Change can be good, and the Panther volleyball team found that out on Tuesday at the expense of the Lac qui Parle Valley Eagles.
Coming off a 3-1 loss to KMS — a match that saw TMB lose three straight sets — coach Heather Kamrud-Rice juggled the lineup and rotation for Tuesday’s showdown with the Eagles.
Suffice it to say, it worked, as TMB made quick work of the Eagles, winning 25-11, 25-17, 25-15 to improve to 5-6 on the season and 2-1 in the Camden.
“I thought we played with really good energy tonight,” TMB coach Heather Kamrud-Rice said. “We were trying a little bit of a twist on our lineup, and I was glad to see it come together. There were a few things communication-wise that we need to clean up, but otherwise I really liked the way they moved the ball.”
The issues were few and far between, especially in the first set, against an overmatched LQPV team. Gretchen Lanoue served up one of her five aces for a 7-2 lead, and the Panthers would continue cruising, scoring 18 of the set’s final 27 points.
“I like the way that we stayed aggressive on offense,” Kamrud-Rice said. “Ideally, the sooner we get into the lineup we’re going to have at the end of the season the better. When girls are playing next to someone different, sometimes the communication isn’t there. When you start switching around, it does take a little bit for players to start clicking next to each other, even at the net blocking.”
Another strong start in Set 2 led to a 14-7 TMB advantage, but the Eagles were more up to the challenge in this set, eventually cutting their deficit to 15-12. An Alli Dolan kill squashed LQPV’s momentum momentarily, but the Eagles kept fighting. It was a four-point TMB lead before kills by Melaina Ankrum and Elsie Knott made it 23-17. Two Allie Adams service aces — she had three on the night — ended the set, and washed away the bad taste in the Panthers’ mouths from the loss in Kerkhoven.
“Getting that first set at KMS and losing the next three, all the girls were mad about it,” said TMB hitter Braelynn Kirk. “Traveling all the way up there, and then that happens wasn’t good.”
Set 3 saw TMB sprint to a quick 11-1 lead. LQPV once again rallied to trim the deficit to 19-13, but the Eagles were sloppy at the net in the late stages of the set, committing two hitting errors and a service error, opening the door for a 10-point Panther win to close out the match.
Kirk gave a shout-out to libero Lauren Knakmuhs, who led the team in digs with 15.
“Lauren did a fantastic job in the back row,” Kirk said. “She was really determined in going after every ball. And trying Melaina in the middle and me on the outside I think really helped.”
Kirk said the Panthers are trending in the right direction as the regular season hits the halfway point.
“We’ve definitely gotten better since (the first match against) Red Rock,” she said. “We’re just pursuing better chemistry. At practice, it definitely helps practicing next to the girls, passing to them, knowing who to pass to.”
Adams and Ankrum had 11 and eight kills, respectively, for the Panthers, and Kirk finished with six to go along with seven digs. Alli Dolan had 15 set assists and four kills.
LQPV 11 17 15 TMB 25 25 25 Kills: Adams 11, Ankrum 8, Kirk 6, Dolan 4, Knott 3, Lanoue 3. Set assists: Dolan 15, Ankrum 10, Knakmuhs 2, Kirk 2, Lanoue. Service aces: Lanoue 5, Adams 3, Dolan, Kirk. Digs: Knakmuhs 15, Ankrum 10, Kirk 7, Adams 4, Dolan 4, Lanoue 3. Blocks: Knott, Lanoue.
No statistics were reported from the Panthers’ 3-1 loss to KMS last Thursday.
