Sue Sitter/PCT Mykell Heidlebaugh, left, celebrates a kill with teammates in a volleyball matchup against the Surrey Mustangs in Surrey Oct. 18.

The Rugby Panthers recovered from a first-set loss to land on their feet for a 3-1 win over the Surrey Mustangs on the volleyball court in Surrey High School’s gym Tuesday, Oct. 18.

The Panthers volleyball squad met its match in District 12’s Surrey, a team consisting mostly of seniors just like Rugby.

Rugby went into the game with a 10-win, eight loss overall record and an eight-win, three loss Region 6 record. The District 11 Panthers had a 5-1 in-district win/loss record.

The Mustangs started their home game with a 4-3 win/loss record for District 12 and a 5-2 record in Region 6.

Along with a home court advantage, the Mustangs had a student section filled with fans that often traded barbs and cheers with Rugby’s contingent of student fans.

Boosted by their support, the Mustangs began set 1 with a two-point lead. Rugby tied the score soon, thanks by kills and blocks by outside hitter Peyton Hauck and middle blocker Lacie Deplazes.

The Panthers pulled ahead by two before slipping behind again.

With help from Surrey outside hitter Harli Dickman, the Mustangs soon led 19-16.

The Panthers fought on, but slipped again. An ace by Surrey’s Amanda Severson wrapped up a 25-22 set win for the Mustangs.

The battle continued in set 2, with Surrey striking first before a kill by Deplazes evened the score. Awkward bounces off the gym’s rafters and a strong Mustangs line at the net began to hurt the Panthers.

Surrey soon had a 9-3 lead and seemed poised for a set 2 win. Setter Joey Wolf tipped a kill over the net to begin Rugby’s battle back from the brink.

After a block by middle hitter Kendra Leier gave the Panthers another point, Wolf took a turn at serving, delivering three aces in a row.

The set soon tied 10-10. Leier and Surrey’s Mia Aberle traded blocks and kills. Rugby’s Savannah McCall landed a kill to stop attempts by the Mustangs to stay in the lead again.

Attacks by Rugby’s front line sent Mustangs scrambling. The teams battled to a 23-23 tie. When an attack by Surrey sailed out of bounds, Rugby reached set point. After a timeout by Surrey, a kill by Amanda Severson tied the score at 24 each.

Another kill by Surrey outside hitter Mekenzie Neighbors gave the Mustangs a 25-24 lead before a kill by McCall tied the score again.

An ace by Rugby’s Ally Graner put the Panthers ahead again. A Surrey attack went out of bounds, giving Rugby the set win.

The score stayed close in set 3 before Rugby pulled ahead by five points. The Mustangs showed signs of fatigue as they closed the gap. A devastating kill delivered by Rugby’s Mykell Heidlebaugh kept the Panthers ahead. Kills by Wolf and Deplazes helped the Panthers gain some distance ahead of the Mustangs.

After an ace by Graner, Neighbors signaled a possible comeback for Surrey when she placed a kill to the outside corner of Panthers territory.

But not only did the Panthers keep the pressure on, they turned it up as they landed more accurate attacks against the Mustangs.

Rugby climbed to game point with another kill by McCall. A Heidlebaugh block followed, then an ace by Hauck sealed a set 3 win for the Panthers.

The Mustangs regrouped and took an early lead in set 4.

Kills by Hauck and Leier, plus an ace by Wolf tied the score at eight each. Dickman and Surrey middle hitter Amelia Hoffman answered with kills of their own.

The teams traded ties and two-point leads before Leier broke through a strong Surrey defense with a kill, then stopped an attack cold with a block.

The determined Mustangs responded by sending the Panthers to the floor as they scrambled to save a point.

Surrey reached striking distance, trailing 21-23.

A kill by Heidlebaugh gave Rugby game point. But a Panthers attack landed in the net, giving Surrey hope for a comeback.

Wolf and the rest of the Panthers front line stayed determined to end the game. A block by Wolf ricocheted off Mustang hands to land out of bounds, and the Panthers had a 3-1 game win.

“We started off a little slow,” Panthers Coach Jessica Fritz said after the game.

“Surrey came in with a lot of energy and we just kind of fell flat right away,” she said.

“We need to learn how to start off a little bit more aggressive and not get ourselves in a hole,” she added. “But we were able to come through tonight and fight through that. Knowing that you can start out slow and finish strong and finish a game – when we’re at 22, 23 points, and finish it all the way through, that’s important.”

“And tonight, we did it,” she said.

Fritz said the matchup was a good test to prepare the Panthers for regionals.

“It’s nice to play against region teams from the other district because a lot of times, we don’t get to see them,” she said. “So, getting to play them before tournament time happens is important. It’ll be a fun battle, but we’ve just got to come out ready to play, too.”