FULTON – In the unofficial start of the 2021 volleyball season, Northwest was swept in straight sets in a pair of exhibition matches against Itawamba and Wallace State-Hanceville on Saturday morning.

Northwest will begin the regular season on Saturday, Jan. 23 in Poplarville against in-state foe Pearl River and Coastal Alabama-East at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., respectively. Both matches will be streamed live at prccmedia.com/gold.


Itawamba 3, Northwest 0
(Set scores: 11-25, 13-25, 17-25)

Northwest held its own in the early stages of all three sets against Itawamba, but the Lady Indians came away as the victor in an unofficial meeting between the two first-year programs.

Northwest trailed 8-5 in the first set, but Itawamba quickly pulled away for a 16-7 advantage and never looked back.

The second set got off to a similar start, as back-to-back kills from Sydney Sides pulled the Lady Rangers within a point at 5-4. However, Itawamba rolled off six consecutive points to once again pull away for an 11-4 lead.

Northwest fought back and pulled within 14-10, highlighted by a couple kills from Chariah Mabry, but the Lady Indians still pulled away in the end for the 25-13 second set victory.

Mabry and Kapria Manning helped keep the Lady Rangers close in the third set, making Itawamba work for the sweep. The Lady Indians led 21-9 before Northwest fought back and pushed the deficit to a 25-17 final.

Julissa Soto finished with six kills, while Mabry and Manning finished with three aces each.


Wallace State-Hanceville 3, Northwest 0
(Set scores: 17-25, 11-25, 11-25)

Despite a back-and-forth effort in the opening set, Wallace State-Hanceville widened the gap in the remaining two sets to secure the 3-0 exhibition victory against Northwest.

Trailing 9-3 in the first set, Soto's ace sparked a Ranger rally as Northwest pulled within a 13-11 deficit. The Lady Rangers remained competitive throughout the set, but the Lady Lions eventually claimed the opening set advantage.

Wallace State-Hanceville took the second set after possessing a commanding 20-9 lead late, but the Lady Rangers rallied from a 17-4 deficit in the third and final set to end the day on a high note, despite the loss.

Mabry finished the match with nine kills and an ace, while Manning totaled seven kills. Sides also finished with three kills to aid the Lady Rangers.