Lady Plainsmen sit on 3-21 record with two games left before sub-districts

As the Perkins County Lady Plainsmen near the end of their season, they added five more games to their record, including conference action.

Losses during triangular play in Benkelman on Oct. 9 and SPVA in Grant on Oct. 13 bring the team’s current record to 3-21.

Hershey

Perkins County’s first game of Tuesday’s triangular was against the Hershey Panthers.

The Lady Plainsmen had a difficult time finding their rhythm and energy throughout the game and struggled to keep up with the fast-paced, hard-hitting Panthers.

Hershey played a tough game against the Lady Plainsmen, challenging their defensive back row with strong hitters. They also confronted Perkins County’s offense at the net with good blockers and coverage.

The Panthers defeated them in two sets, 25-9, 25-11.

Dundy County-Stratton

During the second game of the triangular Oct. 9, Perkins County faced the Dundy County-Stratton Tigers.

Between games, Head Coach Monica Cole explained the importance of hustling during every single play to her team.

Although the Lady Plainsmen played with more hustle against the Tigers and saw improvement in their defensive play, they struggled to get an effective offense rolling and couldn’t keep up with the Tigers who continued to put points on the board.

The Tigers defeated Perkins County in two sets, 25-6, 25-12.

Hershey

On Saturday, Oct. 13, Perkins County played host to the SPVA conference tournament.

Perkins County opened with the Hershey Panthers, seeing them for the second time in less than a week.

Cole orchestrated a rotation change for the tournament weekend, bringing sophomore Miah Long to the middle and moving junior Bella Fraizer to the outside. According to Cole, she was proud of how her team handled the adjustment.

Despite seeing some additional accomplishment in their defensive play against the Panthers, as well as some success at the net, Perkins County could not keep up with Hershey who continued to rack up points against the Lady Plainsmen.

Hershey defeated Perkins County in two sets, 25-10, 25-9.

Bridgeport

The second round of the tournament, Perkins County played the Bridgeport Bulldogs.

Perkins County battled hard during the first set of the match. The Lady Plainsmen had several successful serves by Fraizer and junior Makenzie Toner. They also played well defensively and were able to pick up digs off their blocks and touches at the net.

At game point, the Lady Plainsmen missed their serve and were unable to gain momentum back before the Bulldogs pulled ahead for the win.

“Miah stepped up to the plate and got some blocks for us and Bella did a good job on the outside getting some kills and attacks for us. I was super proud of how the girls handled that first set! It gave them a little more confidence to play harder,” Cole stated.

Perkins County fell to the Bulldogs in two sets, 26-24, 25-12.

Kimball

The final game of the tournament for Perkins County was against the Kimball Longhorns.

Missed serves early in the match put the Lady Plainsmen behind and struggling to catch up.

Perkins County had a strong defensive showing from their back row during this match, with several successful digs. They also attacked the net and were able to find holes in the Longhorn defense.

Despite their efforts, the Lady Plainsmen were unable to dig themselves out of point deficits and come back.

The Longhorns defeated the Lady Plainsmen in two sets, 25-16, 25-20.

“We play them again on Tuesday. It should be a good battle,” said Cole.

After a full week of games, Cole is proud of her team and their accomplishments.

“The girls are beginning to see their small successes and that is big! It keeps them wanting more and that is all a part of the growth,” she said.

Next action

Tuesday, Oct. 16 Perkins County hosted the Kimball Longhorns. Results of that game will be in next week’s issue.

On Friday, Oct. 19, the Lady Plainsmen will travel to Wallace to face the Lady Wildcats, beginning at 4 p.m.