The Park Hill South volleyball team nearly doubled its win total from last fall, but the Panthers fell short in the Class 5 District 15 Semifinals to Liberty at Liberty North High School on Oct. 23.
The Panthers bounced back from a 10-9 campaign in 2020 when Park Hill South was the undefeated conference champion this fall for the first time since 2016 and finished with a 19-11 record. The Panthers entered the district tournament as the No. 3 seed and were swept by Liberty in three tight sets.
Park Hill South Isabel Day spikes the ball in the Class 5 District 15 Semifinals on Oct. 23.
“There is nothing to hang our heads about on this season; we did a lot of things that we didn’t think was possible on the season and the girls came a long way,” Park Hill South head coach Jackie Rathke said. “They played their hearts out tonight and that is all that you can hope for as a coach.”
Park Hill South was in control for most of the opening set as it didn’t trail until Liberty broke a tie at 18 to take a 19-18 lead. The Panthers knotted it back up at 19 but struggled from that point on and eventually lost 25-20.
“I think there were just too many little errors that we made down the stretch and not kicking it into that sixth gear to go and finish. The girls came out and executed the game plan that we worked on all week and they came out with the desire and the will to get a win, but we just came up a bit short,” Rathke said.
The Panthers and Blue Jays were in another battle in the second set as neither team had more than a 3-point lead until Liberty fell behind 11-7. Park Hill South held on to a 16-12 lead and Liberty responded by eventually tying the Panthers at 18.
The Blue Jays scored the final 7 points and won the second set 25-18 to take a 2-0 lead in the match. In the third set, Park Hill South led once again but was unable to close the set out.
When the final set was tied at 14, Liberty regained the lead and cruised to a 25-18 victory to complete the sweep.
“Unfortunately, you fall short sometimes, and we told them there is a difference in losing and getting beat. Sometimes you can lose when you fight and when you give it your all, and that is what happened tonight,” Rahtke said.
The Panthers’ first season with Coach Rathke has come to an end, but they have taken steps in the right direction. Park Hill South had six seniors this fall: Keegan Good, Alyssa Kobayashi, Daniella Dake, Alexandra Dvorak, Gwyn Walters and Gracie Painter.
“I could not have asked for a better senior class to come into. With a whole new coaching staff, there is a bit of a blind trust situation, but our seniors have done a fantastic job of meeting with us and having that open communication with us and taking it to the rest of the team to execute what we talked to them about,” Rathke said.