Freshman volleyball at Powell High School saw a year of growth in both skills and confidence as the team wrapped up its 2022 campaign with a 12-12 record.

Leading the way for the freshman team was Hayden Watts who was the most consistent hitter on the court.

“She almost always kept the ball in play and did what we like to call ‘Better the Ball,’” coach Greg Stenlund said. “She could hit spots on the opponent’s court very well as the season progressed.”
By the end of the season Watts had also added a jump serve into her arsenal, something Stenlund said was challenging for opponents to receive.

Setting for the Panthers this season was Isabelle Urbach, who Stenlund said was the “most competitive player.”

Blocking in the middle for the freshmen was Lexi Reeves, who got multiple blocks each match while improving her footwork from the middle to the sides.

Neveah Garcia led the way for the team defensively, stepping in as the libero for the Panthers.

“She became our best defender,” Stenlund said. “Her ability to dig hard-hit balls and make them playable was very good. She has the potential to be an excellent libero if she keeps working on those skills.”

Two players who improved the most throughout the season were Kate Williams and Nalani Jordan, who worked to get their timing down on specific types of hits such as 3’s and 4’s as the season went along.

Throughout the season the team learned how to win.

“This group hadn’t experienced many victories in the volleyball arena in the past years,” Stenlund said. “It was almost humorous when we won our first match of the year because it was almost like they didn’t know what to do.”

He said that he hopes the team learned that hard work pays off — particularly in the conditioning for volleyball. He said the girls were pushed hard the first few weeks of practices to prepare for the season.

One of the teams highlights on the year came in Buffalo, as Powell defeated Buffalo at its home tournament while also defeating Thermopolis in the Panthers final home game of the season.

Powell recorded wins against five different 3A teams this season.

“When this group showed up and admitted they had hardly won any matches in previous years, in a sense, they almost seemed OK with that,” Stenlund said. “I kept after them all year to keep getting better in all facets of the game and they really responded to that and kept improving.”