VOLLEYBALL RECAPS

10.18.18 LADY PANTHERS BATTLE, FALL TO #5

As we all know, the midwest Athletic Conference is one of the toughest in the state. No matter what division, size or region of the state. That is why the Van Wert sectional becomes a "Super Sectional". With 11 teams in the sectional, there are 5 teams ranked in division four. Numbers one, two, three, five and fourteen of eleven teams in the sectional. The lady Panthers were the sixth seed and battled with #5 Marion Local in the first match of tournament play. Parkway fell behind early in the first game and never recovered. Falling to the lady flyers 25-13 the Panthers seemed a little shell shocked. But the theme of the day was believe and in the second game, that was evident. Parkway kept pace with the flyers for most of the set, trading points back and forth. But Marion Local pulled away late to get the 25-19 win and lead two games to none. The panthers slowly were seeing their season come to an end with the flyers needing just one more win for the match. But the lady flyers were just to tough at the net for Parkway. Parkway battled all the way to the end, not giving up and making the flyers earn the victory. The lady Panthers season came to a close with a 25-17 win for the flyers. This was the final match for the lone senior Grace Swander, she was the captain and rock for the lady panthers. For those that followed the volleyball team, this was evident, her leadership was always on display. Grace finished her final match in the black & gold with 4 aces and 6 kills on the night. Gracyn Temple led the panthers with 15 assists and Kris Kirby garnered 13 digs on the night. The lady Panthers finish the season with an 11-12 record.

10.11.18 WILDCATS POUNCE ON PANTHERS

In the final match of the regular season, Parkway traveled to Minster. Those in attendance were treated to a very good hard fought match from both teams. With similar records, the wildcats and panthers were evenly matched. The wildcats started off with a slight lead in the first set, but Parkway made a game of it late in the set. But Minster took a 1-0 lead after winning 25-23. The second set saw the lead change back and forth throughout the set. But the visiting Panthers prevailed, holding on for the 25-20 win. Now the match was all knotted at 1 apiece. The third game saw Parkway jump out to a lead early on. They had a five point advantage late in the game and it looked as if they would go up 2 games to 1. But the lady wildcats put together a run and were able to come away with a 28-26 win. That was the turning point of the match, puting them up 2-1. Parkway needed that fourth game win to tie it up at 2-2, but that didn't happen. Minster finished the regular season with a senior night victory over the panthers. Parkway fell in the fourth set by a count of 25-15, losing the match three games to one. Kris Kirby led the panthers with 26 digs on the night while Grace Swander finished with 19 kills. Gracyn Temple also led the visiting panthers with 31 assists on the night. The junior varsity lost a tough match 2-1 also. The ladies next action will be next week in tournament play.

10.9.18 #12 RANGERS WIN ON SENIOR NIGHT

The lady Panthers had their final home match of the season on Tuesday evening. So this was senior night for Parkway, with only one senior, that made it the Grace Swander night. After a heartfelt presentation for Grace, the lady panthers went to battle with the # 12 ranked rangers. The rangers came out on fire and built a lead early in the game. Parkway had some nice plays, but it wasn't enough to overcome the lady rangers. New Knoxville won the first set with a score of 25-12. Parkway started the second set better than they did the first. But the net play of the rangers was too much for Parkway.The lady rangers kept Parkway on their toes and took the second set by a 25-12 score also. Falling behind 2-0 to the rangers, Parkway needed to up their level of play if they wanted to get a win. As they did throughout the match, the lady rangers dominated the play at the net. They were spot on with their blocks, which the panthers struggled to handle all evening. New Knoxville won the third set 25-8 and the match 3-0. Kris Kirby led the way in the dig department with 7 on the night. Grace Rogers finished with 10 assists and the lone senior finished the evening with 9 kills for the lady panthers. The junior varsity also lost to the visiting rangers. Parkway will travel to Minster for their final regular season match on Thursday.

