PARSONS — In a critical KJCCC match, the No. 17 Neosho County Panthers outlasted the upstart Labette Cardinals, 3-1 (16-25, 25-17, 25-18, 25-20) on Wednesday night.
“The difference in the first set was we were a little intimidated to play here,” Neosho County head coach Lisiane Matsdorff said. “Labette is really improved. They have a really good coach. That intimidation is why we dropped the first set. When they decided to show what they’re capable of, they played well.”
Neosho County kept Labette’s block stretched thin as the night went on. “Neosho County is a solid team, they’re really outside dominant,” Labette head coach Deardin Kelley said. “We didn’t execute enough and that’s what the stats showed.”
Ella Bryan paced the Panthers with 18 kills.
“Every single game, Ella has highs and lows,” Matsdorff said. “She’s had more highs. And her mistakes don’t affect her. She just moves on. How you overcome mistakes is what makes you a great player and she was great tonight.”
Panthers setter Sarah Wehrli was nearly flawless, amassing 37 assists.
Labette’s Allie Rushing tallied a season- high 21 kills.
“She played well but she could’ve bettered the ball in some situations,” Kelley said. “She’s hard to stop. Once you shut her down in the front, she can still be an explosive player.”
The Cardinals played without the services of Aubrianna Brown, who suffered an injury at a tournament in Illinois over the weekend.
“She adds a sense of calmness with her personality,” Kelley said. “Anytime you run a new lineup, there will be kinks to figure out. We felt that on defense a lot. And we didn’t have that option out there to give some relief. She’s a big part of our team.”
Lacking firepower on offense unleashed the Panthers’ blockers, who racked up nine blocks as a squad.
“Our defense is good and we have a good group that is brave,” Matsdorff said. “We work on our block daily. I even take for granted that we have girls that are tall that can get to those balls.”
Charlotte Watson led Labette with 22 assists while Evyn Morrow had 22 digs.
Trinity Collette had 19 digs for the Panthers.
Neosho County improved to 16-7 overall and 3-2 in KJCCC play with the win while Labette dropped to 19-13 and 2-3, respectively.
Up next
Neosho County faces Cowley, the reigning national champions, on the road on Tuesday.
“We have some really important matches coming up,” Matsdorff said. “Our game with Allen will be a huge one. We have to keep winning and build confidence.”
Labette gets the weekend off as well before facing Kansas City Kansas on the road on Wednesday.
“It’s David and Goliath from here on out,” Kelley said. “If we want to do something great, we have to prepare ourselves mentally. We did a poor job of that and sustaining energy in practice. That showed on the court. We practice what we preach. That’s what bit us in the ass.”
