Taking a quick break from conference play the Powell High School volleyball team won another five set match 3-2 over Red Lodge on Tuesday at home before a 3-1 loss on the road to the Cody Fillies on Saturday.

POWELL 3, RED LODGE 2

(18-25, 25-21, 25-14, 22-25, 15-10)

Starting a week of nonconference action the Panthers (14-9 overall, 2-0 3A West) welcomed in the Rams (6-10) last
Tuesday.

The visitors quickly built a 10-4 lead in the first before the Panthers closed the gap to 16-14 midway through the set.

Red Lodge pulled away late and earned a 25-18 first set win.

Powell responded quickly in the second, building as much as a 9-1 lead, before a mid-set rally brought the Rams within one.

The Panthers pushed the lead back to 19-14, and held on for a 25-21 win.

Powell started the third similar to the second, going up 6-1 before extending the advantage to 16-8 on a Kindyle Floy kill.

The Panthers pulled away quickly and took the win 25-14 on an Ava Teten ace.

“When we play scrappy and play for each other, we can compete with anybody,” coach Anna Flitner said.

Powell held an early lead 10-7 after an Autumn Kidd kill, but the visitors fought back to tie the game at 16.

The Panthers fell behind late and lost 25-22 to head into a fifth set.

Powell led as much as 9-2 before holding off one last charge by the Rams to take the win 15-10.

“As a coach, five-set matches are always a test of your nerves, but I’m incredibly proud of our determination. The team never gave up and found a way to come out on top,” Flitner said.

Peyton Ott led with 15 kills as Kaedenze Carter chipped in 10.

Leah Graham had 32 assists, Teten led with 17 digs ahead of Floy with 13 and Graham with 12.

Carter led with seven aces just ahead of Teten with five as the Panthers had 18 in the match.

CODY 3, POWELL 1

(13-25, 25-17, 25-21, 25-22)

Jumping on the road Saturday the Panthers took on the Fillies (14-6) in an afternoon contest.

Powell built a 15-10 lead in the first and didn’t look back as Floy capped off a set one win with a kill 25-13.

“That first set against Cody showed our real potential when we dictate the tempo and stay aggressive at the net,” Flitner said. 

Exchanging points became a common theme of the day between the rivals, as the Fillies built a 15-12 lead midway through the second set.

Powell was unable to find a way back in and fell 25-17 to tie the match 1-1.

Again in the third the Panthers and Fillies exchanged points constantly as Cody led 13-11 midway through.

“A big focus for us right now is making quicker adjustments mid-match. We talked in the huddle about our blocking, and it took a while for it to click I think,” Flitner said. “If our block is up and on time, it helps our team tremendously.”

The Fillies pulled away to a 19-13 advantage, before the Panthers dragged it back to a 20-19 game, but Powell could not find a way to tie or take the lead as Cody took the 25-21 win.

Cody again held the lead midway through the fourth set up 15-11, as it grew as large as 17-11 before Powell closed the gap 17-15 on a Graham kill.

The Fillies created enough separation up 23-19, but Powell had the match down to 23-22 on an Ott kill before the hosts won the final two points to finish the match 25-22.

“In the later sets, we got a bit reactive. Our defense worked hard, but against a high-level team, you can’t afford to give them easy opportunities to set up their offense,” Flitner said. “I think this is something we can work on before we play Lovell this week.”

Stats for the Cody game were not available as of press time.

ROAD GAMES

The Panthers have two contests this week on the road, starting with a game at 2A Thermopolis (3-16) at 6 p.m. today (Tuesday).

Powell then heads on the road at 6 p.m. Thursday, taking on defending 3A champs Lovell (16-1 overall, 2-0 3A West), in a battle of undefeated conference teams.

“Having one nonconference match before we face Lovell is a great opportunity,” Flitner said. “It gives us a chance to work on our offense and sharpen a few details from Saturday. We had a competitive, fun matchup with Lovell last time and we’re excited to see them again.”

POWELL 3, RED LODGE 2

Total blocks then solo blocks in ()

Kills — Peyton Ott 15, Kaedenze Carter 10, Kindyle Floy 6, Ava Brewer 6, Autumn Kidd 4, Leah Graham 2

Assists — Leah Graham 32, Ava Teten 3, Ava Brewer 3, Autumn Kidd 2, Abigail Visocky 1, Kindyle Floy 1

Digs — Ava Teten 17, Kindyle Floy 13, Leah Graham 12, Kaedenze Carter 9, Abigail Visocky 7, Autumn Kidd 4, Ava Brewer 2, Maddie Valdez 1

Aces — Kaedenze Carter 7, Ava Teten 5, Leah Graham 3, Abigail Visocky 1, Kindyle Floy 1, Maddie Valdez 1