Two wins Friday in the 3A West Regional Tournament secured a return to the 3A State Championships for the Powell High School volleyball team, as the Panthers defeated Pinedale 3-0 and Mountain View 3-2 to secure a spot in Casper after missing last year’s tournament. Powell fell 3-1 to Lovell in the championship game on Saturday to finish second.

POWELL 3, PINEDALE 0

(25-9, 25-12, 25-23)

Heading into the tournament as the No. 3 seed the Panthers (23-13) took on the No. 6 seeded Wranglers (12-21-2).

Pinedale got on the board with the first point, before the Panthers reeled off nine straight points to take a 9-1 lead.

That early momentum carried until Powell had a 17-3 lead and forced the second timeout from Pinedale.

Powell finished the strong first set with the 25-9 win.

That momentum carried into the second, as the Panthers quickly built a 12-1 lead and forced a Pinedale timeout.

The Panthers again dominated the set with a 25-12 win.

Pinedale did not go down without a fight in the third, as the Wranglers built an 11-7 lead and forced a Panther timeout.

Powell rallied late and cut the lead down to 19-18, eventually taking the lead 21-20.

The Panthers pushed ahead and completed the sweep 25-23.

“It was huge for us to figure out how to close out a match when things got tough at the end. Sweeping in three is something we’ve struggled with a bit in the past, so I was really pleased to see the girls finish it off and execute when there was a little more pressure,” coach Anna Flitner said.

POWELL 3, MOUNTAIN VIEW 2

(27-25, 24-26, 19-25, 25-22, 15-9)

In the semifinal on Friday night every point mattered when the Panthers took on the No. 2 seeded Buffalos (28-9-1).

Powell took the lead early 8-7 on an Ava Teten ace, and neither team found enough separation throughout the first set as the largest lead for either was three.

It was 19-19 late, before Powell created a little separation and forced a timeout by Mountain View after a Leah Graham ace.

The Buffalos rallied, but Peyton Ott kept them at arms’ length with a kill to make it 23-21.

Mountain View scored three straight, taking the lead on a net violation by the Panthers.

Powell scored four of the next five points, taking the 27-25 set win on another Teten ace.

In the second Powell built the largest lead to that point of the contest at 17-13, before Mountain View scored seven of the next eight points, holding a 20-18 lead.

On set point at 24-21 for Mountain View, the Panthers rallied with Autumn Kidd and Kaedenze Carter kills before a hit into the net tied the match at 24.

Mountain View scored two straight to hold off the comeback attempt and win 26-24.

Powell started the third set  up by five points, but Mountain View again rallied to tie the match at 13.

The Buffalos carried mid-set momentum and built a lead, and pulled away for a 25-19 win to take the 2-1 lead.

“My main message was not letting Mountain View dictate what things looked like on our side of the net. A team like that is going to get some great kills, but we talked about not letting their big plays impact our body language, our focus or how hard we fought back on the next ball,” Flitner said. “Also, a huge shoutout to our players on the bench who really brought the energy when we needed it.”

Powell again led in the fourth set 15-14 and even 17-14, before Mountain View tied the match at 17 each.

Powell pushed ahead, as a Leah Graham kill made it a 21-18 lead and forced a Mountain View timeout.

The Panthers held on late and finished the set with a Kindyle Floy kill to win 25-22.

In the decisive fifth set the Panthers were up 9-5 in the battle to 15 after a Teten ace.

Powell kept pushing ahead to 11-5, but Mountain View narrowed the gap to 12-8 and forced a Powell timeout.

The Panthers did enough late and took the 15-9 win to secure their spot at the state tournament.

“Securing that state spot on day one was a huge relief, especially for me as a coach,” Flitner said. “Punching that ticket early takes so much weight off your shoulders for the second day and lets the girls just relax, have fun and play a little looser.”

LOVELL 3, POWELL 1

(25-15, 22-25, 25-23, 25-21)

Heading into the championship match on Saturday the Panthers waited all day to take on the Bulldogs (29-1) for the fourth time this season.

Lovell built a quick advantage, but the Panthers closed the gap down 11-9.

Three straight points by Lovell made it 14-9, as the Bulldogs quickly created separation, making it 22-12.

Lovell finished the first set and took the 25-15 win.

In the second set Lovell had an early 10-5 lead, and held as much as a 15-8 lead and even 19-12 lead before the Panthers rallied.

Powell continued to trail 22-17, before an eight-point rally clinched the set for Powell.

A serve out by Lovell started the comeback, and a Floy kill tied the match at 22.

Ava Brewer’s block made it 23-22, and a Floy kill capped off the rally for the 25-22 win.

That renewed confidence carried into the third as Powell and Lovell were tied at 11 midway through.

The teams went point for point, until Lovell pulled ahead late, and a serve out by the Panthers gave the Bulldogs the 25-23 win.

A similar set followed in the fourth, as the Bulldogs had a narrow lead before the Panthers closed the gap late.

Lovell held on and took the 25-21 win to take the regional title.

“That match really showed how much our leadership has grown. During a timeout in the second set, I brought up that our energy was directly affecting our play and that someone was going to have to step up and create it for us,” Flitner said. “Several players really stepped up, and it made a massive impact on our momentum. It’s amazing what this team can do when they believe in themselves and come together as a cohesive unit.”

Stats were not available as of press time.

STATE TOURNAMENT

Heading to the state tournament the Panthers will be the No. 2 seed out of the 3A West, which means they take on east No. 3 seed Wheatland (18-14-1) at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.

“Our plan is to take it one set at a time and focus on our game,” Flitner said. “It is the state tournament so there will be some tough matches, and we need to be prepared to battle through those moments. I’m really excited to see what this team can do.”

If Powell wins, it will advance to 6 p.m. on Friday to take on the winner of the east, No. 1 seed Tongue River (21-9-1), which upset Douglas at the regional tournament, and the west No. 4 seed Worland (16-15-2).

If Powell loses, it drops to the consolation bracket to take on the loser of that contest at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.

3A WEST TOURNAMENT RESULTS

QUARTERFINALS

Mountain View def. Lyman 3-0

Powell def. Pinedale 3-0

Lovell def. Rawlins 3-0

Worland def. Lander 3-0

SEMIFINALS

Powell def. Mountain View 3-2

Lovell def. Worland 3-0

CONSOLATION

Pinedale elim. Lyman 3-0

Lander elim. Rawlins 3-0

Worland elim. Pinedale 3-1

Mountain View elim. Lander 3-1

Mountain View def. Worland 3-0 (Third Place)

CHAMPIONSHIP

Lovell def. Powell 3-1

3A STATE TOURNAMENT

(All games at Ford Wyoming Center)

THURSDAY

Game 1: 1 p.m. — No. 1W Lovell vs. No. 4E Newcastle

Game 2: 2:30 p.m. — No. 2E Douglas vs. No. 3W Mountain View

Game 3: 4:30 p.m. — No. 2W Powell vs. No. 3E Wheatland

Game 4: 6 p.m. — No. 1E Tongue River vs. No. 4W Worland

FRIDAY

Game 5: 1 p.m. — Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2

Game 6: 2:30 p.m. — Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4

Game 7: 4:30 p.m. — Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2

Game 8: 6 p.m. — Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4

SATURDAY

Game 9: 9 a.m. — Winner Game 5 vs. Loser Game 8

Game 10: 10:30 a.m. — Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 7

Game 11: 2:30 p.m. — Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 10 (Third Place)

Game 12: 4:30 p.m. — Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 (Championship Game)