K-P rolls over Whiting 3-0

(Sentinel photo by Roy Tucker) K-P's Rachel Leekley tips the ball over the net Thursday night in the Lady Panthers' 3-0 sweep of Whiting. [Click to enlarge]

Kingsley-Pierson bounced back from a heartbreaking fifth-game loss to Class 1A No. 15 Galva-Holstein Tuesday by swiftly knocking out Whiting in a Western Valley Conference match Thursday evening.

The host Lady Panthers swept the visiting Warriors 3-0 as they improved to 4-1 in the league.

Inspired by their home crowd in game one, K-P came out on fire, dominating Whiting 25-3. The Lady Panthers were equally impressive in game two as they won 25-8.

(Sentinel photo by Roy Tucker) K-P's Briana Schaeuble digs up a hit against Whiting Thursday night. The senior was the squad's leader in digs with four in the match, which K-P won 3-0. [Click to enlarge]

"The first two games, we just kind of came out and did what we needed to do," K-P volleyball coach Jon Mouw said. "We did our thing and played pretty well."

"It really started from the serving line," Mouw continued. "We were serving tough and [Whiting] had a hard time getting the ball back to us."

But in game three, the Lady Panthers had a bit more trouble tallying the win for the sweep as they barely edged the Warriors, 25-22.

"That third game we had a tough time," Mouw said. "It really showed from the service line and in our passing, which translated to not hitting well. All around we just lost focus in that third game."

Despite that loss of focus, the Lady Panthers won the match 3-0.

Senior Briana Schaeuble was the all-around leader for K-P once again. The middle hitter rocked the net with a team-high 10 kills. She also led on defense with four digs and eight blocks at the net.

Fellow senior Amanda Dirksen was a force to be reckoned with from the service line. The middle hitter served up a team-high seven aces. The Lady Panthers tallied 19 aces as a team in the match. Dirksen was second to Schaeuble in kills, tallying five on the night.

Kelsey Krieg, the senior setter, dished up 10 assists on the night to set up the Lady Panthers' offense.

Another key defender for K-P was Deandra Mahrt. The freshman outside hitter dug up three hits in Thursday evening's match. "Deandra's really just fitting in well right now with our squad," Mouw said of the stand-out freshman. He hopes to see more good things from Mahrt as the season continues.

With the win, K-P improves to 6-4 on the season with a nearly-perfect 4-1 WVC record.

The Lady Panthers will see a couple conference squads this weekend as they compete in the Battle Creek-Ida Grove tournament Saturday.

Last fall, K-P placed second at this tournament, boasting a 4-1 record on the day with their only loss coming to the eventual tournament champion, Class 3A's Sergeant Bluff-Luton.

The Lady Panthers' opponents at the tournament this year will be nearly identical to last fall - SB-L, BC-IG, Odebolt-Arthur and Manson Northwest Webster.

Last fall the Lady Panthers also defeated Woodbine at the BC-IG tournament.

Of the teams competing, K-P has already seen Odebolt-Arthur in a conference match last week. The Lady Panthers downed the Trojanettes 3-0 (25-13, 25-19, 25-18). K-P will face BC-IG in conference play on October 7.

Mouw is gunning for a big performance from his squad at Saturday's tournament. With a solid and experienced core, the Lady Panthers - led by five seniors - will continue their impressive run on Saturday.