Lovell netters drop season finale against Powell

By: 
Joe Koritnik

Coming off a big 3A West Conference victory against Worland, the Lovell Lady Bulldogs were looking for another key conference win when they hosted the number three ranked Powell Lady Panthers last Thursday on Senior Night. The Lady Panthers, however, spoiled the upset bid with a straight set victory, 25-22, 25-19 and 25-13.

Senior Night can be very emotional for the players, parents and coaches and sometimes it is difficult for the players to keep their focus on playing the match. Coach Tera Kostelecky commented that “Senior Night is always an interesting night as it is very emotional. When half your team is consumed with these emotions, it’s very tough to stay focused and compete.”

In the final match of the regular season the Lady Bulldogs started strong and opened up a lead of 8-5 and then continued their strong play at the net to build the lead to 15-8. A kill by Powell made the score 15-9, but Lovell pushed the lead back to within seven at 17-10 with a kill of their own.

At this point in the set the Lady Panthers began to gain the momentum and gradually battled back to trail by two points at 18-16. A block by Libby Mickelson put Lovell up 19-16, but then the Lady Panthers reeled off seven straight points to take the lead 23-19 and then closed out the first set 25-22 with a kill.

The second set saw the two teams battle back and forth as Lovell tied the score 8-8 on a block by Kennadee Owens and then took the lead 10-9 only to have Powell score six of the next seven points for a 15-11 lead. The Lady Panthers with several kills and strong serving were able to close out the set 25-19.

The Lady Panthers, who lost a tough five-set match to the number one ranked Cody Fillies on Tuesday, continued their strong play to close out the match with a 25-13 win in set three.

“I am so glad the night was filled with support for all six of our seniors as it marked a milestone of their high school careers. Nonetheless, we did have too many mental errors as a team, which led to less communication. Unfortunately, this cannot happen in this game,” stated Coach Kostelecky about the match.

Lovell now must get mentally and physically prepared for the 3A West Conference Tournament and the opportunity to earn a berth in the state tournament, which a Lovell team has not qualified for since 2017.

“As we gear up for Regionals, we will focus on winning. We need to win two to compete at State,” noted Coach Kostelecky.

The No. 8 seeded Lady Bulldogs will open the tournament at 10 a.m. on Friday at Powell High School against the No. 1 ranked Cody Fillies. The tournament concludes with the championship match on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.

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