SUMMIT, Miss. — Avery Wheat had a record-breaking night on Monday, setting the Pearl River volleyball single-season kills mark while leading the Wildcats to a hard-fought 3-1 (25-14, 25-22, 31-33, 25-19) victory over Southwest in the regular-season finale.

 

Wheat (Gonzales, La.; East Ascension) needed 17 kills to break the school's career record of 466 and delivered in a big way. Coming into Monday night's match with 450 kills, Wheat recorded her 17th kill in the third set to break the record, she then added more in the fourth set to set to extend the benchmark.

 

"We are all so thrilled and proud of Avery," head coach Haley Chatham said. "She's a great teammate, so loved and easy to cheer for. Before the season even started, she decided she was going to be someone we could count on. And boy, have we. She has been such a bright spark in our program, and we're so lucky to have her."

 

Wheat is the second Wildcat this season to set a new single-season record, joining Claire Smith (Coldwater; Lewisburg), who earlier broke the school record for assists. 

 

Pearl River came out strong to open the match, jumping ahead 10-5 over Southwest before extending the advantage to 15-9 on a powerful kill from Lila Willett (Chelsea, Ala.). The Wildcats continued to roll as Morgan Mears (Hurley; East Central) delivered a kill off a Smith assist, set up by a Jordyn Wilks (Independence, La.; Hammond Magnet) dig, to push the lead to 19-10. A service ace from Lindsey Hall (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove) widened the gap to 20-10 as the Wildcats seized full control.

 

Pearl River maintained its momentum late in the set, with another Mears kill followed by a string of aces from Smith to give the Wildcats their largest lead of the night at 23-12. The set was capped off in emphatic fashion when Mallory Hesterman (Brooklyn; HomeLife Academy) fired a cross-court kill to secure the 25-14 victory. 

 

"We started out great tonight," Chatham said. "We were deliberate and did all the small things it takes to win, consistently. The next two sets, we let some of that go, but we were able to regain our composure in the fourth."

 

The Wildcats carried their momentum into the second set, jumping out to an early lead behind two Mears kills, a Hall service ace, and kills from Wheat and Olivia Shirley (Hattiesburg; Oak Grove). Southwest battled back to trim the deficit to 15-14, but a Wheat kill sparked another Pearl River surge.

 

PRCC went on a run highlighted by multiple Wheat kills and a Smith service ace to extend the advantage to 20-15. The Wildcats closed out the set in dominant fashion, as back-to-back kills from Willett — both assisted by Smith — sealed the 25-22 victory.

 

Set three proved to be a thriller, featuring a flurry of kills from Wheat. The Wildcats fell behind early, 8-4, but fought back to take an 11-10 lead on a Smith ace. The frame remained tightly contested, with 11 ties throughout. After trailing 16-14, a Mears kill followed by two Wheat kills gave Pearl River a 17-16 edge. The teams traded points down the stretch until Southwest ultimately outlasted the Wildcats 33-31 to avoid the sweep.

 

Pearl River responded with intensity in the fourth set, opening with a 4-1 lead behind two Mears blocks and a Willett kill. The Wildcats maintained control until a brief Southwest rally brought the score within one at 16-15. PRCC then erupted on a 7-0 run — powered by five Wheat kills — to push the margin to 23-15. Moments later, Willett delivered the match-clinching kill off a Smith assist to give the Wildcats the 25-19 set win and the 3-1 match victory in the season finale.

 

The Wildcats will open Region 23 Tournament play Wednesday at 6 p.m. as rival Gulf Coast makes the short trip to Poplarville. The match will be livestreamed at PRCCMedia.com/Gold. Tickets will be available at PRCCAthletics.com/tickets for $9 in advance or $11 on game day.