The North Platte volleyball team made its 2021 debut in the KCI Tournament over the past weekend and won one out of its five matches.
The Panthers started the tournament off against two of the top teams in the conference, East Buchanan and West Platte. North Platte struggled against its conference foes as it lost 2-0 in both matches.
“They both have good teams and are well-rounded,” North Platte head coach Doug Lee said. “We are inexperienced with our movements and coverages, and we had some nerves that made us get behind early.”
North Platte senior Trinity Whitford dives to hit the ball during the KCI Tournament at West Platte High School on Saturday, August 28.
The Panthers moved on in the pool play to take on Plattsburg in a more competitive match. The first set was back and forth and was tied at 14-14.
The Tigers eventually took control and won 25-17. The second set wasn’t as close as Plattsburg defeated North Platte 25-14 to win the match.
“I think fatigue was one thing for us, then we were also not being mindful in passing and hitting. There were a lot of errors that let Plattsburg get on top of us,” Lee said.
The Panthers went on to defeat Penney 2-0 to give them their first victory of the season, and moved on to face Lathrop in the consolation championship game. The Mules bested the Panthers 2-0 to end the opening tournament.
“They are still getting to know each other team-wise, but overall we are improving. There were some rough ones with fatigue and small errors, but we have a long season ahead of us to improve,” Lee said.