Panther volleyball begins state tourney

Posted 11/6/14

Ranked No. 1 in the state at Class 3A and boasting the West’s No. 1 seed, Powell High School (29-2) begins its official trek toward a second straight state title today (Thursday) with a 1 p.m. matchup against the East’s fourth-seeded Newcastle …

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Panther volleyball begins state tourney

Powell High School seniors Taylor Woodward (7) and Megan Wagner attempt to block the hit of Lander Valley’s Drew DeKing (15) during an Oct. 25 match at PHS. Woodward and Wagner will be two cogs in the Lady Panther machine that will attempt to win the Class 3A state championship for a second straight year this weekend at the Casper Events Center in Casper.

Tribune photo by Joe Alberico

Posted Thursday, November 6, 2014 7:00 am

By Joe Alberico

PHS seeded first in 3A bracket

If the Lady Panther volleyball team is going to repeat as Class 3A state champions, they’re going to do it this weekend.

All games will be played at the Casper Events Center in Casper.

The first-round matchup between Powell and Newcastle will be the second meeting between the two teams this season, the first of which saw PHS sweep the Dogies, 25-19, 25-22, in a special best-of-three match on Aug. 29.

If the Lady Panthers are victorious, they’ll move on to face either Jackson Hole (18-15, No. 3 West) or Douglas (19-14 , No. 2 East) in the state semifinal round at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The third-place match will take place at 2 p.m. Saturday, while the state champion will be decided at 4 p.m.

On the other side of the bracket, Rawlins (22-10, No. 1 East) and Lovell (23-11, No. 4 West) will clash while Mountain View (24-5, No. 2 West) will face Worland (19-13, No. 3 East).

PHS is in a desirable position, as it has faced and defeated six of the seven other teams vying for the 3A state championship this year. The Lady Panthers missed Rawlins on their regular-season schedule this fall, and will only meet the Outlaws if both teams make it to the state finals.

Follow Tribune Sports Editor Joe Alberico on Twitter handle @SE_Alberico for updates on the Lady Panthers’ state journey, as well as the Powell Tribune Facebook page.