The tournament completed a week which saw the team play eight matches over four days going 5-2.
Their day started with a match against the host Warriors with a 16-5 record. After winning the first set 27-25, Sterling battled back to win the second set 25-23. The Lady Golden Warriors went on to win the third and deciding set 15-11. Ava Johnson had 8 kills for EP with Alaina Frank adding 7. Kayler Pritchard had 4 blocks to go along with 4 kills. Lia Milem had 4 serving aces, 3 kills, and 21 assists. “Despite the early (tournament) loss, I was very proud of our efforts to play such a competitive, three set match against a very physical Sterling squad,” said EP coach Rachel Bramm.
EP took care of Annawan in straight sets, 25-16, 25-13 in their second match. Pritchard had 4 kills, Frank had an amazing 7 serving aces, and Zoey Stuart recorded 3 blocks to lead the stat sheet.
The Lady Panthers went up against Eastland in their next match and won a close two set match 25-21, 25-23. Ava Johnson dominated the offense, spiking 11 kills in the match. Frank had 6 kills and 4 aces.
The team’s third win of the day came against Rochelle in two sets. Johnson and Pritchard each had 7 blocks in the match. Frank added 5 kills, and 3 aces.
“After that first game, it was all uphill from there, securing wins over Annawan, Rochelle, and Eastland to win the silver bracket,” said Bramm. “Some of these teams were ones that we haven’t seen at all this season, yet the girls did a great job of sticking to our game plan and making adjustments when needed. It was a great way to end a really long, tough week of volleyball for our program. We’re looking forward to a very fun week ahead, including our special Volley for a Cure event on Tuesday, when we will meet Newman again for the second time in just over a week.
The 16-7-2 Lady Panthers are hoping for big turnout for their annual fundraiser on Tuesday.
