PHS volleyball sweeps Lovell

Face Red Lodge at home today

Posted 10/4/22

Homecoming brought strong play from the No. 5-ranked Panther volleyball team on Thursday, as Powell defeated Lovell in three straight sets (25-22, 25-14, 25-13) to move to 3-0 in conference play.

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PHS volleyball sweeps Lovell

Face Red Lodge at home today

Posted

Homecoming brought strong play from the No. 5-ranked Panther volleyball team on Thursday, as Powell defeated Lovell in three straight sets (25-22, 25-14, 25-13) to move to 3-0 in conference play.

Slow starts have been a problem the Panthers (12-6-1 overall, 3-0 3A Northwest) have been trying to solve, and that trend continued against the Bulldogs (10-10-1 overall, 1-2 3A Northwest).

Lovell came out strong, putting Powell on its heels and taking a 6-0 lead.

“We are still struggling to step on the court ready to play,” coach Lesli Spencer said.

The Panthers battled back and eventually tied the match at 11 on a block by Addy Thorington.

Powell did not gain the lead until 18-17, when a Bulldogs shot sailed out of bounds.

Both teams committed rotational errors late, but Powell gained the lead at 22-20 and saw out the set 25-22 after a Lovell timeout.

That slow start continued into the start of the second set, where the two teams battled to a 7-7 tie.

From that point forward the Panthers started to take control of the match.

A 9-0 run by Powell created separation from the Bulldogs, forcing Lovell to call both timeouts.

That run was spurred by strong blocking from the Panthers alongside strong hitting outside.

“We worked on blocking this week. There is so much to work on every day and week, and we focused on the block again and it showed,” Spencer said. “Once they were rolling, they were rolling.”

Powell continued its strong run, winning the second set 25-14.

In the third set the Panthers continued their strong play, jumping out to a 10-6 lead and forcing a Lovell timeout.

Powell did not relinquish the lead, building until Lovell called a second timeout at 20-12.

The Panthers finished off the match 25-13, and finished the first half of conference play undefeated.

Thorington led the way with 13 kills and Waycee Harvey added eight. Gretel Opps finished with 19 assists.

   

RED LODGE

The Panthers will host one more game before heading to the 3A West Conference duals this weekend, welcoming Red Lodge to Powell on Tuesday (today) at 6 p.m.

Spencer is hopeful her team will continue to improve, looking to put together a full match from start to finish.

“We are just trying to improve every time we get on the court,” Spencer said. “They know how good they can play, they just need to learn to put it all together in a full match.”

   

POWELL 3, LOVELL 0

KillsAddy Thorington 13, Waycee Harvey 8, Anna Bartholomew 5, Saige Kidd 4, Sydney Spomer 3, Gretel Opps 2

AssistsGretel Opps 19, Stevee Walsh 13, Mikayla Graham 1

Digs Addy Thorington 7, Mikayla Graham 5, Alexa Richardson 4, Stevee Walsh 4, Anna Bartholomew 4, Gretel Opps 2, Waycee Harvey 2, Sydney Spomer 1

AcesAddy Thorington 3, Gretel Opps 3, Alexa Richardson 2, Stevee Walsh 1, Anna Bartholomew 1

BlocksAddy Thorington 3, Anna Bartholomew 2, Gretel Opps 1, Waycee Harvey 1, Saige Kidd .5, Sydney Spomer .5

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