SENATOBIA - A convincing second set victory helped make the difference for Northwest in Monday evening's 3-0 shutout of Itawamba.
Northwest captured the momentum right out of the gate in the opening set and broke away from an early back-and-forth battle to break away, capturing a 25-19 decision in the first set. The Lady Rangers soon jumped out to a 7-1 advantage in the following set, cruising to a 25-12 triumph and a 2-0 match lead.
Despite the deficit, Itawamba refused to give up, taking Northwest to the brink in the third set. The Lady Indians stormed back from a 20-13 deficit, closing the gap to three points, before the Lady Rangers eventually pulled away down the stretch, clinching the match with a 25-20 third set victory.
Rachel Stegall led Northwest with 13 kills, followed by 11 from freshman
Maddie Smith. The Lady Rangers also finished with four service aces, one each from Stegall,
Layla Dyer,
Aven Mathis and
Abbey Swift.
Dyer also provided a team-high 24 assists, while
Ally Grimes and
Sailor Cole chipped in with five and two, respectively.
Kaya Coleman highlighted the blocks category for Northwest, providing eight total blocks, while
Anna Lott was credited with five in the winning effort.
Leading in digs was Dyer, who finished with 11 total. Grimes also provided eight digs, while Cole and Stegall finished with five and four, respectively.
With the win, Northwest improved to 3-0 in the MACCC and 16-6 overall. The Lady Rangers also ran their winning streak to 12 matches, dating back to September 8.
Next up for Northwest is a conference road match at Meridian, scheduled for 6 P.M. on Wednesday, October 2. The Lady Eagles (1-15, 0-3 MACCC) are coming off a 3-0 loss against Northeast.