10.4.18 LADY 'JAYS NO MATCH FOR PARKWAY

It was a little different tonight as the varsity played the fist match and then the jv's, due to low numbers for the host blue jays. Parkway and the lady jays started the first set going back and forth. The lead changed hands often until midway through the set. Parkway took control and built a lead that ended in a first set win by a score of 25-19. The panthers didn't have the "normal" starters in the game due to an injury in practice. But "next lady up" was Ainsley Burtch and she did a fine job. The panthers settled in after going up 1-0 and were soon on thier way to a second set victory. It started much the same way as the first set and ended with the same score. The panthers had good play at the net and some really acrobatic digs en route to that 25-19 win. That put them up 2-0 in the match and they were really starting to click. With timely kills by Grace Swander and Faith Jacobs, the visiting panthers jumped out to a big lead. The lady panthers were all smiles as they dominated the play at the net and cruised to a 25-16 win in the third and final set. The 3-0 score also gives the ladies another M.A.C. win on the year. Grace Rogers led the panthers in assists with 15 on the night. Kris Kirby also had 10 digs to keep several services going. That net play from Jacobs and Swander resulted in 6 kills for Faith and 8 for Grace. McKayla Sites added 4 more service aces to her seasons total in the victory over the lady blue jays. The junior varsity had a hard fought match, but came home with the 2-0 victory.

9.27.18 LADY PANTHERS BATTLE #1 REDSKINS TOUGH

The lady panthers hit the road heading south for a match with the #1 ranked St. Henry lady redskins. Unlike the previous match, the lady panthers came ready to play. Parkway came out in the first game on fire. They were returning kill shots and puting pressure on the host redskins. Parkway jumped out to an early lead and caught St. Henry by surprise. But the lady redskins fought back and finished the first game with a 25-22 win. Although Parkway fell in the firs set, their intensity level didn't waiver. They started the second set much like they did the first, giving the redskins all they could handle. The game went back and fourth early on and Parkway kept close until late in the game. The Panthers battled hard, but the redskins increased their lead to 2-0 with a 25-18 victory. With St. Henry leading 2-0, the visiting panthers were fading fast as they ran out of steam. The size advantage at the net became even more apparent late in the contest as they had several unreturnable kill shots. Parkway fell once again in the third and final game by a score of 25-13 and losing the match 3-0. Kris Kirby was kept on her toes as she had 12 digs on the evening. Grace Swander held her own against a taller line up with 7 kills while Grace Rogers helped that effort with 7 assists. McKenna Johnson and McKayla Sites led the panther service game with 2 aces each. Parkway falls to 10-9 on the season with the loss, the junior varsity also fell to the lady redskins.

9.24.18 LCC PUMMELS PANTHERS IN THREE

Coming off a big upset victory over the Versailles tigers, the lady panthers looked like a totally different team. Parkway started the match flat and seemed to be a step behind the t-birds all evening. LCC jumped out to a quick lead in the first set, Parkway closed the gap, but just fell short. The t-birds won the first set 26-24, unfortunately the panthers wouldn't get any closer than that. The second set saw the lead change hands several times early on, but LCC took control and ran away to a 25-16 win. The visiting lady panthers were now down two games to none and it was time to get busy. Parkway started out strong in the third set, keeping pace for most of the game. But the t-birds weren't to be denied and won the third and final game by a 25-20 score. Grace Swander led Parkway in kills with 16, Kris Kirby had 11 digs on the night and Grace Rogers finished with 16 assists in the match. The junior varsity also lost to the t-birds.

9.20.18 PANTHERS DOWN DIV. 3 #8 TIGERS 3-1

Just another night of volleyball in the ever tough Midwest Athletic Conference. Parkway welcomed the #8 team in Division 3, the Versailles tigers. But this night was different in the den, the lady panthers gave a total team effort and came away with a huge victory. Parkway started the match out on fire and quickly built a big lead. The tigers fought back and were able to pull within three of the panthers. But the host panthers held on for a first set 25-22 win. Parkway took the early 1-0 lead as we headed to the second set. From the outset, this game had numerous lead changes. Versailles looked as if they would tie it at 1-1, but the panthers battled back to pull out a 25-20 win. The visitors were shocked as they fell 2 games down. In the third game , we saw a near repeat of the previous game. With the score flip flopping back and fourth the entire set. The visiting tigers eventually pulled ahead by two for a tough fought 27-25 win. The panthers lost that set but were not showing any signs of backing down. The lady panthers were playing tremendous in a facets of the game throughout the night. That continued in the fourth set, this was the most complete match for the panthers all season. They have played teams tough all season, but have struggled to follow through. That wasn't the case tonight, the net play and the digging were spot on by parkway. That final score in the fourth set was a 25-23 win by the panthers. The scrappy short ladies from Parkway just pulled off the upset of the #8 team in the state. This was also their first M.A.C. win of the season. Just another night of volleyball in the M.A.C.. Grace Swander & Faith Jacobs each had 17 kills on the night. Kris Kirby was busy getting 24 digs. Grace Rogers had 27 assists and 3 aces while Gracyn Temple has 21 assists in the match.

