A young Powell Panthers junior varsity volleyball team grew throughout the 2024 season, as a team composed of five freshmen, five sophomores and two juniors earned an 8-5 record.

Early on during the first three tournaments of the season, which are not included in the overall record, the Panthers had a small group of eight players, including Hali Hancock, Nalani Jordan, Ava Brewer, Ava Teten, Maddie Valdez, Kindyle Floy, Abigail Visocky and Autumn Kidd. 

“They got a lot of playing time together,” coach Chelsi Graham said.

She said that once the conference season started the Panthers added two more freshmen in Stella Shoopman and Peyton Ott along with two more sophomores in Leah Graham and Kaedenze Carter.

“Everyone got a little bit of playing time each match, which is really important at the JV level prepping them for varsity,” Graham said.

She said that the team was very versatile, allowing them to experiment with different positions and rotations.

“We had a few girls play multiple positions and learn different serve-receive rotations,” Graham said. “Some girls would play outside one rotation and then the right side for two rotations. Even though we had girls in different positions each game, the team did a great job of adjusting to the different lineups, trusting each other and learning to give it their all no matter who was on the court.”

During the conference season the team earned a big pair of wins against rivals, defeating Lovell and Cody on their home courts, but dropped a heartbreaker to Cody at home after leading late in the third set before giving up a large comeback.

She said that one of the biggest things the team worked on this season was the mental aspect of the game, while also working on being in the right defensive spots when reading the ball.

“We worked on letting go of mistakes and looking forward to the next play or next step. The mental piece of volleyball is a part that sometimes gets overlooked but is so important. If you are always down on yourself as a player because of past mistakes it affects the way you play which usually isn’t better,” Graham said. “We also worked on being in the right defensive spots, then reading where the ball is going and getting to the block quickly.”

She said the team’s outside hitters  Jordan, Carter, Floy, Kidd and Ott, were strong throughout the season for the Panthers.

“Nalani was one of those players who you could count on to give 100% wherever she was on the court,” Graham said. “Kaedenze came in and did a good job playing back row defense and found her groove hitting outside. Peyton had such a hard, aggressive swing. She could hit through a lot of opponent blocks.”

In the middle the Panthers had Hancock, Kidd and Shoopman, who formed a strong block for the team.

“Hali made big improvements with her hitting and worked real hard on getting to the blocks on time. Autumn was an aggressive player who could jump out of the gym and could reach balls that were tight on the net,” Graham said. “Stella did a great job coming in and playing wherever she was needed. She always gave it her all.”

On the right side the Panthers had Brewer, who provided a strong block while also being a left-handed hitter who could surprise teams at times on the second contact.

In the back row defensively the Panthers had Valdez and Visocky.

“Maddie and Abigail ruled the back row,” Graham said. “Maddie could go in for any position in the back row and know exactly where to go. She also had a killer serve. Abigail took over the libero position, she improved so much and by the end of the season was digging some really tough hits.”

Serving for the team was the trio of Teten, Floy and Graham.

“Ava ‘T’ was an awesome addition to our team transferring from Buffalo. She did a great job setting the back row and was a really good defensive player,” Graham said. “Kindyle had to adjust to a couple different positions but she was perfect for the job. She’s quick and did a good job getting the set to our hitters. Leah was good at reaching the ball and giving our hitters the best set possible no matter the pass.”

She said the team manager, Anai Torres, helped bring a strong positive attitude to the bench and was the team’s biggest cheerleader and encourager.

“I’m so proud of this team. They worked hard and grew so much this season. There were tears, laughter, frustration and friendships formed,” Graham said. “We had a lot of outgoing girls who brought a lot of laughs in practice and on trips. It was good to see them having fun and growing closer as a team. I hope they each remember the good things they did, but learn from their mistakes which will help them become a better person and player.”