Winning a critical rivalry match in KJCCC volleyball action, the No. 14 Neosho County Panthers beat the Allen Red Devils, 3-1, on Wednesday night.
Stats were unavailable at press time. “I’m so happy and so relieved,” Neosho County head coach Lisiane Matsdorff said. “We’ve had a strong schedule so we knew this game against Allen was big. We knew if we beat Allen, we’d get higher in the standings. So many of us are ranked nationally in our conference. So this win gives us more opportunities.”
The win improved Neosho County’s record to 17-8 overall and 4-3 in KJCCC play. The Panthers are currently in fifth place in the conference standings, a preferred seed for postseason play.
In Wednesday’s rivalry win, Neosho County’s star outside hitter, Ella Bryan, showcased her power consistently at the net.
“Ella was amazing tonight,” Matsdorff said. “Ella is incredible. She always meets the standard. And tonight was her night.”
Sarah Wehrli, the Panthers’ setter, had a solid night. “I always tell my setters to be confident,” Matsdorff said. “They’re captains and coaches on the court. Sarah is a special one. She’s got connections with the other players. Her results are because she works hard. She’s athletic and she’s been great for us.”
Climbing into the top-15 of the NJCAA polls, Neosho County has reaffirmed itself as a dominant program in the nation’s toughest conference.
“To establish this program, it’s about recruiting the right players,” Matsdorff said. “I have a better vision with our out-of-state players. To keep this positive situation going, I have to keep improving in recruiting.”
Up next
Neosho County heads to Iowa to face Ellsworth, North Iowa Area, Kirkwood and North Dakota State College of Science in their final tournament of the year this weekend.
