Box Score SENATOBIA - In front of the loudest and most raucous crowd all season, Northwest stepped up on the home floor and delivered a 3-0 shutout of Pearl River in Friday afternoon's NJCAA Region 23 semifinal matchup.

Northwest (25-8) led 11-10 early in the first set, before stretching the lead to a 19-15 margin. Pearl River stayed within striking distance, but the Lady Rangers never lost the lead, earning a 25-19 victory in the opening set.

Pearl River tried to flip the script in the second set, earning a 14-9 advantage midway through. Though the Lady Wildcats seemed prime to even the match, Northwest stormed back and gained a 19-18 lead on a service ace from Sailor Cole. That prompted a timeout from PRCC, but the Lady Rangers completed the comeback with a 25-22 decision.

Leading the match 2-0, Northwest went back and forth with the Lady Wildcats early in the third set, with Pearl River holding a narrow 10-9 advantage. However, the Lady Rangers hit the pedal and never looked back, turning a 16-12 lead to a 19-12 margin, before eventually closing out the match with the 25-15 clincher.

With Jones College's victory against Itawamba in the other semifinal match late Friday afternoon, the Lady Rangers and the Lady Bobcats will meet Saturday morning for the NJCAA Region 23 Championship. Despite entering the tournament as the third seed, Jones College has sported a 27-7 overall record in its inaugural season, earning a pair of ranked wins against Walters State and Enterprise State in non-conference competition.

The match is scheduled for an 11 A.M. start time at Howard Coliseum, with live coverage available on Ranger TV (nwccrangers.com/watch). The winner will not only be crowned NJCAA Region 23 champions, but will advance to face the winner of the Alabama Community College Conference next Saturday, November 9 for the chance at clinching an automatic bid to the NJCAA Division II Women's Volleyball Tournament.