Panthers volleyball falls to DLB, prepares for district games ahead

Sue Sitter/PCT Rugby’s Lacie Deplazes powers through a Des Lacs-Burlington block for a kill, Sept. 8.
Rugby Panthers Volleyball Coach Jessica Fritz has said many times that no two volleyball sets are alike.
When the Panthers took on the Des Lacs-Burlington Lakers at Rugby High School’s Charlie Hanneman Gym on Sept. 8, three sets in a game proved her wrong, in a way.
The District 11 Panthers battled the District 12 Lakers to three identical 23-25 losses in sets that kept fans from both sides on the edge of their seats.
Neither Rugby nor DLB gave up the fight all evening.
Long rallies characterized each set.
In set 1, Rugby won the first point after a fierce battle that saw two diving Panthers saves. After both teams tied and pulled ahead by one, the Panthers stretched their lead mid-set to 12-8. The Lakers came back, tying the score at 15 each. Both teams battled to a 23-23 tie before a kill by middle hitter Ava Feist and an ace by libero Kaelyn Bachmeier gave DLB its first win.
A determined Panthers front line put Rugby ahead 3-0 at the start of set 2, thanks to a spike by outside hitter Mykell Heidlebaugh and blocks by middle hitter Kendra Leier and middle blocker Lacie Deplazes.
The Lakers soon tied the score at five each. Errors by DLB and a kill by Rugby’s Peyton Hauck tied the score again at 10 each.
The Lakers took the lead again, soon pulling ahead 19-14. The Panthers closed the gap when setter Joey Wolf tapped the ball just inside Lakers territory.
One block by Leier and a few Lakers errors later, the Panthers threatened DLB just as the Lakers reached game point.
After a DLB timeout, Leier spiked the ball into a crowd of Lakers. With a 23-24 deficit, the Panthers saw the ball ricochet off their hands out of bounds twice, giving the Lakers another win.
The Panthers kept fighting.
After the Lakers won the first point of set 3, Rugby’s Savannah McCall amazed fans with a sideways spike to tie 1-1.
The battle raged again, this time with each team neck and neck before Rugby pulled ahead from another tie to lead 16-10.
The Lakers closed the gap again.
With Rugby’s lead evaporating to 17-15, Fritz called a timeout for the Panthers. Rugby held the lead. The Panthers had a 23-20 advantage on the scoreboard before the Lakers fought back to a 23-23 tie. A long rally had the Panthers scrambling to keep the ball in bounds, giving the Lakers the lead. An ace by Bachmeier wrapped up the set and game for DLB.
The Panthers traveled west to Nedrose High School to face the District 11 Cardinals on Sept. 13 before meeting another District 11 rival, the Westhope-Newburg Sioux on Sept. 15. Results from those games will appear in next week’s Tribune.
Rugby vs. Des Lacs-Burlington
DLB 3-0, 25-23, 25-23, 25-23
Rugby kills: Kendra Leier, 7; Peyton Hauck, 5
Rugby aces: Hauck, 4
Rugby blocks: Leier, 2; Lacie Deplazes, 1
Rugby digs: Joran Jundt, 28
Rugby assists: Joey Wolf, 24
DLB kills: Shay Holen, 14; Ava Feist, 10; Paige Berard, 9
DLB aces: Kaelyn Bachmeier, 4; Cambrey Brenno, 3
DLB blocks: Berard, 2; Olivia Redding, 1
DLB digs: Bachmeier, 33; Holen, 12
Assists: Laney Wahus, 15; Kaylee Werner, 8