Elsah, IL. - Principia College Volleyball had its home opener Wednesday night against the Archers of St. Louis Community College (STLCC). The Panthers lost to the Archers last Saturday in straight sets, but right from the start, the Panthers were determined to make this a different match.
With improved net play and hitting, led by sophomore
Alana Hinson and freshman
Paige Fowler, the Panthers lost a close first set 25-23. The teams continued to battle back and forth in the second set. Strong serving and some key blocks by junior
Madi Leslie helped win set two 28-26. STLCC won the third set 25-9 and looked to finish the match out in 4. However, Principia would not give up, winning an exciting fourth set by the score of 27-25. Throughout the match, the play of setters
Neha Bandrapalli and
Aaliyah Scott was constant in giving the team every opportunity to succeed. Set 5 went back and forth with the Archers finally pulling out a tight 15-13 win. It was a great way to bring volleyball back to Principia and for the fans to see an exciting match.
"The match exceeded my expectations. The team was challenged to compete and fight for every point, and they did that for 5 sets against a team that handled them pretty easily 4 days ago. It's a big jump for us as a team and gives all of them a lot more confidence as they go forward. I'm really proud of all of them."
Up Next: the Panthers are traveling to Eureka IL. to play in the Eureka Tri-Match. They will be playing Eureka at 12:00pm and Illinois Institute of Technology at 2:30pm.
