SENATOBIA - A 3-0 victory against Mississippi University for Women JV and a 3-2 thriller over John Melvin University helped close out an undefeated day for the Lady Rangers' volleyball team on Tuesday.

Sophomore Jacia Hayes was a dominant force for Northwest in both matches, but the Pearl native came up clutch in the fourth set of the win against John Melvin. Down 2-1 in the match, Hayes made several big plays to send the Lady Rangers to a dominant fourth-set victory, forcing the winner-take-all fifth set.

With the win, Northwest ran its season record to 7-6 overall, continuing a hot streak that began after an 0-4 start. The Lady Rangers will resume play on Wednesday against Northeast and Pensacola State, with the first match set for a 12 P.M. start time at Howard Coliseum.


Northwest 3, MUW JV 0
(Set scores: 25-11, 25-13, 25-16)

Northwest started off strong in its win against MUW JV and never looked back, dominating the first two sets en route to a 3-0 victory.

Kailey Gooch led the Lady Rangers with 12 kills and three total blocks, followed by nine kills and five digs by Micah Swift. Caroline Howard also posted a team-best 14 digs, with Cristen Cleveland, Layla Dyer and Kaley Rikard accounting for seven digs apiece.

Additionally, Hayes also finished with eight kills in the win and a pair of service aces.


Northwest 3, John Melvin University 2
(Set scores: 19-25, 25-14, 21-25, 25-10, 15-13)

Despite falling behind a couple of times in the final set, Northwest battled back from an 11-10 deficit to secure the 15-13 win in the fifth set, earning a gritty 3-2 win.

Northwest opened the match with a 3-0 lead, before the Millers responded to eventually take a 9-6 lead. John Melvin University stayed one step ahead of the Lady Rangers throughout the first set, as the Lady Rangers fell 25-19.

Facing a 6-6 tie early in the second set, Northwest captured 12 of the next 14 points to build a strong 18-8 advantage. The Lady Rangers eventually claimed the set, 25-14, before the Millers responded back with a third-set victory.

Northwest jumped out to a 9-2 lead early in the fourth set and behind several strong plays from Hayes, the Lady Rangers cruised to the fourth set win, tying the match at 2-2. Though the Millers were able to lead by a couple points in the fifth set, Northwest never folded, charging back at the end to take the win.

Hayes led the Lady Rangers with a season-best 18 kills, along with nine digs and a pair of blocks. Gooch and Rikard also combined for 21 kills, with Gooch adding four blocks and three digs. 

Cleveland accounted for a team-high 25 digs and nine kills, followed by 19 each from Howard and Rikard. Additionally, Dyer added 18 digs to her credit.  Read Full Article