Panther’s volleyball season ends at Mediapolis

MEDIAPOLIS- Pekin’s season ended on Thursday, October 27 against Mediapolis. Mepo used hard accurately placed serves to really throw off the Panthers throughout, and ultimately Mepo used that aggression to help beat Pekin. Pekin had some success in set number two and was able to hang close for a stretch, but ended up falling 15-25. Mepo took three straight sets, and Pekin’s season ends against a tough Mepo squad in a rough Regional matchup.

            Maci Gambell had five kills and 14 digs for the Panthers, while Haley Gambell had three kills, six assists, and nine digs. Whitney Johnson led the Panthers in digs with 15, and Faith Oostra added three kills and one block to her season total.

            Pekin fell 25-10 in the first set, and 15-25 in the second. The third set things just never seemed to come together, and Mepo rolled with the momentum that they had built to a 25-7 victory. Despite the final outcome and the Panther’s overall record there have been a lot of great things done by these girls, and lots of experience and talent will be returning next season to help build off this year.

            Head coach Ken Hutchinson said the following regarding his teams performance on Thursday; “We knew Mepo would be a tough obstacle to overcome; however, we felt that if we could pass off their serve then we would compete on the night. One of our areas we struggled with this year was serve receiving, and they are very strong servers. We started the first set in a 9-0 hole because of our struggles receiving their serves; we just couldn't pass their serve in an area that would allow us to run offense. In the second set however we passed off their serves much better. The first half of the second set was anyone's game, trading points off kills until half way through the set. After that, they had all the momentum. They started the third set with solid serving and again we struggled to pass.”

            Pekin finishes the season at 12-18 overall, obviously a fall off from their 23-6 mark last season, but they are a very young team. They lose Aspen Clark, Gabi Rutherford, Hazel Ward and Kaitlyn Conger, but return a majority of their starting rotation back next year. The nucleus of this team is very much intact with strong junior contributions this season from Kennedy Coleman, Maci Gambell, Whitney Johnson and Faith Oostra, as well as Deanna and Paige Winn. The Panthers also saw great time and stats from Haley Gambell and Ellie Ledger who are both sophomores and returning as well next season. Coach Hutchinson’s team will see much more success with preparation and hard work in the off-season this year and should reap the benefits in the future.