Playing against one of the top teams in the state on Tuesday night brought out some of the best in the young Powell Panther volleyball team, which showed a strong fighting spirit while hanging with the Cody Fillies despite the 3-0 sweep.

CODY 3, POWELL 0

Coming out of the gates the Panthers (11-9-1 overall, 0-2 3A West) used the energy of the home crowd along with some mistakes from the Fillies to battle to a 9-9 scoreline.

Powell pushed slightly ahead at 13-11, before the Fillies took a 16-13 lead and forced a Panther timeout.

Cody held off any Panther rallies, not allowing the hosts to get any closer than three or four points the rest of the set and pulling away late for a 25-18 win.

The Panthers got the opening point of the second set on a serve into the net by Cody, before the Fillies took control once again.

Nine straight points coupled with a timeout in the middle of the run put the Fillies ahead 9-1 before the Panthers got their feet back under them.

“I’m super proud of how our team performed against a top team in the state, especially given that there were a couple stretches they went on a pretty sizable run,” coach Anna Flitner said. “The team never gave up and consistently fought back to stay with them. They also did a great job of implementing what we had worked on in practice this week. There isn’t a lot more I can ask for as a coach.”

Powell went point-for-point through the rest of the set, pulling as close as 20-15 before ultimately losing in another 25-18 set.

Cody again came out strong in the third set and forced a timeout from Powell with an 11-5 scoreline, before the Panthers rallied and brought it closer.

Powell trailed 13-12 and continued to keep it close with an Autumn Kidd tip at 16-15.

The Panthers took one last shot at the Fillies trailing 22-19 and taking a timeout, but were unable to tally another point in a 25-19 set loss.

Despite the loss, Flitner was impressed with the performance, hoping they can take that momentum and continue removing mental blocks as they progress through the final month of the regular season.

“I think we proved to ourselves that if we can work through some of the mental blocks and stay focused during difficult points in the set, we are capable of some pretty great things,” Flitner said. “Last night (Tuesday) feels like a win in my book. I think we focused a lot on the process, not just the outcome, and I couldn’t be more proud of how they performed.”

Kaedenze Carter led the Panthers with 11 kills, and Leah Graham led with 15 assists.

Carter added 10 digs to lead the team, while Ava Brewer and Hali Hancock had two blocks each. Kindyle Floy had the lone ace for the Panthers.

“I think our block has improved a lot this season. I think we need to improve watching the setter and tracking hitters, but since the start of the season it has improved immensely,” Flitner said.

NONCONFERENCE ROAD TRIP

Powell now takes a small break from conference action, heading to Buffalo on Friday to take on the Bison (4-15 overall, 1-2 3A East) at 4 p.m.

The Panthers defeated the Bison at a tournament in Rawlins on Sept. 12, with Flitner hoping the Panthers can work on some of their weaknesses before returning to conference play the remainder of the regular season.

“For this Friday, we are going to focus on areas of weakness that I feel conference teams could exploit moving forward,” Flitner said. “I think it will also be a mental test of competing on the road after a lengthy bus ride.”

CODY 3, POWELL 0

(25-18, 25-18, 25-19)

Total blocks then solo blocks in ()

Kills — Kaedenze Carter 11, Autumn Kidd 3, Kindyle Floy 2, Ava Brewer 2, Hali Hancock 2, Leah Graham 2

Assists — Leah Graham 15, Kindyle Floy 3, Autumn Kidd 1, Ava Teten 1, Maddie Valdez 1

Digs — Kaedenze Carter 10, Leah Graham 9, Ava Teten 8, Abigail Visocky 2, Kindyle Floy 2, Hali Hancock 2, Autumn Kidd 1, Maddie Valdez 1

Blocks — Ava Brewer 2, Hali Hancock 2, Leah Graham 1.5 (1), Autumn Kidd .5

Aces — Kindyle Floy 1