consecutive Wheat kills and a pair of service aces off the hand of Smith pushed the Wildcats over the 20-point mark, holding on to a 21-12 advantage. BSCC made a late push, battling back to cut the deficit to 22-18, but Pearl River closed things out to win 25-20.
Although Bishop State snatched the first point of the third set, Pearl River rattled off seven in a row to move ahead 7-1. A five-point swing for PRCC was aided by a trio of service aces from sophomore Lindsey Hall (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove), giving the Wildcats a 10-point, 14-4 lead.
BSCC battled back to within five points, but some miscues allowed Pearl River to stretch out a 20-12 lead late. Four of the final five points of the set for PRCC were taken care of by the thunderous right hand of Wheat, who racked up four kills to help secure a 25-14 victory and PRCC's first sweep of the year.
"Avery was great tonight," Chatham said. "She didn't leave the court one time. She played every set and all the rotations."
Chatham also praised the play of Smith and Mackenzie Graham (Bay St. Louis; Bay) throughout the night.
"Claire's location is so good. She's a competitor. I knew it was going to pop out as soon as she started competing," Chatham said. "Mackenzie stayed back and was disciplined on defense. I couldn't have asked for someone to do better than that tonight."
NEXT UP
Pearl River returns to Shivers Gymnasium Saturday for a tri-match against Coastal Alabama and East Central. PRCC takes on the Coyotes at 11 a.m. and the Warriors at 3 p.m.
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. Season passes are available now for $63 plus fees.
HOW TO WATCH
The Wildcats livestream all home games for free at PRCCMedia.com. Fans with Roku, Amazon Fire or Apple TV devices can also watch by downloading the "Pearl River CC" channel from their app store.
For the latest on Pearl River Community College athletics, follow us on X (@PRCCAthletics) and Facebook (PRCCAthletics).
