Lady Panthers lock up quadrant title

Posted 10/16/18

For the second time in three days, the Powell High School volleyball team found itself in a hole against a 3A Northwest rival.

And for the second time, the Lady Panthers bounced back for a big …

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Lady Panthers lock up quadrant title

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For the second time in three days, the Powell High School volleyball team found itself in a hole against a 3A Northwest rival.

And for the second time, the Lady Panthers bounced back for a big win — in this case, a 14-25, 25-16, 25-22, 25-23 win over the Lander Valley Lady Tigers on Thursday night at Panther Gymnasium.

With the win, Powell (16-11-1) locks up the 3A Northwest quadrant title and one of the top two seeds in the 3A West regional tournament, which runs Oct. 26-27 in Mountain View.

“It is a nice feeling to see that the ladies’ hard work has paid off with first place in the 3A Northwest Conference, which is the first time since I have been coaching,” said PHS head coach Randi Bonander. “I think the girls came out hesitant, which showed in all areas, but as soon as we started talking and playing our game, we were able to adjust to mistakes and move on. It helped that our block made them go around and our back row adjusted for the digs.”

Just like last Tuesday’s quadrant win at Worland, Thursday’s win over Lander Valley did not come easy.

The Lady Tigers got off to a hot start, using a 10-3 run to build up a 15-8 lead in the opening set. Powell cut the lead to 16-12, but Lander closed out the set on a 9-2 run.

However, the Lady Panthers started to right the ship in the second set, scoring 10 of the final 12 points to take the set and even the match. Powell also did a better job of digging up Lady Tiger hitters Abigail Renner and Demi Stauffenburg.

“We really have done a great job this year coming back from being down,” coach Bonander said. “We talk about moving on quickly from mistakes so we continue to play our game.”

The Lady Panthers controlled much of the third set, taking a 20-10 lead on a Rachel Bonander kill. Lander Valley scored 12 of the next 15 points to draw within one (23-22) late in the set, but Powell scored the next two points to halt the rally and take the set.

“Rachel is just a big block to contend with,” coach Bonander said. “Her long arms allow her timing to be off slightly and still put up a solid block. She also adjusts to making decisions on the net to catch the defense off guard.”

The fourth set was a similar story as Powell took a 21-14 lead on Devon Curtis’s kill, but the Lady Tigers rallied, pulling within one again (24-23) before Hartly Thorington slammed down the clinching kill for match point.

“Hartly is just our constant outside hitter,” coach Bonander said. “She is really good at mixing up her hits and tips to throw off the defense and her spot serving earns points for our team consistently also.”

Jazlyn Haney led the Lady Panthers with 12 kills against Lander Valley, while Thorington added nine and the duo of Aubrie Stenerson and Rachel Bonander each added six. Natalie Ostermiller dished off 17 assists and Gabi Metzler added 14, while Thorington also had four aces and 14 digs. Stenerson added 12 digs and Ashtyn Heny finished with 10.

“Jazlyn [Haney] is one of the best middle blockers/hitters I’ve seen so far this year,” coach Bonander said. “She gets across the net quickly and can adjust her timing to make the big plays. Her hits have been important this year, because she can go around the block to get the kill.”

Coach Bonander also had words of praise for Ostermiller and Gabi Metzler, the team’s setters, and also the team’s serving.

“Overall, our setters are really working with our hitters to mix up the sets but also keep their placement consistent,” the coach said. “And our serving is staying solid at about 94-95 percent.” 

Powell is back in action tonight (Tuesday) in Cody before finishing the regular season Thursday evening at home against Lovell.

Powell High School, Panther Volleyball

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