Image courtesy of Northwester Mississippi Community College Athletics
Junior College Volleyball • Womens
contributor
Faith Ellington
Northwest Rangers Sweep Snead State and Gulf Coast
Northwest Mississippi Community College capped off a grueling six-day stretch on Saturday, sweeping both Snead State and Mississippi Gulf Coast to finish tournament play with a 24-4 season record. The Rangers have won seven of their last eight matches and look like promising candidates for a postseason run.
Tournament play opened with Snead State, a game in which Northwest wasted no time taking control. A 6-0 run put the Rangers ahead 11-4 in the opening set; they never looked back, cruising to a 25-15 win.
Despite a strong start, the Rangers faltered. Trailing 24-21 and staring down the possibility of a tied match, Northwest strung together five consecutive points to steal the set 26-24, showcasing the team’s admirable ability to rally late in the game. In the third set, a dominant eight-point run turned a narrow deficit into a 16-10 lead as the Rangers closed out the match with a 25-19 win and their third sweep of the tournament.
Eight players secured a total of 37 kills. Aven Mathis and Adalyn Callahan ended the tournament with a remarkable eight apiece, and Ariana Woods ended with seven. Chloe Rodriguez posted her best outing of the tournament with four kills, 12 assists, and a block assist. Hassie Clare Thurman anchored the Rangers with her 13 digs, and Jania Rose added 11. Overall, the Rangers tallied 64 digs as a team, one of their highest this year.
Clearly on a tear, Northwest was relentless through their tournament finale, taking down Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College for the second time this season, again in straight sets.
Callahan and Woods reached double digits in kills with 11 and 10, respectively, while Mathis added nine and hit a blistering .600 without a single error. White dished out 20 assists and Rodriguez added 18 as the Rangers hit an impressive .329 as a team.
With eight matches played in just six days, the Rangers will enjoy a well-deserved break on Sunday before heading to Perkinston for a Monday rematch against Gulf Coast—this time a conference matchup with higher stakes. Catch the match at mgcccbulldogs.com/watch.
