SENATOBIA - A historic first season for the Northwest volleyball program came to a crushing end on Friday afternoon, as the Lady Rangers fell 3-1 to Itawamba in the Region 23 Tiebreaker in front of an electric crowd at Howard Coliseum.
Northwest took the opening set by a 25-22 decision, but Itawamba caught fire early in the second set and pulled away for a big 25-16 victory, tying the match at 1-1.
Despite a competitive effort throughout from the Lady Rangers, Northwest found itself playing from behind in every set the rest of the way. As a result, Itawamba managed to do just enough to edge out the final two sets, 25-19 and 25-22.
Julissa Soto led the Lady Rangers with 15 kills and 19 digs, while
Kamryn Conner collected a team-best 25 digs.
Kapria Manning finished with a team-leading 22 assists, 14 kills and three blocks.
Chariah Mabry also swatted three blocks, while
India Jeffries finished with three aces and two blocks.
With the loss, Northwest ends its inaugural season at 6-12 overall. Itawamba improved to 13-6 and will advance to the NJCAA Division II Playoffs as the District Qualifier from Region 23.
