Following second-round upset loss, Lady panthers finish on high note

CASPER — The Lady Panthers played like champions, they just did so on the wrong day.

After cruising in the opening round of the Class 3A state volleyball tournament at the Casper Events Center in Casper on Thursday, the No. 1-ranked and first-seeded Powell High School volleyball team was upset by Douglas in the second round on Friday, ending the Lady Panthers’ hopes of a second straight state title.

But PHS (32-3) rallied together Saturday, downing Worland in four sets and Jackson Hole in four more to end a season paved with championship aspirations hoisting the third-place trophy.

“After the Douglas match, that night I told the girls ‘OK, [a state championship] isn’t a goal anymore, now we have a new goal, let’s go out and take third place,” PHS coach Cindi Smith said. “I’m so proud of my girls for the way they bounced back and came together as a team to really end their season the way they wanted it to end.”

The Lady Panthers were in prime position compared to a year ago, ending the state tournament as the No. 1 seed, when just a year ago, PHS came in at No. 4 before winning the championship.

The Lady Panthers looked strong Thursday, rolling the 3A East’s No. 4-seeded Newcastle 25-20, 25-18, 25-15 to set up their showdown with Douglas.

But against the Bearcats, who appeared fired up at the chance to knock off 3A’s top-ranked squad, poured it on PHS early and never let up. The Lady Panthers led just eight times during Douglas’ 25-16, 25-17, 26-24 sweep of the defending champs. The Bearcats out-hustled, outworked and overall outplayed PHS.

“We just came out flat, and Douglas was so fired up to play us,” Lady Panthers senior Taylor Woodward said on Friday. “As a team we just didn’t play well, we weren’t giving it our all, so the fact that we aren’t going to be playing for a state championship is our own fault.”

PHS might be able to find solace in the fact that Douglas went on to win the state championship on Saturday, defeating Mountain View 17-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-20 in the title match. Mountain View had secured a minor upset of its own on Friday, knocking off the East’s No. 1 seed, Rawlins, in a 3-0 victory as well.

“Douglas wanted it more,” PHS senior Makaila Moore said Friday. “They came here ready to play and caught us off guard.”

After the Lady Panthers rebounded to defeat Worland 25-15, 20-25, 25-22, 25-8 to reach the third-place contest, Rawlins had an opportunity to set up what would have been an interesting one-versus-one battle, but Jackson Hole defeated Rawlins in four sets to meet PHS.

Against the Broncos, PHS again looked flat, falling behind JHHS 5-1 in the first set. The Lady Panthers showed life at the end though, life that apparently carried over to the next three sets.

To close game one, PHS trailed 24-20 as the Broncos attempted to secure match point, but sophomore standout Kalina Smith sandwiched back-to-back blocks between kills to earn four straight points as PHS tied the set. Jackson’s Bayly Poor scored a kill on the next volley, however, and PHS’ Megan Wagner spiked the ball into the net to end set one.

“We were never nervous,” PHS senior Kelsey Marchant said. “We stayed cool and knew that we could get this done. [Friday] night, we talked about it and said, ‘We get to decide how we want our season to end. We get to decide how to define our season.’”

The Lady Panthers decided to take the final three sets from the Broncos to finish their season with a 24-26, 25-18, 25-16, 25-18 victory. In game four, a JHHS hit right to the center of the net had PHS’ Anissa Warner waiting and licking her chops.

The 6-foot-1 junior promptly elevated to block the hit, and PHS went crazy on the court.

“To pick up that last block and give us the win, I wouldn’t have wanted the season to end any other way,” Warner said. “To play with this group of girls all season, and to end it this way, it’s something I’ll never forget.”

Powell’s successful season was anchored by a strong core of seniors, as five 12th-graders made their presence felt throughout different parts of the season. One of those seniors, Jenni Ebersberger, said that a family atmosphere carried the team during the season.

“We were all so close ... this was the closest family I’ve ever been a part of,” Ebersberger said. “We played together, we won together and we lost together ... and I love my girls. No matter how this tournament was going to play out, we were going to get through it together and we did.”