Box Score In the final regular season test of the 2025 comeback season, the Bears put up a fight Tuesday at home against Pearl River against Pearl River which included a thrilling sequence in the third set, but it wasn't quite enough as they fell 14-25, 22-25, 33-31, 19-25.
 
"They worked really hard and after that third set, we didn't have a whole lot of depth, so we were kind of shot. We came out a little flat in that fourth set so we are super proud of how they played against a good, quality team."
 
The Bears (7-20, 4-12 MACCC) got early success from Haley Eckert and Reagan Robinson but it wasn't quite enough as the Bobcats got into rhythm and took the first set.
 
The second set started off a bit slow for the hosts as they trailed 9-2. But they quickly got over the early woes and rallied to pull within two at 16-14 following key plays from Eckert, Robinson, Berta Soules and Tierra Martin.
 
Later in the frame a couple of late rallies weren't quite enough as Pearl River claimed the second set.
 
In the third the Bears continued to be very competitive taking a 10-7 lead before an unfortunate comeback by the Wildcats. From there, it was a back-and-forth battle that lasted well past the normal 25-point set cap. Two kills from Abby Greenlee were followed by a pair from Eckert then three from Robinson. Both Robinson and Eckert shined late with kills as Martin followed with a block to secure the third-consecutive and final point of the third set.
 
In the fourth, the Bears ran out of gas and despite their efforts they were unable to keep up with Pearl River who went on a late run to take the set and the match.
 
Southwest will kick off Region 23 Postseason play on Wednesday against Jones at 6 p.m.