The JHS Lady Panther volleyball team powered by Townsend 25-6, 25-17, 25-6 Thursday in Townsend.
Aubrey McMaster got the Panthers out front early, 4-2, before Emily McGinnis slammed down a kill, Ellie Evertz served up a pair of aces, and Simonie Mendenhall caught the Bulldogs off guard with another kill that set the score at 11-3, Panthers. Two more aces, this time by McGinnis, and a kill by Haydin Henschel expanded the Panther lead to 21-4. An ace by Callie Warfle finalized the score at 25-6 for the Panthers.
Game two found the Bulldogs providing more of a challenge for the JHS girls, taking the first two points and tying the score six times before everyone was knotted up at 13. That is when the Panthers took over. A pair of aces by Evertz and a kill by McGinnis gave the Panthers a 17-13 lead and they went on to take the win 25-17.
Game three was all Panthers. A block by Evertz and a kill by McMaster put the Panthers up 5-0. A left handed kill by McGinnis, kill by Mendenhall, and another by Henschel made it 18-5. Abby Rosenbaum fired over an ace and the Panthers completed the sweep with the 25-6 win.
Friday’s competition in ThreeForks was an exciting one with the two leading teams in District 5B fighting for the win. Game one was a real seesaw affair. After McGinnis delivered a kill to put the Panthers out front 3-2, the two teams tied repeatedly. With the score even at 13, Leah Vossler put up a block that gave the Panthers an advantage, and a kill by Henschel gave the Panthers a 17-14 lead. Once again, though, the Wolves came back, and the score was tied at 21 before the last four points and a 25-21 win was collected by the Wolves.
Game two found the Panthers out front 5-2 on a kill by McGinnis and a pair of aces by McMaster. The teams were tied at eight when the Wolves went on a 6-2 run to go up 14-10, and the Panthers could not recover. The win went to the Wolves, 25-16.
The Panthers stepped ahead 2-0 in game three on a left handed kill by McMaster. Vossler added another kill, followed by several by McGinnis included one that stuck in the hands of a surprised defender. The game remained close until the Wolves took over in the late going and pulled out a 25-19 victory.
It was great volleyball to watch, with two very good teams battling it out. The two teams will meet again on September 21, this time in Boulder, giving hometown fans a chance to cheer the Panthers to even the season tally.
This week the Panthers travel to Anaconda on Thursday. The C and JV teams play at Sheridan on Friday.
