CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Northwest had a lot to be proud of after completing last weekend's Chattanooga State Invitational.

Facing four matches in a span of two days, the Lady Rangers scored wins against Bevill State, Chattanooga State and Snead State, while dropping a tough match to Wallace State-Hanceville. The 3-for-4 weekend pushed the team's overall record to 4-6.

Northwest now turns its attention to Friday, September 1, as the Lady Rangers take on Williams Baptist University for a 3 P.M. road match.


Northwest 3, Bevill State 0
(Set scores: 25-17, 25-22, 25-11)
Northwest fought off a tough rally from Bevill State in the second set, before capturing the third and final set in commanding fashion on Friday afternoon.

Kailey Gooch and Micah Swift combined for 23 of the team's 35 kills, with Gooch earning a team-high 13 total. Freshman Layla Dyer tallied 23 assists, while Caroline Howard came away with a team-leading 10 digs.


Northwest 3, Chattanooga State 2
(Set scores: 25-18, 13-25, 25-16, 18-25, 15-13)
In what was easily the most thrilling match of the weekend, Northwest battled back from a tough fourth set loss and snatched a valuable victory from tournament host Chattanooga State.

Northwest built a solid lead in the opening set and carried over that momentum early in the second set. However, the Lady Rangers' 7-6 lead was quickly squashed by the Lady Tigers, who gained an 11-7 advantage and never looked back. 

With the match tied at 1-1, the Lady Rangers battled back, taking a 4-0 early lead in the third set. Though Chattanooga State rallied back for a 5-5 tie, Northwest soon widened the gap to 13-8 and maintained the lead the rest of the way, claiming a 2-1 match advantage.

Though Northwest once again gained the early lead in the fourth set, the Lady Tigers bounced back and eventually built an 18-10 lead late. Despite cutting the margin to 19-15, the Lady Rangers were unable to clinch the match, forcing a winner-take-all fifth set.

Chattanooga State led for most of the fifth set, with its biggest advantage being a 10-7 lead. However, just when it seemed like the Lady Tigers had all the momentum, Northwest rallied to tie the set at 13-13 and earned the next two points, giving the Lady Rangers a thrilling victory.

Jacia Hayes led Northwest with 12 kills and four blocks, followed by eight from Cristen Cleveland. Dyer and Sarah Bolin combined for 40 assists, with Dyer earning 24 of those.

Howard posted a season-high 17 digs, while Dyer added 13 and Kaley Rikard posted 11. 


Wallace State-Hanceville 3, Northwest 1
(Set scores: 25-13, 18-25, 25-18, 25-23)
After dropping the opening set to Wallace State-Hanceville, Northwest won the second set and battled hard throughout the rest of the match, only to fall to the Lady Lions by a 3-1 decision.

Hayes led the Lady Rangers with 11 kills, while Sarah Bolin posted 17 assists and Dyer added 13 assists. Rikard also added 11 digs, while Kaya Coleman led with three assisted blocks.


Northwest 3, Snead State 1
(Set scores: 25-16, 23-25, 25-21, 26-24)
A combined 23 kills from Hayes and Swift helped lift Northwest to a 3-1 victory in the final match of the weekend.

Northwest dropped the second set and had to fight tooth and nail to take the fourth set, avoiding the winner-take-all fifth set. 

Hayes posted five blocks to lead the Lady Rangers, while Dyer added 27 assists. Cleveland and Abbey Swift each posted 20 digs, followed by 13 from Rikard. 

Additionally, Cleveland and Gooch added eight kills apiece in the winning effort.  Read Full Article