The Lady Panthers were undefeated in pool play earning a bye in the first round of bracket play. In the quarterfinals, they took two out of three from Thermopolis 25-8, 25-4.
The win put them into the semi-finals where they faced their toughest …
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The Powell Lady Panthers picked up where they left off last October, storming through the field at the Riverton Invitational and coming home with a tournament win.
The Lady Panthers were undefeated in pool play earning a bye in the first round of bracket play. In the quarterfinals, they took two out of three from Thermopolis 25-8, 25-4.
The win put them into the semi-finals where they faced their toughest competition of the weekend against the Rock Springs Tigers, last year's third place finisher in 4A. The Panthers took a 25-20 win in the first set, but the Tigers came back in game two, edging Powell 25-23 for Powell's first set loss of the tournament. The Lady Panthers reasserted themselves in game three, pounding out an impressive 25-14 win to reach the finals.
In the finals, Powell faced defending 2A champions, the Big Horn Rams, who had matched the Lady Panthers' 6-0 record in pool play, and had earned a shot at first with a three-set win over class 4A Sheridan. The Panthers opened the match with a 25-17 win in the first game, but a determined Ram team came back hard in game two, forcing the Lady Panthers to take an extra point for the set and match 26-24. Savannah Donarski scored the winning point, ending a rally that saw the ball cross the net 15 times, by tipping the ball over a double block for the score.
Coach Cindi Smith said the win over two tough teams to take the championship was a good way to start the season.
“They did a good job for the first weekend out,” Smith said. “We had a chance to see where we're at and what we need to work on.”
In pool play, the Lady Panthers opened by taking two narrow wins over Worland, 25-22, 25-23, a match that reflected first-game jitters.
“Our first match was definitely a first match,” Smith said. “There were a lot of nerves and a lot of unforced errors. We had a hard time getting into the groove.”
Once the jitters were over, though, the Lady Panthers took on Rock Springs with more confidence, and bested the Tigers 26-24, 25-22. Two wins over Sheridan came a little easier, 25-16, 25-15 to close competition on Friday, and they ended pool play on Saturday morning by taking two from Riverton, 25-18, 25-11.
Smith said one thing the team needs to work on is maintaining their focus and intensity.
“One thing we did at times was build a lead and then let down,” Smith said.
Overall, though, Smith said, the team's performance was a strong opening to the season, and she said one official complimented them for their hard play and athleticism.
“He also commented on how classy they were on the court, and how they worked together and had fun playing,” Smith said. “That's the nice thing about this team.”
Tonight (Tuesday) the Lady Panthers travel to Lovell for a match with the Lady Bulldogs. Competition begins with a freshman game at 4 p.m., followed by the JV and varsity matches.
This weekend, the Lady Panthers host their own tournament, the Wyoming-Montana Volleyball Classic, featuring six teams from each state in a two-day event beginning at noon on Friday.