SENATOBIA - Facing off against an impressive Jones College program in its first season of competition, Northwest rose to the occasion on Wednesday evening, delivering a 3-1 victory against the Bobcats at Howard Coliseum.
With the win, the Lady Rangers won its ninth straight match, the program's longest winning streak. Northwest improved to 13-6 overall and 2-0 in the MACCC, as Jones College dropped to 11-3 on the season and 1-1 in conference play.
Both teams started the opening set see-sawing points back and forth, but Northwest turned an 11-8 lead into a strong push down the stretch, forcing a Bobcats' timeout with a 21-15 advantage. The Lady Rangers would go on to claim the opening set, 25-17.
Although Jones College captured the first two points of the second set, Northwest answered back with five straight points and later, the Lady Rangers pushed the score to 13-5 after a string of consecutive points with
Rachel Stegall on serve. Although the Bobcats clawed back to close the gap late, Northwest held on for the 25-16 decision and a 2-0 match lead.
However, Jones College was not going to disappear without a fight. After the Lady Rangers opened up the third set with a 9-3 lead, the Bobcats stormed back, trimming the deficit to 13-12 before eventually gaining a 16-15 lead. Northwest tried to remain within striking distance, but the opponents successfully forced a fourth set with a 25-20 decision in the third set.
Momentum once again turned back in favor of the Lady Rangers in the fourth set, as Northwest fought from an early hole to take a 13-11 lead. The Lady Rangers widened the gap to 17-11 before clinching the match with a 25-18 margin.
Stegall,
Maddie Smith and
Anna Lott highlighted the offensive efforts for Northwest, with the William Carey University transfer finishing with a team-high 17 kills. Smith, the freshman from Jonesboro, Ark., was credited with 11 kills, while Lott totaled 10 kills on the evening.
Stegall was also impressive for Northwest on serve, leading the team with seven service aces. As usual,
Layla Dyer provided 38 of the Lady Rangers' 46 assists, while also leading the team with 17 digs.
Lott and
Kaya Coleman proved to be the leaders at the net, with the sophomore duo combining for nine total blocks. Additionally, freshman
Claire Roberts added three total blocks of her own.
Ainslee Copeland led Jones College with 11 kills, followed by nine from LeAnn Lambert. Mamie Fromdahl also posted 31 assists for the Bobcats, while Annie Woolbright highlighted the defense with 14 digs.
Northwest will step out of conference play for a Saturday doubleheader in Fairfield, Ill., facing Frontier at 9 A.M. and East Central College (Mo.) at 11 A.M. From there, the Lady Rangers will return home on Monday, Sept. 30, hosting Itawamba for another MACCC showdown.
