Junior Meredith Lincoln makes use of different techniques against a tall HEM player. By softly popping it over the net, Lincoln causes the opponent to overcompensate and miss, scoring a point for the Panthers.
Saratoga Lady Panthers Volleyball Statistics
The Saratoga Lady Panthers defeated Hanna-Elk Mountain-Medicine Bow (HEM) at Friday's away match (25-17, 25-27, 24-26, 25-12, 15-11) . The Lady Panthers' overall record is 6-3.
They will have their first shot at a conference team at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday, when they play Burns.
During their match against the Miners, the Lady Panthers showed energy and creativity that kept them motivated through the long, five-set match. The second and third sets, lost by Saratoga, were close with the Lady Panthers leading for the first 12 points or so, but then the Miners would surge and the two teams would battle, usually within one or two points of one another. The Panthers energy took them through the tough second and third sets.
"I think keeping their composure was the biggest thing," Lady Panthers Head Coach Shayley Love said of the win. "Sometimes in an intense game your emotions can swing one way or another, but I felt that they kept their composure and came out strong each set."
Senior Mati Love showed creativity and surprise in getting the ball over the net, sometimes throwing the Miners off their guard and causing them to let the ball hit the floor. Junior Meredith Lincoln showed similar creativity close to the net.
Junior Sarah Burton showed energy during the fourth game, excelling in both offense and defense. Burton worked quickly to save a ball that was nearly out, diving on the floor and bringing it back into play. Senior Haley Soles scored points for the Lady Panthers with quick thinking offensive work. This creative play contributed to the win, but the athletes were communicating and remained positive as well.
"I just felt like last weekend was one of those situations where they really just came together as a team and played really well as a whole," Love said.
HEM has several good players, but the Lady Panthers did well by identifying their moves and where they hold their strengths, proving themselves as a team by working together to combat the individual players.
"Not that you love to play five set matches, but I think it was a good thing for us because I think there's going to be many that we play within our conference that might take us to that," Love said.
According to Love, the Saratoga Lady Panthers will be entering the 1A conference beginning in the 2016-17 school year.
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