SENATOBIA - The Northwest Mississippi Community College volleyball team was able to use their entire bench on the way to their 11th win of the season, taking down the Williams Baptist University JV team in straight sets, 25-9, 25-12, 25-13 at Howard Coliseum on Tuesday night, improving their consecutive sets won streak to 33 to open the season.
Sophomore setter Dallas White said matches like this allow for the Rangers to really utilize all of the talent they possess on the court.
"It lets us be able to get used to different people," the Lake Cormorant graduate said. "Everyone hits different, everyone plays different, or has a different tone on the court and different body language. So you need that to be able to stay connected as a team, and it's a lot easier to play when they do go in, and you aren't playing with the same six people every time."
The Rangers started the match on a team with Reese McIntosh leading an 8-0 run to kick off the first set, and Northwest never let the Eagles get any consistent footing, leaning on the attack of Ariana Woods paired with a service game that netted them six aces, including four from Jania Rose.
Williams Baptist did manage to close the early deficit to 11-6, but that was the high-water mark before Northwest closed the set on a 14-1 push to go up 1-0.
Set two was more of an even battle early on, and even saw Northwest in unfamiliar territory, trailing 2-1 and again at 5-3 before mounting a 7-0 rally on the serve of Adalyn Callahan, which also included four kills from Valerie Hurdle to give Northwest a 12-5 edge. Talley Taylor added a service run of her own to extend the lead to double figures at 16-6, and the lead only grew from there, finishing with a 25-12 victory and a 2-0 lead.
The Eagles dug their heels in at the start of the third set, taking advantage of multiple changes made by Head Coach Allison Burchyett as she emptied her bench and mixed up rotations, taking a 5-1 lead on the home team at the outset.
The Rangers were able to settle down into more of a groove as they got comfortable in the new rotations on the serve of Chloe Rodriguez, reeling off six straight points on the way to a 9-6 lead.
Williams Baptist would even the match at 10-all, but Rose and White stepped in to lead a 10-1 run that sealed the set and the win on the way to a 25-13 win that was aced out by the Rangers for the win.
Northwest was paced by another near-perfect night hitting the ball by Hurdle, who matched a season best in hitting percentage at .727, finishing with eight kills on eleven attacks with no errors. 13 Rangers finished with kills on the night, including a five-kill night from Woods, and four kills each from Payton Davis, Kylee Garcia, and Ma'Kayla Hill. Amaure'i Jones added three of her own, and seven other players made at least one kill.
White added that the experience in live match action will only benefit the team as they get deeper into the season.
"When you get to the conference games and playoffs, it's very crucial because what if someone gets hurt," she said. "I have faith in everyone on this team that they can go in and do their job no matter what."
The offense was led by a good passing night from White and Rodriguez, who finished with 16 assists and 13 assists, respectively.
The serving game was also dominant for the Rangers, who combined for 12 aces, including four from Rose and two from Callahan, McIntosh, and Rodriguez, who picked up her first aces of the season.
There wasn't much to the digging numbers by the Rangers, who were led by an unlikely source in Taylor, who finished with six, followed by five from Rodriguez and Rose. Laney Wier, White, and Callahan all finished with four digs each.
The Rangers are back in action on Wednesday night when they head to Meridian Community College (6-3) for back-to-back battles with an Eagles mascot in a non-conference matchup against a team they swept in 2025.
"I'm just looking forward to us coming off of the bus with energy, coming in having fun, and just playing our game," White said. "Tonight wasn't our game, but I know we can bring it tomorrow, and I'm very excited for the next opportunity to play on the court with these guys."
The opening tip for the game is at 6:00 PM from Graham Gymnasium. Streaming information for the match can be found at nwccrangers.com. Follow along with Northwest volleyball and more by checking out the Rangers on social media.
