Lady Panthers claw past Fruitvale
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After a brief break, the Alba-Golden Lady Panthers picked up a win in Fruitvale on Friday, 26-24, 25-14, 25-19 over the Lady Cats, taking the Lady Panthers to 2-1 in district play.
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Lady Panthers claw past Fruitvale
After a brief break, the Alba-Golden Lady Panthers picked up a win in Fruitvale on Friday, 26-24, 25-14, 25-19 over the Lady Cats, taking the Lady Panthers to 2-1 in district play.
Coach Jamie Webster says being off last Tuesday served to “kind of throw us out of our routine. But we got it done – a win is a win.”
Serving dominated early, with three of the first six points not being returnable, including an ace by Erin Langston.
A four-point dash on the serve of Skyler West put Alba-Golden up 7-4, forcing a Fruitvale timeout. The margin would not grow until West served again, pushing it to 16-12.
A Lady Panther run to 20-14 resulted in a Lady Cat timeout. Fruitvale rallied, scoring 10 of the next 11 points.
A properly-placed and well-timed touch shot at the net by Kacie Lennon kept Alba-Golden alive at 22-24.
The Lady Panthers won four straight points on Lennon’s serve to close out the set, punctuated by an unreturned ball down the line. Lennon also contributed three early kills.
The next set saw little momentum to start, with both teams struggling to string service points together.
Kaylee Anglin was an exception, with a couple solid points, including an ace, to open a 6-3 margin. Throughout the match, she demonstrated her ability to maneuver efficiently at the net and manipulate the ball effectively.
After a Langston ace to lead 11-8, The Lady Cats came alive for four straight points and their first lead of the set.
Coach Webster advised her team well during a time out at 11-12.
Alba-Golden regained possession at 12-12, handing the ball to West to serve.
The ensuing point involved nearly every player on the floor, dozens of hits, a few momentum swings and stellar play on both sides of the net, including three solid digs by Lennon, none simple. Lennon is ”pretty scrappy” according to Webster. She and Kamrin Wright get to the ball “in the nick of time and just sweep through and pick up all of that trash.” They cleaned up in Fruitvale.
While every point counts the same on the scoreboard, the energy it took to earn their 13th of the second set and its effect on players’ spirits was palpable.
The next eight points made it evident, as the Lady Panthers rode the wave of energy to a 21-12 lead.
An Anglin ace finished off the set with an 11-point margin.
Earning an early 4-2 edge in the third set, Alba-Golden did not trail the remainder of the match. The score remained tight until Anglin got the ball to serve at 19-15, and the Lady Panthers scored five consecutive times, just one point shy of victory.
A few Fruitvale final forays over the net didn’t make it easy, closing the gap to 24-19, enough to warrant a timeout in which Webster convinced her girls to secure the winning point.
After a matchup Sept. 21 with Pioneer Technology & Arts Academy (Greenville) the Lady Panthers host Cumby for homecoming at 4:30 on Friday and complete the homestretch when Como-Pickton comes to town Tuesday.