9.18.18 #1 CARDS TO MUCH FOR PANTHERS

After a tough match last night that went five sets, the panthers visited the #1 ranked New Bremen cardinals. The cardinals sit atop the standings In the ever tough M.A.C. and flexed their muscles while downing Parkway in three games. The lady panthers started out pretty good as they kept pace with New Bremen early in the game. That's when the cards took flight and ran off a series of uncontested points that ended in a 25-15 set one win. Both teams started off the same way in the second game, but then the panthers hit that wall again. The cardinals soared to a 25-10 victory in the second game. The lady panthers continued to fight hard, but the strength of the New Bremen net play was just too much for the panthers to handle. It was a valiant effort by Parkway, but they dropped the third and final set by a score of 25-14. The panthers stat line wasn't the usual high numbers, but when you play a team of that caliber, it's what's to be expected. Grace Rogers lead the way in assists with 8, Kris Kirby had 9 digs on the evening and Grace Swander finished the contest with 7 kills. The panthers fall to 9-7 on the season and will host Versailles on thursday. The junior varsity panthers also lost 2-0.

9.10.18 LADY PANTHERS DEFEAT CRESTVIEW

The panthers traveled to Crestview for a match with the lady knights. Crestview came out of the gates firing on all cylinders. They jumped out to a 7-1 lead before the panthers knew what hit them. Parkway seemed sluggish in the first set and couldn't stop the Knights onslaught. The hosts won the first set convincingly with a 24-14 score. They started the second set much as they did the first, but Parkway kept it close early in the set. The panthers continued to fight and they slowly came to life. It was a marathon that Parkway was able to win 30-28. With the score tied at 1-1, it seemed as if the lady panthers had the momentum swing their way. Parkway continued to battle back and forth in the third set. Crestview kept close until late in the set when the panthers were winning the plays at the net. The knights dominated the net play early in the match, but Parkway took control at the net to get a third set victory. With the 25-20 win, the panthers took a 2-1 lead over the host knights. In the fourth set, crestview seemed to have caught their breath and were keeping pace with Parkway. They battled back and forth with neither squad getting much breathing room. Then the knights got a little seperation and it looked as if they may tie it up. Led by senior Grace Swander, the play at the net was elevated and the panthers came away with a win by a 26-24 count. That gave Parkway a 3-1 victory over the lady knights.
Swander finished with 16 kills and McKenna Johnson had 13 kills. Grace Rogers was on point tonight with 20 assists and Gracyn Temple pounded 5 service aces. McKayla Sites and Kris Kirby were on their toes all evening defending the bombs from crestview. Sites finished with 22 digs and Kirby had 25 on the night. With the win, Parkway moves to 8-4 on the season. The junior varsity lost to the knights 2-0.

9.8.18 PANTHERS ARE PIONEER DAYS RUNNERS-UP

The ladies from Parkway had a good shot at winning the Pioneer Days Invitational in Kalida on Saturday. After watching the Host wildcats win the first match, it was the panthers turn on the court. The panthers got the Edgerton bulldogs in the first round draw. Edgerton game out of the gate strong and Parkway got behind early. The panthers shook off the sluggish start and battled back in the first set. It turned out to be a marathon set that finished with a 29-27 score in the bulldogs favor. After dropping the initial set, Parkway would have to win the second set to stay alive in the bracket. It was a back and forth affair with many lead changes in the second set. Everytime the panthers would start to pull away, Edgerton would close the gap. But the lady panthers tied the match at 1-1 with a score of 26-24. Going to a third set, neither squad wanted to lose and fall into the losers bracket. With that in mind, the panthers took control with aggressive net play late in the set. The finished off the dejected bulldogs with a score of 25-19 to win the match and move to the semi-finals. After a break, the panthers were on to a semi-final match with the Bath wildcats. Although the panthers were playing with a little more "fire", the lady wildcats pushed them in the first set. Once again we saw lead changes early on in the set, but then the panthers started to pull away. Bath wasn't giving up that easily though and fought hard to close the gap. It wasn't enough though and Parkway won the first set 25-23. The wildcats looked spent just midway through the second set as they fell behind. That's when the lady panthers stepped up their game and pulled away for a 25-14 victory. They won the semi-final match 2-0 and put them in the finals against Liberty-Benton. The eagles easily defeated Kalida in two sets to make it to the finals.

