Facing some strong Montana programs, Powell volleyball did its part in representing Wyoming well at the annual Border War tournament in Cody.

The Lady Panthers went 2-2 overall, netting wins over Laurel and Sidney while pushing both Miles City and Billings Central Catholic to their limits.

Friday’s opening match was against the Rams of Billings Central and the opening set showed the Panthers were not going to go down easy, extending the score before falling 28-26.

Powell bounced right back and took the next two sets, 25-21 and 26-24, but Billings pushed back with a 25-18 win to even the match up and send it to the 15-point tie breaker.

Another close set had the Lady Rams eking out a 15-12 win to escape with the match victory.

After a brief rest, the Laurel Locomotives were next on the docket with the teams splitting the first two sets.

The Panthers held on for a 25-23 win to start the match, but Laurel evened it up with a 25-18 score in the second set.

While it seemed this might be another back and forth contest, Powell stopped the Locomotives in their tracks, holding them to a total of 25 points over the final two sets in getting 25-12 and 25-13 wins.

Saturday morning didn’t see the momentum of Friday’s late win carry over, as Miles City came out strong with a 25-13 win. The Panthers inched a little closer in the second set but still came up on the short end of a 25-18 score.

Powell then turned the tables on the Cowgirls and roared to a 25-15 win to send it to a fourth set, where both teams turned it up a notch.

It was a nip and tuck affair, with the Panthers clawing to get to a tie-breaking set and Miles City wanting to end it as soon as possible.

It could have gone either way, going to extra points, but in the end the Cowgirls got the final two scores in the 26-24 win.

The Lady Panthers were able to end on a good note, though, taking down the Eagles of Sidney in four sets Saturday afternoon.

The Panthers pounced on the Eagles with a 25-16 win in the opening set, though Sidney struck back with 25-19 second-set win.

Things stayed relatively close, but Powell took the final two sets by 25-22 and 25-19 scores to finish the weekend strong.

It will be another weekend, another tournament for the Lady Panthers as they head to the Rawlins Invite. Competition starts at noon Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday.