In its home debut on Tuesday, the North Lamar Pantherettes volleyball team took care of business against visiting Daingerfield in straight sets. The Pantherettes took down the Lady Tigers by a final score of 25-15, 25-6, and 25-13.
North Lamar came out hungry from the opening serve as it raced out to an 11-4 lead in the first set. Daingerfield called a timeout to try to stop the bleeding, but Pantherettes senior outside hitter Macy Richardson rekindled her team’s momentum with a big kill to extend North Lamar’s lead to 14-7. An ace from senior setter Emma Doyal a few points later stretched the advantage to 17-7, and the Pantherettes did not look back in the victorious first set.
“Them not playing for four and five months made them appreciate things, like practice, that normally can get kind of mundane and monotonous,” Pantherettes head volleyball coach Sara Beth Upchurch said. “They have been locked in every single day, which I really think is because they went so long without having it, so now I think they really appreciate when they get to come into the gym. We are in that mode talking about how we are thankful every day. We’re just glad to see another game, and the girls know it can be taken away at any moment.”
The home team continued its sharp play in the second set, led by a barrage of emphatic kills from senior outside hitter Ashley Trenchard and solid front-line play from junior middle blocker Hutton Pointer. The players kept each other motivated and energized throughout, which was and will continue to be a key factor in North Lamar’s success.
“The main thing with us getting through the season is that we play for each other,” Trenchard said. “We play for the person next to us, and that’s what makes us get that drive to execute every game.”
“It’s really important for us to hold each other accountable because when one person has a bad day, everyone else needs to talk them up and vice versa,” Pantherettes senior libero Noel Rainey said. “It’s really important for us to be able to rely on each other so we stay locked in and get better every single day.”
In the third set, Daingerfield got out to an early 4-1 advantage, but Richardson put an end to the Lady Tigers’ short spurt. Sher served every point during a 10-0 scoring run for North Lamar, highlighted by an ace and a big kill on a free ball from Pointer. At the end of the scoring run, North Lamar was in the driver’s seat ahead 11-4.
Back row kills from sisters Noel and Kate Rainey, followed by a strong finish from Trenchard propelled the Pantherettes to the finish line for the sweep.
Trenchard and Noel Rainey led the way on offense and defense. Trenchard finished the match with a team-high 11 kills with 1 block, while Rainey recorded a team-high 5 digs to go with 3 aces and 2 digs. Richardson added a kill, 2 digs, and nailed 22 of her 23 serves including an impressive 5 aces. Senior setters Doyal and Abby Nielsen were impactful in the win. Doyal registered 18 assists and 1 ace, while Nielsen had 17 assists and 2 digs.
Pointer totaled 6 kills and 4 blocks, while freshman twins Lauren and Logan Dougherty combined for 5 kills, 2 aces, and 2 blocks. Kate Rainey and Emma Layton added plenty of hustle and consistent back row passes, and the former also added a kill. Junior middle blocker Hannah Titlow also had a block.
As the season presses onward, Upchurch likes the mindset her girls have as they all look forward to succeed and keep pushing forward together.
“We are a very young team this year, and I think that right there is going to help us keep them motivated,” Upchurch said. “We have a lot of people in new positions that want to do well and a lot of young players that are excited about being here and being in high school sports in general. Going forward, it’s not going to be very hard to keep them mentally focused because they don’t really have that senioritis attitude. They’re really ready to be back in school, keep this program to the level it has been, and keep pushing it forward. They really have that team mentality.”
The Pantherettes will travel to New Boston to face the Lady Lions at 4:30 p.m. Friday, then will host Prairiland at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.