COULEE CITY – After a closely contested first set between Almira/Coulee-Hartline and Valley Christian, the Panthers went on to defeat the Warriors 3-0 on Thursday night, dropping ACH to 6-4 this season. 

“I feel like we are still trying to find our identity and figuring out how to put a solid match together,” ACH head coach Katie Walsh said. “Tonight showed that we’ve got work to do.” 

ACH held six-point leads twice in the opening set, first leading 7-1 early before later taking a 14-8 lead. However, Valley Christian rallied to tie the match at 17, assisted by three consecutive aces, and the two sides traded scores down the stretch of the opening set before Valley Christian won 30-28. 

“We started really strong, and were controlling our side of the net,” Walsh said. “They got some runs – got to give it to Valley (Christian), they played a solid game. They didn’t have holes on the floor, they kept getting the ball back to us.” 

Valley Christian coach Kaitlyn Maricelli credited the Panthers for stepping up in a tight first set. 

“These girls, they like to play neck-and-neck,” she said. “They love that energy and being able to use that energy to take it and say, ‘We’re going to use this to be able to come out on top.’ They want to win.” 

The Panthers rode the momentum from winning the first set into the second frame, leading the entire way en route to a 25-15 win over ACH and a 2-0 lead in the match. 

“When you’re going into those tough matches, and it’s back-and-forth, it’s a little bit harder to rally,” Walsh said. “That’s definitely what happened that second match – we just did not show up.” 

Valley Christian took another early lead in the third set, holding a 10-5 advantage, before ACH cut the deficit to 13-12 midway through the set. Following another Panther scoring run, taking an 18-12 lead, the Warriors again cut into the lead, making it a 24-23 Valley Christian lead; however, a Panther spike ended the set with a 25-23 score. 

“Volleyball’s such an interesting sport, where you want to play loose and be able to play balls up, but you also need to have an intensity and aggressiveness – it's hard to sometimes find that balance, where we want consistency, but we also need to stay aggressive,” Walsh said.  

With Thursday’s loss, the Warriors fell to 6-4 on the season and 6-3 in the Northeast 1B league standings; the top four teams qualify for the postseason from the North division. ACH played a key game against Mary Walker on Saturday, though scores were not available in time for press deadline. 

“These girls can battle,” Walsh said. “I’ve seen them do it, and they did it tonight. I think we have just a little ways to go to be able to figure out our identity and be able to play at a high level consistently.” 

Box Score 

VLC: 30-25-25 3 

ACH: 28-15-23 0 

    Almira/Coulee-Hartline junior Emma Brummett rises to spike the ball during the second set against Valley Christian on Thursday.
  

    ACH junior Naomi Molitor bumps the ball Thursday against Valley Christian.
  

    Almira/Coulee-Hartline sophomore Dani Isaak prepares to serve the ball against Valley Christian on Thursday.