SENATOBIA - For a while, it seemed that Northwest was well on its way to scoring a three-set victory against Pearl River on Wednesday, only for the Lady Wildcats to stage a three-set rally and defeat the Rangers 3-2 at Howard Coliseum.

A 25-21 decision in the first set sparked some momentum for Northwest in the second set as well, as the Rangers took a 25-18 result.

However, much like January's season opener in Poplarville, Pearl River rallied back for a 25-17 third set victory. From there, the Lady Wildcats raced past the Rangers with a 25-12 win in the fourth set and a 15-9 decision in the deciding fifth set.

Julissa Soto led Northwest with 13 kills and 15 digs, while Kapria Manning totaled 19 digs and 11 kills. Manning also totaled 16 assists, behind a team-leading 17 from Alexia Davis. Chariah Mabry also led Northwest with six blocks.

Next up for Northwest will be Friday's Region 23 Tiebreaker match against Itawamba. The winner will take the trip to Leesburg, Fla. for the NJCAA Gulf District Tournament.