SENATOBIA - In coach Allison Burchyett's first season, the Northwest volleyball program won six games. Last season, the Lady Rangers upped that total to 14.

Now, as Burchyett enters her third season with the Lady Rangers, she expects the growth to continue trending up.

"I think last season helped build more confidence in what is now my sophomore class," Burchyett said. "A lot of them had to step up as freshmen and now they are the leaders on the team. Last year was a better year overall than our first season, but we had to weather some storms early and keep the team together. We have 11 new players, but they are a talented group and overall, our expectations are a lot higher this season."

Although Burchyett only has five returners from last year's squad, the quality has exceeded the quantity in the offseason. All five players - Lia Ramos, Brinley Steed, Kayla Beal, De'Aisha Browner and Lexi Page - have put in the work in the offseason, including in the Lady Rangers' exhibition against Frontier last April.

"We only had six total in the spring scrimmage, including Allison Greene, who we needed to make sure we could field a team for the match," Burchyett said. "Although we didn't win, we saw great potential for all five of them to grow up and lead the next class underneath them. Lia and Brinley are two returning setters and Kayla played a big role in the back row, so those three in particular will have some valuable experience from year one to year two."

Across the board, the newcomers are the most talented group Burchyett has brought in thus far. Former Lewisburg standout Micah Swift arrives after initially signing with Christian Brothers, bringing with her a lot of qualities.

"She is very competitive," Burchyett said, on Swift. "She is fiery and the girls respond well to her leadership."

Joining Swift is Lafayette product Kailey Gooch, Pearl High School's Jacia Hayes and DeSoto County trio Kaley Rikard (Lewisburg), Cristen Cleveland (Hernando) and Kennedy Smith (DeSoto Central).

"She is a gamer," Burchyett said, in reference to Gooch. "Jacia is quiet, but has tremendous power and potential. Combined with Kailey and Micah, those three will help make up the middle and opposite slots. Kaley, Cristen and Kennedy will be beasts at the outside, along with Lexi being available to platoon and to work in there as well."

Compared to the Lady Rangers' inaugural 2020 season, the schedule has slowly morphed from playing mostly Alabama schools to a variety of other programs across the region. Northwest added opponents from Arkansas, Illinois and Florida to the mix last season and now, the schedule consists almost entirely of teams in Tennessee, Arkansas and even Texas. 

"We had to travel to Alabama a lot that first season because we needed matches," Burchyett said. "Now, we have been able to schedule more four-year schools that are not too far away and they have been competition. While we are playing their JV teams, they're still NCAA and NAIA rosters and it's good for us to be able to use those matchups as a measuring stick for us."

With a full sophomore class and a hungry core of newcomers, Burchyett has a new milestone she wants her team to achieve this season.

"Our goal is to be above .500 and have a winning record," Burchyett said. "I would like to see us get over the 20-win mark and we really want to host in the postseason. In order to do that, we have to take care of Pearl River and Itawamba in our region matches, but that is what we are eyeing this year and hopefully, we can not only host, but also advance further into the postseason as well."

Northwest will kick off the 2022 regular season on Saturday with a tri-match against Chattanooga State and Champion Christian College. The Lady Rangers will take on Chattanooga State at 1 P.M. and Champion Christian at 5 P.M., with the two teams playing each other at 3 P.M. All games will be carried live on Ranger TV.