Newly minted into the NJCAA rankings as the No. 17 team in the nation, the Neosho County Panthers skirted by the Cloud County Thunderbirds, 3-2, on Monday before dropping its KJCCC opener to No. 5 Johnson County, 3-1, on Wednesday.
In Monday’s narrow victory, Neosho County won the match over Cloud County, 3-2 (25-20, 19-25, 22-25, 25-17, 15-13).
The Panthers trailed, 6-1, in the fifth set before rallying for a comeback.
“We changed our attitudes,” Neosho County head coach Lisiane Matsdorff said. “I told them the only thing they can do is be aggressive and focus. We started slow even when we won the first set. We were behaving differently. And Cloud came out with great defense and everything. They came to win. That’s what made the comeback so great. We fixed our mistakes.”
Emma Wheatley had a breakthrough outing against Cloud, amassing 10 kills and seven blocks.
“She was really aggressive and I love players that are aggressive,” Matsdorff said. “That’s someone I needed out there in this match.”
Ella Bryan led Neosho County with 13 kills.
“She really makes a difference for us,” Matsdorff said. “She had a few mistakes. But Cloud played so well with a crazy block against her.”
Matsdorff felt the Panthers came out flat against Cloud County, a program picked to finish last in the KJCCC Division I preseason poll.
“I don’t know what happened,” Matsdorff said. “I told them when we watched Cloud on video that they play well. Each game is a new one. We have to stay focused. They changed their attitude, though, when they saw how Cloud was playing.”
In Wednesday’s conference opener, the Panthers fell to Johnson County, 3-1 (2225, 25-23, 25-20, 25-17).
Stats for Wednesday’s match were unavailable at press time.
Up next
Neosho County, 5-2 on the young season, heads to the Iowa Central Tournament for five matches over the weekend. The Panthers return to KJCCC play on Wednesday with a tilt at Highland.
“I’m pretty confident in my group,” Matsdorff said. “We’ve beat some good teams. This team, they’re a good unit. We’re really similar with a lot of teams in our conference. But our schedule has been tough. I hope that makes a difference.”
Allison Clevenger (2) of the Neosho County Panthers screams in jubilation after a kill in the fifth set against Cloud County on Monday. Sean Frye | Tribune photo
