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No Rest For Panthers

Fresh Off Basketball Season, Panama Beats Maple Grove In Volleyball Opener

By Jay Young 5 min read

PANAMA -- Panama's girls volleyball team only had the opportunity to practice twice with a full team before tipping off its Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association season against Maple Grove at home on Tuesday.

You wouldn't know that by the result.

The Panthers rolled to a straight-set win, 25-16, 25-16, 25-21, to start a season that will not include New York State Volleyball Coaches Association first-team selections Kylie Schnars and Natalie Angeletti, who were lost to graduation.

"Honestly they worked well together and the jayvee kids moving up -- first time playing a 5-1 with very little practice. There were some confusing moments but they did great," Panama head coach Tammy Hosier said. "It has definitely been an unusual start. We've had seven practices and we have five of them that are basketball players. They were in the sectional final on Friday so Saturday was our first total full practice. It's just been really rushed. The basketball players did come to some half-practices but there were so many things I couldn't do with them."

Luckily Hosier still has experience to rely on in 2021, with returning seniors Maddie Johnson, Marra Hovey, Alexis Marotto and Ashlyn Harvey forming a core that also includes juniors Madelyn Lisciandro and Meadow Meredith.

Supplementing the veterans are sophomores Mandy Brink, Jo Bailey and Lilly Odell as well as freshman Sarah Harvey.

The Red Dragons, on the other hand, will be looking to earn their experience this season as they begin the year with no seniors.

"It is a good group, they are all young," said head coach Curt Miceli. "I don't have a senior on the team so it is all juniors and a bunch of sophomores. We made some young-kid mistakes as far as getting down on themselves tonight, but I was pretty happy with the way they played."

The Red Dragons would hang with Panama through the first half of the opening game, as Madi Price got started with an overhand winner and Emma Foley fired another shot off the hands of a defender for an early Maple Grove lead.

The Panthers would battle back with serving by Hovey, a block from Sarah Harvey and more strong serving from Johnson as they grabbed a 14-11 lead.

A block by Bailey and more good serving by Johnson would extend that lead, with Panama claiming the first set with a pair of points from Ashlyn Harvey, the second made possible thanks to a dig from Lisciandro.

Hovey would show strong serving throughout the night, while Ashlyn Harvey will look to slide into a key offensive role this year for the Panthers.

"Marra and Maddie Johnson have been with us for the last three years on varsity, and Maddie as the setter does a great job running that 5-1," Hosier said. "Ashlyn with that leadership has stepped up too."

Bailey will also be taking some big swings up front for the Panthers.

The sophomore started off the second set with a pair of overhand winners, but Maple Grove would return fire with a dig winner by Erin Mansfield and an ace from Megan Lockwood.

Once again both teams would remain within a point or two of one another early on before Panama was able to secure a lead down the home stretch.

The Red Dragons would miss a pair of shots to make it 16-9 in favor of the Panthers, and that lead was extended with a block and a tip winner from Bailey.

"This is a great (Panama) team, they are always a good team and we knew that coming in," Miceli said. "Them and Chautauqua Lake are the class of the league, so we know we have to play well against them. We can't make the errors, we can't not be aggressive at the net and we can't give up service errors.”

Odell would help to close out the second set with an overhand and a strong serve as well.

In the final set of the night, the Red Dragons would start to find their confidence, battling all the way to a tie at 17-17.

That improvement, even over the course of a single match, is encouraging.

"The last set, when I got on them a little bit in between (games), they got more aggressive and started swinging at the ball, we got our serves in," Miceli said. "I think we are going to be fine. I'm pretty happy with the group."

Samantha Snow would put on a fine showing for Maple Grove in the final set, especially at the service line, on her way to a team-high six kills. Mansfield would finish with 31 assists and three aces; Emma Foley three blocks; Eliza Dawes four kills and Tessa Reed three kills.

Bailey would finish with eight kills and two blocks in the win; Sarah Harvey four digs; Ashlyn Harvey six kills, and Hovey 11 digs.

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