Northwest Mississippi Community College swept Pearl River Community College 25-14, 25-13, 25-18 on Sunday to win the Region 23 volleyball title and secure a place in the Gulf South District Championship. The No. 16 Rangers improved to 39-0 overall and 10-0 in the region, while No. 24 Pearl River fell to 26-7 and 8-2.
Northwest opened the first set with an 11-1 run, fueled by service pressure from Reese McIntosh and Ariana Woods. The pair combined for four aces during the match-opening surge, and the Rangers went on to take the set 25-14.
Pearl River stayed closer early in the second set, pulling within one point three times. Northwest created separation with a run led by Sofia Gonzalez and a kill from Valerie Hurdle, then McIntosh served eight consecutive points to stretch the lead to 20-9. The Rangers closed out the set 25-13.
The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the third, but Northwest answered with service runs from McIntosh and Dallas White to move ahead 8-3. Pearl River later cut the margin to 20-18 after three straight Northwest service errors. After a timeout, Adalyn Callahan served two aces, and Hurdle ended the match with a kill for a 25-18 set win.
Gonzalez led Northwest with 11 kills and had no errors on 20 attempts. Hurdle added eight kills, and Woods had six. Chloe Rodriguez led the Rangers with 15 assists, while White recorded nine. McIntosh served five of Northwest’s 13 aces; Woods had three and Callahan had two.
Jania Rose led the team with 12 digs, followed by Callahan with nine and McIntosh with seven. Talley Taylor had three block assists. Northwest coach Allison Burchyett was named Region 23 Coach of the Year after the match. Callahan said the team was pleased to win the title but still had its sights on reaching the national tournament.
Northwest is scheduled to host Lurleen B. Wallace Community College on Nov. 8 in the Gulf South District Championship. Lurleen B. Wallace, which has a 33-2 record, won the Alabama Community College Conference title by beating Wallace State Community College-Hanceville in five sets. The district champion earns an automatic berth in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament, which begins Nov. 18 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Northwest would become the first Mississippi team to compete for the national title if it wins the district championship.
