ULLIN, Ill. - A quick Friday trip to southern Illinois resulted in a pair of Northwest victories, as the Lady Rangers blanked Shawnee by a 3-0 final, before rallying back from a 2-0 deficit to upend East Central College, 3-2.

Offensively, Rachel Stegall was solid for Northwest in both matches, combining for 27 kills and 20 digs. Layla Dyer also finished with a season-high 47 assists in the win against East Central, while tallying 31 against Shawnee. 

Defensively, Kaya Coleman was impressive, collecting eight total blocks on the afternoon, including five in the East Central match. The Cobden, Ill. native also posted 25 kills.

With the wins, Northwest improved to 3-2 overall, riding a three-match winning streak that began with a 3-0 shutout of Freed-Hardeman JV on August 26. The Lady Rangers will spend next weekend in Hanceville, Ala. for the Wallace State Invitational, playing six matches from Friday, September 6 to Sunday, Sept. 8.


Northwest 3, Shawnee 0
(Set scores: 25-9, 25-20, 25-20)

A whopping 25-9 blowout in the opening set helped set the tone for Northwest, as the Lady Rangers blanked Shawnee in the first match of the day.

Shawnee tried rallying back in the next two sets, but Northwest did just enough in all facets to stay ahead of the Lady Saints.

Coleman and Stegall each finished with 11 kills, accounting for 22 of the Lady Rangers' 40 kills. Freshman Maddie Smith also provided eight, followed by five from Anna Lott.

Coleman and Claire Roberts also finished with three blocks apiece, while Dyer accounted for 31 assists and five digs. Stegall and Ally Grimes also led the Lady Rangers with nine digs each, followed by eight from Smith.

Shawnee was paced by seven kills from Regan Eigenrauch, followed by six kills and a team-leading 19 digs from Adalyn Gower. Jayla Wiggins also accounted for 14 digs.


Northwest 3, East Central College 2
(Set scores: 19-25, 23-25, 25-20, 25-9, 15-9)

Despite falling behind early in the first two sets to East Central College, Northwest refused to give up, eventually taking the third set and forcing a decisive fifth set.

In the end, the resilience paid off for the Lady Rangers, as Northwest took the 3-2 victory.

Once again, Stegall led Northwest with 16 kills to go along with 11 digs, while Coleman provided 14 kills of her own and five blocks. Roberts led with a team-high eight blocks, while Dyer accounted for a whopping 47 assists.

Four Lady Rangers finished with 10 or more digs, led by 16 from Abbey Swift, the aforementioned 11 from Stegall and 10 apiece from Dyer and Smith. Sailor Cole also provided nine digs for Northwest.
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