Panthers prepare for game-changing weekend

The Saratoga Lady Panthers (3-3, 11-8 overall) could enter regionals in second place, according to head coach Shayley Love, providing they do well in the big conference matches this upcoming weekend. "That would be a huge advantage for us."

The netters will face Southeast (4-2, 15-5 overall) once more on Friday, after suffering a four-set loss to the Cyclones last Saturday (26-24, 7-25, 13-25, 14-25). "We're just going to refocus as a team this week and get ready to put a full, solid match up when we play them on Friday," Love said. On Saturday, the girls face Pine Bluffs (6-0, 12-8 overall), a team that proved challenging for them earlier in the season.

While the Panthers won the first set of the match, the second and third proved troublesome. "I really thought it was going to be a different outcome at the beginning," Love said. "We came out with lots of fire and we were ready to play. We were playing our style of volleyball. But then that second and third set I'm not really sure what happened," Love said, adding that the defense began to lose momentum. The Lady Panthers lost the fourth set 14-25.

Still, the netters showed athleticism. Kylie Theesfeld dug 22 times, with Meredith Lincoln digging 15 times. Mati Love assisted 18 times and served 16. Haley Soles and Sierra Schutte each scored six kills, however those numbers did not transfer to the scoreboard.

On Friday, the girls faced the Hanna-Elk Mountain-Medicine Bow (HEM) Miners (10-8 overall) for the second time this season, winning the game in four sets (25-17, 19-25, 15-25, 25-22). The Lady Panthers came out in pink jerseys in observation of breast cancer awareness month, playing with a pink and white ball.

After winning the first two sets, they lost the third. Their deep individual concentration grew and communication slowed, which led to more mistakes. By the fourth set, the girls had their focus back on talking, which allowed the strength of the individual athletes to form a strong team. The final set was won 22-25, a tight competition against the enthusiastic Lady Miners.

Lincoln secured 10 kills against the Miners, and Schutte successfully served a total of 19 times with Sarah Burton right behind her serving 17 times. Lincoln also made 17 digs, with Soles digging 15 times. M. Love provided 24 assists.

"We've really been practicing hitting around the block and placing the ball instead of swinging to hit," S. Love said of her team's improvement since the last match against HEM.

The Panthers will face off against the Southeast Cyclones beginning at 3 p.m. on Friday, with varsity slated to start at 5 p.m., in the Saratoga Middle/High School gym. The girls will take on the Pine Bluff Hornets at home as well on Saturday beginning at 1 p.m., with varsity at 3 p.m.