The Panther volleyball team came home from the Border Wars with new swagger after facing five Montana opponents and bringing home three wins. Even the defeats were hard fought battles, said first-year Powell High School head coach Lesli Spencer.

“They were definitely ready to play,” Spencer said of her squad.

At host Cody High School, Powell started the first day of the tournament with a decisive victory over their Montana foe, defeating Lockwood High School in three straight sets: 25-8, 25-7, 25-13.

Lockwood is a new school with no seniors on the team. Spencer said she expected Lockwood to come on strong in the future and was happy for the win early in the tournament.

The Panthers then met Billings Central, dropping the series 25-20, 25-16, 25-20, but scrapping for every point, Spencer said. Central lost only one match in the tournament, coming to the hosting Fillies, who were the eventual tournament winners. However, Spencer wasn’t happy with her team’s effort in that match.

“They hung with Central, but didn’t play with the intensity they needed,” she said.

Later that night the Panthers met Dawson High School for their third match of the tournament. They pushed Dawson to four sets, winning the third set 25-20, but ultimately fell 3-1. Powell averaged 20.4 points per set in the losses.

“I didn’t feel too bad,” Spencer said. “We were down by seven in fourth set, but we came back to lose 24-26. We’re making huge strides, wanting to win and not giving up.”

Getting off the bus in Powell Friday night, Spencer reminded her team to make good choices and come back prepared for the matches. Obviously her team listened. On Saturday, the Panthers faced Laurel High School, derailing the Locomotives in three straight sets — 25-23, 25-18, 25-20 — and evening their record in the tournament at 2-2.

“They showed up Saturday morning ready to play,” Spencer said. “They were focused and ready to get on the court. It was great.”

PHS then faced Custer, Montana, with a chance to finish the tournament with a winning record. The Panthers were motivated, cruising in three straight sets 25-14, 25-18, 25-23 and clinching a winning record in the border war.

Powell is currently 5-6 on the season. They’re on the road this weekend, facing in-state rivals at the Rawlins Invitational Friday and Saturday. Two teams have dropped out due to COVID protocols, making the schedule a mystery at this point, Spencer said. Powell had one freshman out due to contact tracing and another player was asked to wear a mask for a couple days.

“But at this point we are all back, at full speed and ready to go,” the coach said.

The Panthers’ next home match is Sept. 16 — one of only four home matches for the team this year.