HENDERSON, Tenn. and SENATOBIA, Miss. - Two matches in back-to-back days was no issue for the Northwest volleyball team, as the Lady Rangers earned a pair of 3-0 and 3-1 victories against Freed-Hardeman JV and Henderson State JV, respectively.

In Saturday's win at Freed-Hardeman JV, Northwest cruised to a 25-10 victory in the third set to clinch the road shutout. On Sunday, the Lady Rangers had to rally from a first set loss to take the next three sets, clinching the match with a 25-18 decision in the fourth set.

Northwest improved to 25-16 on the season and ran its winning streak to four matches since October 13. The Lady Rangers will host a tri-match on Tuesday for Sophomore Day, facing off against Freed-Hardeman JV at 3 P.M. and John Melvin University at 7 P.M. The two teams will also play each other at 5 P.M. and Northwest will host Sophomore Day ceremonies prior to the 7 P.M. match.

All three of tomorrow's matches can be seen on Ranger TV (nwccrangers.com/watch). 


Northwest 3, Freed-Hardeman JV 0
(Set scores: 25-15, 25-17, 25-10)

Freshman Anna Lott posted nine kills and Caroline Howard finished with three service aces, as Northwest rolled to a shutout victory on Saturday at Freed-Hardeman JV.

Sophomores Kailey Gooch, Kaley Rikard and Cristen Cleveland combined for 19 additional kills, as the Lady Lions had no answer for Northwest. Rikard also collected a team-best 13 digs, while Layla Dyer provided 21 assists.

Gooch also led the Lady Rangers in total blocks with two, as Howard added eight digs.


Northwest 3, Henderson State JV 1
(Set scores: 23-25, 25-16, 25-18, 25-18)

Although Henderson State JV took the first set from Northwest, the Lady Rangers were able to hang on to the momentum across the next three sets, earning the win on Sunday afternoon.

Northwest led 10-3 early in each of the first two sets, but the Reddies rallied for the first set victory. In the second set, Henderson State JV closed the gap to 11-8 and tied the match at 13-13. However, with Cleveland on serve, the Lady Rangers rattled off seven straight points to pull away for the second set victory.

With the match tied at 1-1, Henderson State JV jumped out to the early 4-0 lead, only for Northwest to fight back for a 4-4 tie. The set would go wire-to-wire for most of the way, but the Lady Rangers eventually broke a 16-16 tie to pull away for the 25-18 win and a 2-1 match lead.

After once again sitting through an early tie in the fourth set, Northwest grabbed the momentum and grew the lead to 14-10, and later, an 18-11 margin. Henderson State JV gained a few points back down the stretch, but the Lady Rangers closed things out late with the 25-18 decision.

Similar to Saturday's win, Lott once again led the Lady Rangers in kills, this time earning a season-best of 11, followed by 10 apiece from Rikard and Jacia Hayes. Cleveland also accounted for a team-high five service aces, while Dyer posted 36 assists.

Northwest finished with 81 digs in the win as well, with Howard accounting for 26 of those, followed by 16 from Rikard. Cleveland and Dyer also posted 11 apiece. Read Full Article