The lady eagles had been dominant at the net all day, they had a front line that went 5'11'', 6' and 6'3''. That was a front line that was doing pretty much whatever they wanted, and it was working. The Panthers would have to elevate their play if they wanted to win the invite. Just as expected, that front line made the difference in the first set as the panthers fell 16-25. Parkway caught their breath and regrouped to win the second set and force a tie breaker. Grace Swander led the way and would not back down, she elevated her game and Parkway forced a third set with a score of 25-22. Parkway was one win away from being the invitational champs. Unfortunately, winning that second set took all that parkway had to give. The lady eagles jumped out to an early lead, it was too much for Parkway to overcome. With the 25-17 score, Liberty Benton became the invite champions. Grace Swander recorded 50 kills on the day for the panthers. Parkway went 2-1 on the day and improved to 7-4 on the season.

9.6.18 PANTHERS BATTLE CAVS, BUT FALL SHORT

The lady panthers played for the first time this week, but they came up short against the host Lady Cavaliers. Although the state runner-up cavs lost some players to graduation, they still have a very solid team. That would include a six foot plus middle hitter, and three more that were five foot ten . That height was alot for the visiting panthers to overcome. Parkway got off to a good start in the first set, they even jumped out to a pretty good lead. But that was short lived as the cavaliers battled back for a 25-18 win. The panthers continued to battle in the second set. It went back and forth with the teams trading the lead for most of the set. Coldwater pulled away and recorded the second set win by a count of 25-20. Down two sets to none, the panthers were on the ropes and needed a win badly if they wanted a chance to win the match. The lady panthers started the third set trading points, but then the height of the hosts became the focal point of Parkways downfall. Those taller cavaliers dominated at the net, they blocked nearly everything that Parkway threw at them. On the offensive side, Coldwater had one successful kill after another on their way to a third set win. The final set was won by a count of 25-15 and the cavs get the 3-0 victory. Parkway falls to 5-3 on the season and 0-2 in M.A.C. play. Grace Swander led the panthers with 5 kills and Grace Rogers had 10 assists on the evening. Gracyn Temple led the panthers with 4 service aces and 10 digs versus Coldwater. The junior varsity also lost two sets to zero.

8.30.18 INDIANS LENGTH TO MUCH FOR PANTHERS

It was the third game in four days for the Parkway ladies and against Ft. Recovery. That made for a tall order for Parkway. Speaking of tall, that describes the Indians well. That height of the visitors was the difference in the game. Ft. Recovery all but shut down the panthers play at the net, holding the hosts to just 6 kills on the evening. That is for all three sets that the lady Indians were dominant at the net. Parkway didn't have any answers on the defensive side either. The kills were coming in so hot that the panthers were lucky to just get out of the way. It was a three set sweep by Ft. Recovery with scores of 25-9, 25-14 and 25-19. McKenna Johnson and Grace Swander each had three kills. Kris Kirby had 12 digs on the night and Grace roger finished with 10 assists. Parkway moves to 5-2 on the season and 0-1 in the M.A.C.. The ladies get a few days off to regroup and the travel to Coldwater for their next match. The jv's also lost to the Indians in 2 sets.

