by Hunter Dawkins
In the first district matchup of the season, perennial powerhouse Long Beach dominated Pass Christian, winning three sets easily; 25-11, 25-10, 25-9. The Lady Bearcats have a 7-3 record and are 1-0 in the district with two of their losses coming from 6A cross-town rival Gulfport Lady Admirals.
The Lady Pirates began by salvaging a few early points of Long Beach mishaps, but once the home-court advantage began to kick in, the Lady Bearcats went on 11-1 runs in the first two sets. “We are twelve to fourteen deep and we don’t play down on any team,” said Long Beach Volleyball Coach Rebecca Tillman. “Most of the teams that don’t have as much talent as we do like Pass Christian, tend to have a lot of grit and we need to play tough.”
Despite a rough performance, the Pass Christian Lady Pirates held their own throughout the match. “Our biggest thing is reaction,” said Pass Christian High School Volleyball Coach Kendra Bensch. “We still are thinking too much instead of playing, as we tell the girls.”
Pass Christian Lady Pirates record is 1-8, 0-1 in district play.
