SENATOBIA, Miss. - The Northeast Mississippi Community College volleyball team has a ready recollection of its postseason opponent.
The Lady Tigers travel to rival Northwest Mississippi Community College in the first round of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region 23 Tournament on Wednesday, October 29.
The opening serve is scheduled for 6 p.m. inside Howard Coliseum. The winner advances to the semifinals, which will be hosted by Jones College on the first day of November.
All playoff games for the Lady Tigers will air live and in high definition on NEMCCTV. Search for the Northeast app on Roku, Amazon or Apple television devices or visit www.nemcctv.com.
Northeast concluded the regular season with a heartbreaking 3-2 setback to the Lady Rangers. The Lady Tigers took sets two and three by 25-21 and 25-22 scores, respectively, before losing two sets in a row by a combined five points.
The result does show the improvement throughout the season for Northeast, which lost to Northwest in straight sets back in August during the Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) opener for both programs.
"They're fresh on our mind," said Lady Tigers head coach Brenda Mayes. "Now we know everything they do. We know what to expect. The quick turnaround just keeps us ready for what we've got coming."
Northeast has several players near the top of the MACCC's individual leaderboard, including Reese Moore and Eliza Whitenton on the offensive side and Carine Delfin defensively.
Moore (Tishomingo County) and Whitenton (East Union) are fourth and fifth in the league with more than three kills per set. The tandem of outside hitters has totaled over 800 kills so far this year.
Delfin (New Albany) has the fourth most digs in the conference with 419. She has registered double-digit digs in 14 consecutive outings from her libero position.
Abbey Hall (Granbury, Texas) and Sophie Johnson (Caledonia) have excelled as the Lady Tigers' setters. Johnson's average of 5.64 assists per set is the fourth best in the MACCC.
"I believe we're reacting more to what our opponents give us," Mayes said. "We're also playing strong across the front. They're more focused now in knowing what's going on."
Ava Siegel (Tuscumbia, Ala.) has a team-high 65 kills over the last five contests. She and Whitenton each recorded double-doubles during Northeast's most recent matchup with the Lady Rangers.