Lady Panthers drop two

The Lady Panthers may not have had the kind of homecoming weekend they were hoping for, but a strong finish against the Pronghorns of Farson-Eden buoyed spirits some.

The Lady Panthers faced off Friday against Farson-Eden at home, and despite the loss of the match in four games, they could take some solace in the fact they played a good game and kept things close.

The Lady Panthers gave up the first game 25-18, but rallied for a decisive 25-13 win in the second game. The Pronghorns went on to take the next two games with scores of 25-21 and 25-13-securing the match.

"Friday with the Farson, the girls played a good match against them and had good momentum in the second set," Shayley Love, Saratoga's head coach said. The momentum from the second set didn't carry though, Love said, saying for the team it was a lot of trial and error to see how strategy was going to work out for them.

"Friday night, they had a bit of wind taken out of their sails," Love said. "But they finished strong and were pretty confident after that game."

The confidence seemed to evaporate the next day when the Lady Panthers lost against the Cokeville Panthers in three sets, each by a wide margin.

"I don't know what happened," Love said. "We struggled defensively and that made the difference in how the game played out."

In that game, the Panthers had 11 kills and 41 digs-numbers lower than those the team has been turning in lately.

"It was a long week, and homecoming can be draining," Love said.

Moving forward, Love said the team's job will be to refocus and get their heads back in the game. "Any team is beatable at any time, we have to be prepared to play our best ball."

Friday, the Lady Panthers face the defending state champion Rattlers of Little Snake River Valley in Baggs. Saturday, the team will host another top-ranked team, the Encampment Tigers, at home at 1 p.m.

"It's awesome to see a big home crowd," Love said, adding that community support is an important ingredient in the team's motivation and success.

"I hope a lot of people will come out and show support," she said.