SENATOBIA – It was a picture-perfect start to the home schedule for the Rangers as Northwest Mississippi Community College (6-0) rolled to a three-set sweep of the Coahoma Community College Tigers (0-1) to keep their undefeated season alive and hand the visitors a loss in their first match in program history, taking it 25-3, 25-7, 25-12 at Howard Coliseum.
"I'm very pleased with how we came in, and we took care of business," Head Coach Allyson Burchett said. "Our focus was good, and I was proud of that, and we were able to sub and get everybody some time tonight, so that's always a win for your program."
The opening set was a smashing success for the Rangers, rolling to a 25-3 win thanks to a tough serving game that helped to result in six hitting errors from out-of-system plays and eleven kills from Northwest that were paired with no hitting errors from the home side.
Set two was more of the same, although the Tigers were able to find some traction late after trailing by double figures at 13-3, eventually falling 25-7.
Northwest used their bench throughout much of the third set, but still had no trouble building a double-digit lead after the first 20 points, going ahead 15-5 before taking the sweep with a 25-12 victory.
The win continues a run of impeccable play from the Rangers, and sophomore setter Chloe Rodriguez said they are in a good place as a group.
"We are feeling very good. We can't settle, though. We have to work every single day, going to practice and keeping pushing hard so we can go to nationals."
Northwest's offense was a bit quieter in terms of the size of the numbers, but they were incredibly efficient, hitting .431 as a team with ten players combining for 31 kills. Sofia Gonzalez led the squad with ten kills and was trailed by Ariana Woods and Valerie Hurdle with five kills each.
Dallas White finished the match with a team-high 16 assists, with Rodriguez adding eleven.
White also added seven aces, which is a season-high for any individual Ranger this season, and was part of 17 aces in the match by Northwest.
Blocks were limited due to the lack of attacks from the Tigers, but Talley Taylor and Jersi Wilson both picked up solo blocks, and Alayna Fuller, Payton Davis, and Kylee Garcia also added block assists.
All 16 Rangers made it into the stat sheet in some way, and Rodriguez said as a sophomore, that is something that excites her about building the program for the future.
"I love it because it is giving them time to play so they are comfortable next year after we leave. Everyone needs to be comfortable on the court, and these are the games you can get that comfort because if you make a mistake, you can laugh it off and keep going."
Northwest is heading on the road again after the brief trip home with a tournament in Pensacola, Florida on the docket for Friday where they will face Highland Community College (KS) and Snead State Community College at 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM respectively.
Rodriguez said these matches will be against some tough teams, so the Rangers need to make sure they are bringing their best game regardless of who they play.
"I feel like we have to keep level-headed for sure," Rodriguez said. "We can't get a big head because we are 6-0 because that doesn't matter in the end of it. The end goal is for us to get rings. That's one thing that all of us sophomores want to accomplish this year. So we just need to keep putting in the work and never settle for anything."
Keep up with the Rangers by visiting nwccrangers.com or by following along on Northwest's social media accounts.
