A team of determined Panthers battled their way to a spot in the state volleyball tournament last week with a win over Cody.

The Panthers started the Class 3A West Region Tournament by defeating Mountain View Friday morning, then absorbed a defeat to Star Valley, before bouncing back to punch their ticket to Casper with the emotional win over the Fillies. They went on to finish third with a second win over Mountain View on Saturday.

“They had one thing on their minds, and weren’t going to give up no matter what,” PHS head coach Morgan Kistler said. “They wanted to go to state, and they all wanted it so badly they were just bound and determined to get it.”

The Panthers took control early in the opening round match. On the first serve, Mountain View went to their strength, setting up Taylor Meeks, the tallest player on the court, for an attempt, but her attack was met by PHS middle Anissa Warner, who blocked the ball for a point.

The Panthers held the lead until stalling late in the set, when Mountain View rallied from a 19-14 deficit to take a 23-22 lead. Powell had to fight off set point twice, but with the score tied at 25, a critical Mountain View error gave the Panthers the lead and Dani Asay tipped the ball into an open spot for set point.

Mountain View nursed a small lead in set two until the Panthers caught them at 10 all on a block by Breanna Donarski and Warner. Donarski then served an ace to give the Panthers a lead they never gave up. Kills by Emily Herman, Warner, Donarski and Nikkole Schneider, and aces by Kinsey Ashby, Asay and Tayli Stenerson, and another Warner block kept Powell in the lead and Herman assisted Warner on the last point of a 25-21 win.

The Buffaloes tried to get back into the match in set three, but trailed until the Panthers stalled with a 13-7 lead. Mountain View reeled off eight unanswered points to take a 14-13 lead, and took the lead for good two points later at 15-14. Powell kept battling, but ended up on the short end of a 25-21 score.

The Panthers regained their energy in set four. After a kill by Asay, and a Richelle Phister ace, they never trailed again, winning 25-19.

Blocking was a big part of the win according to Kistler.

“Our front line really played well,” Kistler said. “Wasn’t that fun to watch?”

Next up was Star Valley, and the momentum of the win over Mountain View stayed with the Panthers, who led through much of the first set. But the Braves methodical play kept them close, and they eventually tied the score at 22. After an exchange of points tied the set at 24, a missed serve and a hitting error by the Panthers ended the set with 26-24 win for the Braves.

Powell trailed 7-6, and was serving for a tie in the next set, when they surrendered a side out that became the first of 12 straight Star Valley scores. By the time Donarski and Herman teamed up for a kill that stopped the run, the Panthers trailed 19-7 and the set was out of reach. The Braves coasted to a 25-9 win and swept the match with a 25-16 win in set three.

Despite the loss, Kistler pointed to the first set as an indication that the Panthers have the ability to play with the Star Valley team.

“We lost focus a little in the second set, but I definitely think we can play with them,” she said.

With a spot in the state tournament on the line, the Panthers entered their match with Cody armed with plenty of determination.

That determination was evident on the first point, when Herman and Warner blocked a Cody attack after the opening serve. Cody recovered to keep the ball in play, only to have another attack blocked for the first point. Donarski followed by serving an ace, and the tone for the match was set. The Powell girls scrambled after every ball, digging up hard-hit shots by the Fillies and diving after blocked shots that fell straight down at the net to keep the ball in play. Their hustle paid off in a 25-16 win.

Powell was the first to reach 20 points in the second set, but the Fillies drew even, and after the teams exchanged side outs, Cody came through with three unanswered points to lead 24-21, and won 25-22.

Cody’s momentum didn’t carry into the third set, as Powell opened the set with a 7-2 streak. Still, the Fillies were able to stay close, and cut the lead to 10-9 at one point. But a tipped ball by Phister began a Powell streak of five unanswered points and a 16-10 lead, and Cody never got that close again. Powell scored the last four points of the set, two of them on kills by Asay, and took the set 25-17.

The Panthers continued their aggressive attack in set four. The Fillies appeared to be tiring, but they matched Powell point for point through six lead changes in the early going. The sixth change put Powell ahead 13-12, thanks to a service ace by Donarski, and the Panthers went on to score six straight points and take a 19-12 lead that they never gave up. Cody outscored the Panthers 7-6 after that, but a kill by Asay off an assist by Jordan Walsh gave the set, the match and a spot in state to the Panthers 25-19.

The Panthers had to rest up quickly before their rematch with Mountain View, but there was no sign of fatigue in their play. Powell led nearly all the way, trailing only once at 11-10. Mountain View never let the Panthers lead by more than three points. In the end, Powell pulled out a 25-22.

Powell took a bigger lead in set two, thanks to an eight-point run that ended in a 15-8 lead for the Panthers. The Buffaloes never recovered and Powell took a 25-17 win.

Mountain View put up more resistance in the third and final set, but the ending was the same. The Buffaloes kept it close, and tied the score at 11-11, but the Panthers responded with four unanswered points to take the lead back and later when on a four-point surge to lead by five, 19-14. Mountain View made one last run before Donarski fed Warner for match point to give the Panthers a 25-21 win.

A happy coach Kistler gave the Panther girls’ determination credit for the win, and said they had played their best volleyball during the weekend.

“They played better on Saturday than they did on Friday,” Kistler said.

Kistler said the Panthers played well in every facet of the game, and noted that the front had more blocks in the two Mountain View games than they had in any two matches of the regular season.

“The back row did a great job of reading where the attack was going and getting in position to dig the ball,” Kistler said. “They were digging the ball better than they have all season.”

Kistler had praise for all the players, but she gave particular notice to Herman.

“Emily had tremendous games on Saturday. She played with a lot of heart and did a really good job for us,” she said.

In the end, it was the girls’ passionate play and will to win that made the difference for the team.

The Panthers play Worland at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday in the Casper Events Center, and Kistler believes the Panthers have a good chance against the Warriors, who lost the East region championship to Rawlins.

“They will be coming off a loss, and we’ll be in with a win, so that might be an advantage,” she said. “The girls have been playing with passion, and we’re peaking at the right time.”

A win would likely pit the Panthers against Star Valley again, and that’s fine with Kistler.

“I want another chance at Star Valley,” she said.