Northwest wins Gulf South title, earns first Mississippi berth in national volleyball tournament
Northwest Mississippi Community College defeated No. 15 Lurleen B. Wallace Community College in four sets Sunday to win the Gulf South District Championship and become the first Mississippi team to qualify for the NJCAA Division II National Championship.
The No. 16 Rangers won the first two sets 25-14 and 25-18 before Lurleen rallied for a 26-24 victory in the third. Northwest secured the title with a 25-22 win in the fourth set, improving to 40-0. Lurleen fell to 33-2.
Gonzalez led Northwest with a career-high 26 kills, setting a program record and surpassing the previous mark of 24, set by Kapria Manning against Itawamba in 2021. Gonzalez also had 14 digs and hit .455. Valerie Hurdle and Ariana Woods added 10 kills apiece.
Woods recorded six blocks, including one solo block, and had five assists. Setter Chloe Rodriguez had 30 assists, while Dallas White added 18. The Rangers totaled 54 assists on 56 kills. Reese McIntosh and Woods each served four aces, and Northwest finished with nine aces and 69 digs.
Northwest opened the match with a 4-0 lead, then used a service run from Woods to extend its advantage to 11-3 in the first set. Lurleen took a 13-7 lead in the second, but the Rangers answered with eight straight points to go ahead 15-13 and held on for the set.
The Rangers also started the third set ahead 6-0, but Lurleen recovered and took a 14-11 lead. Northwest tied the score five times from 18 onward but did not take the lead. Jadyn Britton had 21 kills for the Saints, including eight in the set, as Lurleen extended the match.
In the fourth, Lurleen led 13-9 before three consecutive Gonzalez kills put Northwest ahead 16-14. The Saints tied the score twice, at 16 and 19, but the Rangers closed out the match 25-22.
Northwest will compete in the NJCAA Division II National Championship, scheduled for Nov. 18-21. It is the first national tournament appearance for the program and the first for a team from the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference. The Rangers were one of two undefeated teams entering the tournament, alongside No. 1 Kirkwood Community College, which was 33-0. Northwest was scheduled to learn its seeding during a selection show that week.
Source: Original Article
