SENATOBIA – The #16 Northwest Mississippi Community College volleyball team (36-0, 10-0) capped off their regular-season championship and undefeated season on Wednesday night, taking down Coahoma Community College (0-15, 0-10) in straight sets, 25-9, 25-9, 25-15 at Howard Coliseum on Sophomore Night.

"It was definitely a great win," Sophomore middle Talley Taylor said. "We respected our opponent, but we really just wanted to enjoy the night as sophomores since we have worked really hard these past two years, so we just wanted to enjoy the night and have fun."

Northwest opened the night with a long service run from Dallas White, pushing ahead 5-0 before giving the Tigers a chance to serve. There were side outs on each of the Tigers' first four service attempts on the way to building up a 14-4 lead.

The Rangers had some fun in their rotation, giving all eight sophomores the full set, including chances for Chloe Rodriguez to attack and serve, as well as chances for Adalyn Callahan and Reese McIntosh to attack on the front line. By the end, it was a 25-9 victory and a 1-0 lead.

"Yes, we are here to do a job, and yes, we need to work, but we are also here to have fun," Taylor said of the opening set. "That's why we play the sport, and that's why we love it so much. It's also to grow, and the coach does a good job of pushing us when we are comfortable, and that's where growth comes from."

Northwest came out with their traditional starting lineup in set two, and after a bit of jostling early on, the Rangers asserted control on a service run from Laney Wier that moved the lead to 8-3. Wier would also be the server to close the set in another dominant fashion with a 25-9 win.

In the third, Northwest would put their bench onto the court for most of the rotations other than setter, where Rodriguez and White continued to run the show. The Tigers jumped out to an early lead, moving in front as late as 6-5, but Northwest would get separation on a service run from Jania Rose that included three straight aces, and would lock the set down on another long run from Callahan on the way to a 25-15 win and the sweep.

While the final stretch run hasn't necessarily been full of the biggest challenges for the Rangers, they did still use it to their advantage, and it was a good way to resharpen their skills before the postseason begins.

"It's just a blessing that the schedule worked out the way it did," Taylor said. "That was a rough three-week patch, but we got to play a few slower-paced teams, and that just helped us to work out some kinks as we go into the postseason."

Northwest was paced on the night by Ariana Woods, who finished the match with 11 points, all coming from kills at the net. Ten total Rangers tallied a kill in the match, including eight from Talley Taylor and five from Rodriguez.

Rodriguez added 15 assists in the match, and White picked up 11 to lead the way to 33 for the Rangers as a team.

Rose was the top server for the Rangers, picking up three aces in her five chances. McIntosh added a pair of aces, and the team had nine through the match.

Northwest now gets to sit back and wait on their next opponent when they play host to the lowest remaining seed on Wednesday, October 28, in the quarterfinals of the Region 23 tournament at Howard Coliseum. If the Rangers win that match, they will host the semifinals, and championship matches on October 31 and November 1.

"It's so rewarding," Taylor said. "We've been here since day one of freshman year, and all I can say is it's just rewarding. We've put in the work, and now we are ready to do some damage in the postseason, so we're excited."

There is a lot to still be decided over the next two weeks, but Taylor said the team is focusing on the next day and letting the chips fall where they may.

"The message is that we are taking it one game at a time," she said. "We are just going to do our best and know that God has us no matter what happens, and where he puts us, that's where we end up."

Follow along with the news and updates from the Northwest volleyball team at nwccrangers.com or you can check out more on Ranger social media accounts.