JV volleyball struggled in the first of four matches this past Saturday but recovered and ended the day with three wins and one loss. The team arrived at Northgate High School in the morning for a four-match play date, against Trinity, Midtown, Whitewater, and Central High School.
“They’re a great team, [and] they know their stuff,” first-year head coach Courtney Day said. “I [keep] encouraging them to have a positive attitude and to have a good time.”
The first match against Trinity began with Trinity taking the lead. They kept their momentum throughout the first set and the Panthers were not able to keep up.
The team tried to catch up, but lost the first set 25-21. Trinity was able to take a quick and strong lead in the second set propelling them to the win, 25-14.
“[In] the first match we were a little weaker. We weren’t playing as hard,” sophomore co-captain Katie Gutshall said. “But in the second match we really got into it and we switched up the lineup so everyone was more excited.”
In the second match against Midtown, the Lady Panthers were able to regain energy as scores went back and forth. They were able to keep a lead on Midtown players and won in two sets 25-19, 25-15.
“We started off a little rough,” sophomore libero Ellie Sills said. ”It was really early and we were a little tired. We got down on ourselves, but we brought it back the next game.”
The toughest match of the day came against Whitewater. Both teams met each other’s energy as scores went back and forth. The first set was very heated, yet Starr’s Mill defeated the Wildcats 26-24. After putting up a fight, Starr’s Mill won the second set 25-21.
“We tried to be louder and play more aggressively, more strategically, [trying to be] more positive,” junior libero Maci Morrow said.
Following the challenge from Whitewater, the Panthers ended the day with a solid win over Central 25-15, 25-11.
The JV volleyball team defeated Fayette County and East Coweta Monday night. They travel to Carrollton to play a best-of-five match on Wednesday night.