In traditional fashion the Lady Panthers and the Johnson City Lady Eagles clashed in an epic battle Tuesday, Sept. 1 at the BHS gym. When the dust settled, the Panthers took the five set win 25-22, 23-25, 25-21, 20-25 and 15-11.
Earlier this season, on Aug. 22, the match between the two teams also went to five sets. Of Johnson City’s three losses this season, two have come against Blanco.
Presley Young tallied 21 kills in the marathon match. She also made one ace, two blocks and 11 digs.
“We fought very hard to beat the JC Eagles for the second time in five tough sets,” Young said. “Our team bond and rhythm has played a huge role in our success. It took us a little bit to get in the rhythm and realize each one of our strengths, but now that we have we’ve been pretty unstoppable.”
“The win against Johnson City felt incredible, especially to know that we won the rivalry game for our seniors, since it was the last time they will get to play them,” added Emilee LaRue.
Against the Eagles, Olivia Atchley made 40 sets for assists, six kills and 10 digs. LaRue had 11 kills and one block and made 16 digs. Carly Romero smacked five kills and had two blocks. Jaycie Gloor made 41 digs, three service aces and three assists. Raylee Faris hit three blocks and had one ace. Lily Porter tallied 12 digs.
On Friday, the Lady Panthers played a rematch against the Canyon Lake Lady Hawks. The teams met up previous Aug. 14. The Hawks won 3-0. Blanco has improved tremendously in the past three weeks. The score Friday was 3-0 with Blanco picking up the win. The set scores 25-18, 25-18 and 25-16.
LaRue led the team with 13 kills. She also had one ace, one assist and 13 digs.
“The Canyon Lake game was a very good match up and to reverse the score against them just shows how far along our team has come and how all the hard work in practice has paid off,” LaRue said. “Our team was off to a rough start in the beginning of the season, but to have won six games in a row now, it just shows our persistence and drive to get better as a whole.”
In the Canyon Lake game, Young made eight kills and had one ace. Atchley set the ball for 21 assists and added four kills, one ace and two blocks. Gloor had 10 digs, two service aces and three assists. Porter served two aces and Emma Srackangast served one ace.
The junior varsity team lost to Johnson City in three sets, 25-18, 18-25 and 20-25. The Lady Panthers got back in the win column against Canyon Lake with a 2-0 win, 25-18 and 25-22. Outstanding plays were made in both matches by Haleigh Charles, Jennah Atchley, Cassidy Daves, Peyton West, Dianka Edwards, Kelly Karnes and Molly Melton.
The freshman team defeated Johnson City 17-25, 25-10 and 25-14, and beat Canyon Lake 25-9 and 25-8. Outstanding plays were made by Kate Capshaw, Baylee Byler, Erika Calzoncit, Sydney Shiller, Mina Broyles, Hemma Porter, Wesley Whitehead, Katherine Windham, Tori Adkinson, Skyler Soldwisch and Alex Beliveau.
The Panthers hosted Bandera Tuesday, Sept. 8. The varsity travels to Schulenburg Friday, Sept. 11.
With an 8-5 record, the varsity players are feeling good about the future.
“I’m very excited about this season and team and know that great things are to come,” Young said.
LaRue has a similar perspective. “This team has such a close bond with each other on and off the court, and I feel that having all the chemistry we have is so important and will help us strive to get even better and to achieve more wins,” she said.
