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Box Score 2 IRVING, Texas - A season-opening trip to Texas was spoiled by No. 12 Dallas College-North Lake and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, as Northwest fell by a pair of 3-1 decisions in Thursday afternoon's Blazer Invitational.
Freshman
Claire Roberts had four kills to lead Northwest in its loss to Dallas College-North Lake, followed by sophomores
Kaya Coleman and
Rachel Stegall with three apiece. Returning career assists leader
Layla Dyer tallied nine assists and seven digs, while freshman
Aven Mathis and sophomore
Abbey Swift finished with two digs.
In the loss to NEO, Dyer was credited with 26 of the Lady Rangers' 28 assists, further stretching her status as the team's career record-holder. She also added a team-high 10 assists, while Stegall led Northwest with seven kills.
Northwest (0-2) returns to the court on Monday evening, facing Freed-Hardeman JV at 6 P.M. at Howard Coliseum. The Lady Rangers will then play on the road for nearly a month, before finally returning to the home floor on Friday, September 20 against Coastal Alabama-South and Shawnee.
No. 12 Dallas College-North Lake 3, Northwest 1
(Set scores: 21-25, 24-26, 25-21, 11-25)
Despite gaining some early leads in the first three sets against Dallas College-North Lake, Northwest was ultimately unable to hold on for two of those sets, as the 12th-ranked Lady Blazers rolled to a 3-1 victory.
Northwest led 8-3 in the first set, before Dallas College-North Lake clawed back to tie the score at 16-16. The Lady Rangers battled to regain control, but the Lady Blazers pulled ahead by an 18-16 margin, before taking the opening set by a 25-21 decision.
In the second set, the Lady Rangers again took an early lead and held the advantage for a chunk of the set. However, Dallas College-North Lake once again came roaring back, finally taking the lead at 21-20 before eventually earning the second set.
Facing a potential shutout, Northwest finally caught some momentum in the third set. After their 5-1 lead was turned into a 9-8 deficit, the Lady Rangers eventually pulled off an impressive rally, surging back ahead by four points, en route to a 25-21 victory.
Unfortunately for Northwest, the newfound momentum did not last long, as the Lady Blazers turned a 14-6 advantage into a comfortable 20-8 lead. From there, Dallas College-North Lake quickly earned the final five points to take the 3-1 match victory.
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M 3, Northwest 1
(Set scores: 16-25, 25-13, 20-25, 23-25
Though Northwest recovered from a shaky opening set, the Lady Rangers dropped a pair of close sets down the stretch, falling 3-1 to Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.
Northwest led early in the first set, before NEO stormed to a 22-13 advantage. After dropping the set, the Lady Rangers flipped the script, stretching an 8-5 lead into a 19-9 margin. Northwest would eventually claim the second set, 25-13, tying the match at 1-1.
NEO took back the momentum in the third set though, pushing a narrow 6-4 lead to an 11-4 advantage. However, Northwest did not go down quietly, as the Lady Rangers fought back to cut the deficit to 20-19.
Despite the late push from Northwest, Northeastern Oklahoma A&M still held on to a 25-20 victory in the third set. The Lady Rangers once again faltered in the fourth set, going from a 6-6 tie to a 12-6 deficit, only to claw back and take a 16-13 advantage.
Once again, NEO was able to rebound, as the Norse moved back ahead, 21-20. Northwest remained in the battle, but the Lady Rangers were never able to regain the lead, falling by the 3-1 final.
