SENATOBIA - Last season was full of highlights for coach Allison Burchyett and the Northwest volleyball program.

Although the Lady Rangers fell one set short of defending its NJCAA Region 23 title and returning to the Gulf District tournament, Northwest finished with a solid 28-17 overall record, earning the most victories in a single season. Five members of the 2023 squad also signed with four-year programs and numerous records were shattered, both career and single-season marks.

Jacia Hayes, who signed with Arkansas-Fort Smith, left Northwest with a career record of 533 kills, surpassing the previous record of 420 from Kapria Manning (2020-21). The Pearl native also posted 367 of those during the 2023 season, setting the single-season record of 294, previously held by Manning as well in 2021. 

Cristen Cleveland, who inked with Lyon College, departed Northwest with 134 career service aces, with 88 of those coming last season, solidifying her slot as the single-season and career record holder. The Hernando native also finished with 574 career digs, one ahead of teammate Kaley Rikard, putting both players in the top two for the career record.

As for Rikard, the Olive Branch native is second in career service aces (72) and third in both single-season and career kills. Kailey Gooch also left with the program's single-season blocks record (89), finishing third for career blocks behind record-holder Hayes (164) and runner-up Micah Swift (146). 

Lastly, Caroline Howard posted a single-season record of 486 digs, leaving third in the career record books behind Cleveland and Rikard.

Aside from all of the eye-popping numbers though, Burchyett credits her team's culture as one of the main factors behind last year's success.

"I thought the culture of our team really played a big role in the matches that we won," Burchyett said. "We certainly want to improve on that this year and try to go farther. We like to think of it more like a family, where everyone has a role, everyone buys in and there is importance in everyone's role. We want to emphasize that on a daily basis."

More changes greet the Lady Rangers ahead of this season. After seeing Northeast join the coalition of volleyball-playing schools within the Magnolia State, Jones College and Meridian will also field a team this season, bringing the total of volleyball programs to six. With at least three more institutions expected to join the party for 2025, the MACCC has officially certified volleyball as a conference-affiliated sport.

"I think it's great for the sport," Burchyett said. "There is a level of state pride that comes with adding new teams within our conference. It has been nice to travel to Texas, Illinois and Alabama, but it's also cool when you are able to play other teams from your state. It also makes scheduling a bit easier, just to be able to play teams that are closer to home."

Although Northwest will certainly miss last season's talented sophomore core, Burchyett brings back a stacked roster, led by returners Layla Dyer, Kaya Coleman, Anna Lott, Abbey Swift and Ally Grimes. Additionally, William Carey University transfer Rachel Stegall will help add experience.

Dyer turned heads last season by shattering the program's single-season and career assists record, doing so by a mile. The Lafayette, La. native finished the season with 911 assists, surpassing Lia Ramos' previous single-season mark of 484 (2022) and career record of 604 (2021-22).

Coleman will be another returning sophomore to watch. The Cobden, Ill. native came off the bench last season, but should have a larger presence in the Lady Rangers' rotation this year.

"She came in as a totally different player," Burchyett said, on Coleman. "She really stepped up for us in the spring and she has put in a lot of time in the weight room this summer."

Lott, Grimes and Swift also bring their own skill sets back for the 2024 campaign.

"Ally is really working hard this year as a libero and freshman Sailor Cole is working hard at that role," Burchyett said. "Abbey is a defensive specialist that had some experience last year and is just a gamer. She comes to play and does whatever she is asked, whether that's playing middle, outside or right back. She's like one of those Swiss Army Knife kids you like to have on your roster."

Despite having a large freshman class, Burchyett has been able to see a lot from her new group. NJCAA programs were able to begin practice at the start of August and the Lady Rangers also played a light schedule of exhibition matches, including last Saturday's twinbill against Frontier.

"I enjoyed seeing our different lineups and seeing how they react to one another," Burchyett said. "Volleyball season can be long and you have to battle the injury bug sometimes and it can be a marathon more than a sprint, so to speak. So you have to know that you got depth in every position, just like in other like in other sports. It's nice to see the freshmen coming in and playing with confidence, and then seeing the leadership we have from our six sophomores. We need to keep working on the fundamentals to make us be able to play a faster-tempo offense that we want to run. We need to work on our ball control. I was very pleased with our serving, which at this point last year was not this advanced. Those things are probably the strongest takeaway from our two exhibitions so far."

Once again, Northwest will have a strong non-conference slate that includes two nationally-ranked programs. The Lady Rangers will open their season against NJCAA Division III program Dallas College-North Lake, which is ranked 12th, and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. Further down the schedule, Northwest will visit Wallace State-Hanceville, which is ranked 12th in the NJCAA Division I polls.

Several familiar opponents from neighboring Alabama will once again be on the schedule, as well as frequent opponents Henderson State JV, Champion Christian College and Blue Mountain Christian JV. 

"I like playing the four-year schools as much as possible, because it's good for exposure," Burchyett said. "Then being able to play some other NJCAA Division I and Division III programs also help us set the bar and see where we are, and what we need to work on."

Northwest opens the season at home on August 26 against Freed-Hardeman JV, and the Lady Rangers won't return to the friendly confines of Howard Coliseum until mid-September. However, Burchyett sees the long road swing as just another test for her squad ahead of starting MACCC competition.

"It's definitely a mental thing, but I want to push our student-athletes as much as possible, because volleyball is very mental," Burchyett said. "It's trying on your body and you have to go through the different volleyball skills, but it's very mental and definitely a game of momentum. When you make a mistake, you have to shake it off in a hurry, because the next ball is coming at you quick. Part of being able to do that is getting them on the road, and that also can help with being a good team bonding experience. It makes them appreciate playing at home when they do have those opportunities."

Northwest begins conference competition in September, and established rivals like Itawamba and Pearl River will certainly be waiting. The Lady Rangers dropped a 3-2 battle to Pearl River in the Region 23 championship match last October, and the Lady Wildcats have certainly experienced much success since starting their program in 2019. Northeast is also expected to be much-improved entering year two, while Jones College and Meridian will still pose challenges despite being first-year programs.

"Our goal is to reach the 20-win mark again this season," Burchyett said. "We also want to return to the postseason again on a national scale. A couple years ago, our team wanted to do it, but they really didn't know that they could achieve it. Now that we have been there, that is our expectation. We are a good program with great student-athletes, but we just have to be able to push through and have the mental capacity to keep fighting when times get tough."

All home matches will be carried online this season through Ranger TV, which can be accessed by visiting nwccrangers.com.