On Thursday night the Pearl River Central Lady Blue Devils volleyball team (2-6) lost in three sets to the Hancock Hawks (12-5).

The set scores were as follows: 25-8, 25-5 and 25-9.

In the first set the Hawks displayed just how aggressive they can play offensively. They had a knack for putting the ball down in the right spots with a lot of force behind their kills. In spurts the Lady Blue Devils stood their ground, collecting digs and successfully receiving Hancock’s serves here and there. But the first set was a quick and decisive 25-8 win for the Hawks.

In set two, the Hawks led 15-3 behind multiple aces. The Blue Devils got on the board after a kill by Taylor Walter. At 18-4 the Hawks answered with two kills, two aces and one more kill for the game point, 24-4. PRC got lucky with an extra point after and Hancock’s serving error. PRC unfortunately gave a point back after their own error. That ended the set 25-5.

After multiple kills and three consecutive aces, the Hawks grew a 10-1 lead over the Lady Blue Devils in the final set. Any kill opportunity Hancock had they took advantage of and PRC struggled to convert successful digs or blocks in this set. The score changed to 18-2 after a Hawks serving error.

Back-to-back attacking errors by Hancock gave PRC two points and Jade Bennett served an ace to make the score 19-5. The Hawks found their groove again and took their lead to 23-5 with back-to-back aces. Jayden Nielson picked up an attacking block, and Hancock gave PRC a point after a serving error. Cali Melton picked up an ace but her Lady Blue Devils trailed by too much at this point, 23-8. The Hawks closed the set out with a kill and serving error, giving PRC another point, then one more kill to finish the match at 25-9.

Next, the Lady Blue Devils will try and bounce back on Tuesday Sept 6. They will play the Bay High Tigers at 6:30 p.m. in Bay St. Louis.