Opening up 3A Northwest conference play the Powell Panther volleyball team wanted to make a statement. The Panthers achieved just that by earning a 3-0 sweep over Thermopolis at home Friday before sweeping Worland on the road Saturday.

POWELL 3, THERMOPOLIS 0

(25-14, 25-13, 25-14)

Opening up the home campaign, the Panthers (14-3 overall, 2-0 3A Northwest) welcomed the Bobcats (5-9 overall, 0-2 3A Northwest) to Powell on Friday.

Powell brought the energy early in the match, jumping out to an 8-3 lead and forcing a Thermopolis timeout in front of a strong home crowd.

“That was the goal this weekend, especially with Thermopolis. We wanted to put our foot on the gas and go,” coach Lesli Spencer said. “That crowd was really awesome to see, especially on a football night since we played early.”

The lead continued to swell in the first set, pushing the lead out to 17-5 and forcing the second timeout from the Bobcats.

Thermopolis worked its way back into the set late, cutting the lead down to 20-14 — before Powell finished the set off with the final five points to win the opening set 25-14.

The second set followed a similar pattern, with Powell jumping out early and forcing a timeout before expanding the lead to 19-9.

That set finished by a similar scoreline, with the Panthers earning a 25-13 victory.

Thermopolis kept it closer early in the third set, keeping the score at 11-6 before Powell put its foot on the gas.

“We are not letting up. We know we aren’t going to get every single point, [we are] not letting single points get to us and we are stopping the runs before they get too big,” Spencer said.

Powell pushed ahead and finish with another 25-14 win and earn the sweep.

Addy Thorington led with nine blocks and seven digs, Stevee Walsh led with 12 assists, Waycee Harvey led with two blocks and Catelynn Floy finished with four aces.

POWELL 3, WORLAND 0

(25-12, 25-17, 25-12)

After the win on Friday night, Powell hopped on the bus and headed south Saturday afternoon, traveling down to Worland (8-5 overall, 1-1 3A Northwest).

Following the same formula as the day before, the Panthers’ goal was to get out to a hot start early on the road.

“It’s always important to start fast in Worland,” Spencer said. “They are loud, they have a large fanbase. It feels like (the fans) are right on top of you and there are a lot of them.”

Powell did just that, building an early lead and pushing it out to 14-6 midway through the first set.

Strong blocking helped set the tone for the Panthers, led by Saige Kidd who finished with 3.5 in the contest and helped pace Powell in a 25-12 first set victory.

“Our blocking was awesome in Worland, that is something we are focusing on,” Spencer said. “She (Saige) is feeling better. Her understanding how important that block is and really focusing on it changes the dynamic of how we can play. The girls’ knowledge of the game and not just the skills has really grown this year to benefit the team as a whole.”

A closer second set early on gave Worland life, but Powell continued to hold a lead.

Worland battled back, tying it at 14 and keeping it tied until 16-16.

A late burst from the Panthers came courtesy of errors and long hits by the Warriors, which allowed Powell to score nine of the last 10 points and earn a 25-17 second set victory.

After a 3-1 start in the third set, Powell put the match to bed quickly — scoring the next 14 points and building a 17-1 lead.

Worland earned points late but was unable to battle back in the set and Powell earned the sweep with a 25-12 win.

“Being 2-0 in conference and putting two teams away in three each makes us really confident,” Spencer said.

Thorington led with 16 kills alongside Walsh’s 16 assists. Alexa Richardson led Powell with 15 digs and five aces.

DIFFICULT WEEK

After starting conference play 2-0 the No. 2-ranked Panthers will quickly turn back around to non-conference action this week — starting with Park County rival and 4A competition in the No. 2-ranked Cody Fillies (11-1) at home on Thursday.

“It doesn’t matter when we play Cody or how we play Cody, Powell vs. Cody is always going to be a rivalry match,” Spencer said. “I know my girls will play hard. It’s homecoming week and they are going to leave it all out there on the court.”

That match will tip off at 6 p.m.

After Thursday, Powell will turn its attention to a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup on Saturday as the Panthers will head to the top ranked team in 3A currently by the WyoPreps Coaches and Media poll — Buffalo (15-2-3 overall, 2-0 3A Northeast).

Powell will be looking for revenge against the Bison, after Buffalo defeated the Panthers in the Rawlins tournament championship match 2-1.

“The girls are really excited to go to Buffalo,” Spencer said. “They feel like they did not play their best ball in Rawlins and they are looking forward to showing Buffalo what we can bring.”

POWELL 3, THERMOPOLIS 0

(25-14, 25-13, 25-14)

Total blocks then solo blocks in ()

Kills — Addy Thorington 9, Catelynn Floy 7, Waycee Harvey 6, Saige Kidd 4, Stevee Walsh 2, Maci Borders 1

Assists — Stevee Walsh 12, Catelynn Floy 6, Waycee Harvey 2, Haylee Akin 2, Saige Kidd 1, Alexa Richardson 1, Maci Borders 1, Kenzie Fields 1, Addy Thorington 1

Digs — Addy Thorington 7, Stevee Walsh 4, Waycee Harvey 3, Alexa Richardson 3, Kenzie Fields 3, Catelynn Floy 1

Blocks — Waycee Harvey 2 (2), Catelynn Floy 1.5, Addy Thorington 1.5, Saige Kidd .5

Aces — Catelynn Floy 4, Stevee Walsh 3, Waycee Harvey 2, Saige Kidd 1, Alexa Richardson 1, Addy Thorington 1

POWELL 3, WORLAND 0

(25-12, 25-17, 25-12)

Kills — Addy Thorington 16, Saige Kidd 6, Catelynn Floy 6, Waycee Harvey 3, Stevee Wash 2, Alexa Richardson 1, Kodee Asay 1

Assists — Stevee Walsh 16, Catelynn Floy 9, Waycee Harvey 1, Alexa Richardson, Addy Thorington 1

Digs — Alexa Richardson 15, Addy Thorington 7, Stevee Walsh 2, Catelynn Floy 2, Waycee Harvey 1, Saige Kidd 1, Maci Borders 1, Kenzie Fields 1

Blocks — Saige Kidd 3.5 (1), Kodee Asay 1.5, Catelynn Floy 1, Waycee Harvey .5, Maci Borders .5

Aces — Alexa Richardson 5, Catelynn Floy 1