The Blanco Lady Panthers finished this past week on a high note with two consecutive wins against the Johnson City Lady Eagles and the Davenport High School Wolves. Davenport is a new high school in Comal ISD located in Garden Ridge. The Panthers fell to the Boerne Greyhounds earlier in the week. The team holds a 4-5 record.
The match against the Lady Eagles on Saturday was truly a nail-biter battle between two excellent volleyball teams. The Panthers won the five set match 20-25, 25-23, 19-25, 25-19 and 15-13. The match was so close, the Panthers won the game count and therefore took the match, but the Eagles were ahead in total points 105-104.
The Eagles came out strong in the first set with some big kills from their hitters. Blanco battled back in the second set finding a rhythm on digs from the back row players including Jaycie Gloor, Emilee LaRue, Presley Young and Lily Porter. Johnson City took the momentum in the third set. The Panthers rallied back in the fourth and finished out the fifth with big hits by LaRue, Young and Carly Romero. The front row distracted the Eagle hitters with excellent blocking by Young, Romero, Olivia Atchley, Casey Eskew and Raylee Faris.
LaRue led the Panthers with 23 kills, two aces, 20 digs and one assist. Young made 20 kills, one ace, 18 digs, two assists and three blocks. Romero hit four kills and one block. Atchley set the ball for 44 assists, served two aces and made three blocks. Gloor led the team with 27 digs. Faris paced the team with five blocks and added two aces. Eskew knocked down two blocks.
The Panthers defeated Davenport 25-19, 21-25, 25-23 and 25-14 in a match played Friday. LaRue led the way with 19 kills and served two aces. Young tallied 11 kills, one ace and one block. Romero made seven kills and two blocks. Atchley set the ball 35 times and made two aces, 17 digs and two blocks. Gloor led with 20 digs and added one ace and four assists. Faris hit three aces and three blocks. Porter made 14 digs and two aces. Eskew helped provide pressure on the front line with one block.
Blanco lost to the Boerne Greyhounds Tuesday, Aug. 18 with set scores 25-18, 25-21, 18-25 and 25-21. LaRue made eight kills, two service aces, 14 digs and two blocks. Romero hit seven kills and two blocks. Young added five kills, three aces, 17 digs and two blocks. Atchley set the ball 24 times for kill assists and made two blocks. Gloor added 19 digs, two aces and one assist. Eskew and Faris each hit three blocks. Porter served one ace.
The junior varsity fell to Boerne and Johnson City 2-0. The team is working hard to get their first win. With improvement each match, the score, 26-24 and 25-23 in the loss to the Eagles, was a sign of the strides the team is making.
The freshman team currently holds a 4-2 record including a 25-10, 22-25 and 25-15 win against Johnson City.
The Panthers host the Harper Lady Horns Saturday, Aug. 29. The freshmen play at 10 a.m., followed by the junior varsity at 11 a.m. and the varsity at 12 noon. This is a rolling schedule, so the start times are approximate. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the seating in the gym will be limited to 50 percent and face masks are required.
