Northwest sweeps Pearl River to stay atop conference standings

POPLARVILLE, Miss. — Northwest Mississippi Community College volleyball earned a measure of revenge Monday night, sweeping Pearl River Community College in straight sets, 26-24, 25-17, 25-22.

The Rangers (18-3, 8-1 MACCC) spread 36 kills across seven attackers, using a strong serving attack to keep the Wildcats (13-7, 7-2) off balance. The victory moved Northwest into a tie with Jones College for the conference lead.

“It was such a great team win for us,” head coach Allison Burchyett said. “I was so proud of our consistent energy, composure through adversity, and pushing for points when we had the opportunities. We served extremely well tonight. Even when we didn’t land the serve, we were able to get them out of system and force errors.”

Callahan Sparks Early Run

Pearl River jumped to a 9-5 lead in the first set, but a service run from sophomore Adalyn Callahan, featuring back-to-back aces, helped fuel an 8-2 Northwest surge. The Rangers eventually pulled out the 26-24 win after a late Wildcats rally.

Northwest controlled the second set behind a 13-5 start and closed with a 5-0 run to take it 25-17. The third set featured 10 ties and three lead changes before the Rangers finished strong with a 6-3 closing run for the sweep.

Balanced Offense Leads the Way

Callahan paced the Rangers with nine kills and three service aces. Chloe Fesperman added eight kills in just two sets, while Aven Mathis chipped in seven and Ariana Woods tallied six. Dallas White led with 16 assists, and Chloe Rodriguez contributed 13 assists and a team-high three blocks.

The sweep was Northwest’s 12th of the season and marked the Rangers’ 15th win in their last 16 matches. The victory set up a pivotal showdown Wednesday night at home against co-leader Jones College.