The Newberry Panthers warm up before they square off with the Eastside Rams. [Charlie Jones]

Newberry Notches Important Road Win Against Eastside

Charlie Jones October 3, 2024 Eastside High School, High School Sports, Newberry High School, Volleyball 17 Views

The Newberry Panthers were facing their third volleyball match in three days Wednesday after losing the two previous nights. And this time at Eastside High School.

But the Panthers relied on the strength of their senior star trio to propel them to victory in straight sets, 25-5, 27-25, 25-13, against the Rams (10-9).

Panthers libero Malana Kennard (ranked ninth in the FHSAA in digs) provided 20 digs and 14 service points, setter Sarah Priester added 20 assists and four aces and outside hitter Chloe Jones notched nine kills and three aces to bounce back on the win column.

Early Pressure

Newberry (12-10), dealing with the rare back-to-back-to-back schedule as a result of Hurricane Helene, looked to avenge its last two losses. To do so, it would need to improve its performance from earlier in the week and start out with a quick lead and constant pressure at the net.

The Panthers did that, creating a 12-4 lead in the first set on the back of three straight aces from Priester before Eastside called a timeout. Newberry returned to the court firing on all cylinders, only allowing one more point and capturing a 25-5 first set.

Tough Second Set

After dominating in Set 1, Newberry was shocked by a competitive Eastside rally, as the two teams traded leads.

With no team pulling ahead by more than three points, it was uncertain who had the upper hand in the second set. In one of the most tense and competitive moments of the match, Priester broke a 23-23 tie with an ace, but committed a service error on the impending set point to restore a tie at 24-all.

After a gritty battle between the teams, the Panthers pulled ahead off a kill from middle hitter Livi Clanton before closing out the set on an ace from Jones to secure a 27-25 result.

Panthers In Command

Coming off a long and exhausting second set, the Panthers did not miss a beat in Set 3. Newberry began the third set on a seven-point streak and conjured up another run, leading 16-5 before Eastside’s second timeout in a last-ditch effort to find an answer.

However, an answer would not come for the Rams, as Newberry continued to stay aggressive in its attacking strategy and strength at the net to seal a 25-13 third set and the match.

“We have dealt with complications from the hurricane and to end off our matches for the week on a high note felt good. We needed consistency in our serving and receiving. We only allowed five aces throughout the match and served really well, which looks promising. We focus on just serving and receiving for 35-40 minutes each practice, so to see that come to fruition today. I’m quite happy with how the team played and I hope to keep this consistency for the rest of the regular season, into districts, and hopefully into the playoffs.” Panthers coach Hank Rone

Up Next

The Panthers get a chance to rest before traveling to their last district match of the regular season against the Keystone Heights Indians (7-13) at 7 p.m. Monday.

The Rams look to rebound today when they face the P.K. Yonge Blue Wave (2-15) in an away match at 6:30 p.m.

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