HENDERSON, Tenn. - After a disappointing outcome in the opening set, Northwest quickly gained the momentum at the start of the second set and never looked back, earning a 3-1 win at Freed-Hardeman on Friday evening.
It marked the second consecutive victory for Northwest, which improved to 8-13 on the season.
In the first set, the Lady Rangers fell into an 8-3 deficit to the home team, but rallied back to close the gap to 9-7. However, the pendulum swung back in the Lady Lions' favor, as Freed-Hardeman pulled away for a 21-14 advantage, later clinching the set at 25-16.
Northwest began to pull away for good early in the second set, earning five straight points with freshman
Kayla Beal on serve. Leading 9-4, the Lady Rangers continued to widen the gap and built a 17-11 advantage after an aggressive block from
Chariah Mabry.
Northwest would then take eight of the next 10 points, earning a strong 25-13 decision in the second set, tying the match at 1-1.
Freed-Hardeman briefly took control early in the third set, but the Lady Lions' 19-12 lead was eventually erased by a five-point stretch with
Brinley Steed on serve. With the deficit trimmed to 19-17, Steed remained on serve and gave Northwest four more points for a 21-19 advantage.
Facing set point with a 24-22 lead, Steed would tip one over the net for the deciding point, helping the Lady Rangers take a 2-1 match lead.
With Northwest holding a sizable advantage late in the fourth set, the Lady Lions made one last 7-1 run to close the gap to 22-19. However, the momentum quickly died for Freed-Hardeman after a Lady Ranger timeout, as Northwest claimed three of the final four points to clinch the match in a 25-20 fourth-set victory.
Kapria Manning posted a team-high 12 kills, while Steed totaled 16 assists and two service aces. Sophomore
Taylor Smith collected a team-high 14 digs, while Mabry finished with six blocks.
Northwest will return home for an eight-match homestand, beginning on Tuesday, October 5 against Itawamba. First serve is scheduled for 6 P.M. from Howard Coliseum, with live coverage available on Ranger TV (nwccrangers.com/watch).
