POPLARVILLE, Miss. – Mistakes and missed opportunities haunted the Indians in a 3-1 loss at Pearl River on Tuesday.
After falling behind 2-0, the Indians (16-10) rallied back to extend the match with a 25-15 win in the third set. ICC jumped out to a 7-2 lead before a timeout by Pearl River (21-12) held the Wildcats get back within striking distance. The Indians answered the run and took a 15-6 advantage before pulling away from the 10-point victory.
The Indians fell behind 17-14 and bounced back with a 3-0 run out of a timeout to tie the match. Both teams traded points until Vakeria Jett's ace gave the Indians a 23-22 advantage. The Indians opened the door with a pair of errors to flip the scoring advantage back in favor of the Wildcats, who eventually sealed the match with a 25-22 win in the fourth set.
Kailynn Johnson led the Indians with 11 kills while Sarah Allyn Thornell had 20 assists in the loss.
The two teams will square off again Friday at 6 p.m. in Fulton in the elimination round of the Region 23 Tournament. The winner will advance to Saturday and will face top-seed Northwest in Senatobia.
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