8.28.18 PANTHERS BATTLE HARD FOR 3-2 WIN

Parkway welcomed the South Adams starfires to Rockford for a border battle. It was a battle that went down to the wire in the fifth and final set. South Adams jumped out to a big lead in the first set. They had the young panthers visibly rattled. The visitors easily won the set by a score of 25-14 The second set started out with the stars on top, but Parkway settled in and were able to eek out a 26-24 win. The match was now tied at one apiece. The starfires grabbed the early lead and finished the third set with a 25-22 win. Both teams were playing pretty well at the net throughout the match. This was the fourth set and now it was a must win for Parkway if they wanted to get the victory. Back and fourth we went, exchanging the lead all the way to the end. The lady panthers pulled away to record the 25-23 fourth set win. You could see the fatigue in the girls on both side of the net, but they dug in and battled one more time. Parkway started of with a little rally, but the stars soon caught back up. Trading points until Grace Swander took control at the net. With some beautiful setting, Swander wound up and killed it en route to big panthers victory. Grace Roger had a huge night with 28 awesome assists. Kris Kirby was busy digging and finished with 22 on the night. Senior Grace Swander led Parkway with 22 kills on the evening. Parkway improves to 5-1 and will host the Ft. Recovery Indians on Thursday. The junior varsity ladies lost a tough one in the sets.

8.27.18 LADY PANTHERS DROP OTTOVILLE 3-0

Parkway hosted the Ottoville big green on Monday evening and finished with another victory. It was a close first set until midway through. But the lady panthers pulled away for a big 25-11 win. But Ottoville came back in the second set and kept pace with parkway for most of the set. The net play of the panthers enabled them to pull away for the 25-21 win. That put the host's up 2-0 in the match. Parkway was pushed by the big green in the final set, but the panthers finished with a 25-22 win. Throughout the match, Parkway did a really nice job of digging some nasty kills from Ottoville. Kris Kirby led the way for the panthers with 17 digs in the match. That net play I spoke of earlier, Grace Swander was dominant with 15 kills and freshman Faith Jacobs chipped in with 7 of her own. The panthers finished with four aces and they came from Grace Rogers and Grace Swander. Parkway moves to 4-1 on the season and will welcome the lady starfires on Tuesday. The jv's also won by a score of 2-0.

8.25.18 PARKWAY WINS PANTHER INVITATIONAL

What a difference a couple days can make. The lady panthers bounced back from a season opening loss that went five sets. Parkway won three matches on the day to win the Panther Invitational. Their day started with a match versus the lady spartans from Lima Senior. Parkway easily took the first set by a score of 25-16. But the visitors bounced back and won the second set 25-23. The spartans kept close, but the panthers got the 25-20 win. Giving them a 2-1 victory in the first match of the day. In the second match they would face The Elida lady bulldogs. Elida had trouble handling the Parkway play at the net and were clearly out matched. Parkway cruised to a 2-0 victory by scores of 25-7 and 25-14. With the victory, Parkway would advance to the championship match versus Celina. Celina overwhelmed the panthers and jumped out to an early ten point lead in the first set. But the young panthers showed their grit and battled back for a 25-14 win. Celina was dominant at the net in the second set. It seemed as if it were just kill after kill, that led to a 25-14 win for the bulldogs. The match was tied at one each and the momentum was with Celina heading into the final set. The bulldogs started out with a little run, but midway through the set, Parkway came to life. Grace Swander led the way with some big kills, but the youngsters stepped up their game also. Ole "mo" had jumped on the panthers back and the lady panthers took him for a ride. With good communication and awareness, these girls showed panther nation just how good they can be. This was a really fun match to watch, the intensity and drive from the Parkway Panthers is going to make for a fun season. Parkway improves to 3-1 on the season.

8.23.18 LADIES DROP A HEARTBREAKER IN OPENER

It was the season opener for the lady panthers as they traveled across the border for a match with the jets of Adams Central. Parkway has some youth in the starting lineup and it showed early on in the first set. The host jets cruised to a 25-17 win in the first set of the match. But the panthers settled in and battled hard for a 25-23 win in the second set, tying it at one apiece. The third set was close all the way, but Parkway pulled away for a 25-19 win and a 2-1 advantage over the hosts. Adams Central jumped out to a lead in set four, although the panthers kept it close, it wasn't enough and we went to a fifth set. Parkway started out on a roll and built a small lead, but the jets wouldn't give up and were able to erase that Parkway advantage. Adams Central pulled out the 16-14 fifth set win for a 3-2 victory over the young panthers. It was a heartbreaking loss, but the lady panthers will chalk it up to a learning experience. Parkway did really well keeping volleys going, making some really nice plays. Parkway is in action next on Saturday at home.