Park Hill South rallied for a dramatic victory in its season-opener.
After losing the first set to Staley, the Panthers’ inexperienced lineup found a way in a tight matchup, coming away with a 22-25, 27-25, 25-20 victory at Staley High School. They entered the match with only one returning starter and three players total with significant varsity experience coming off of last year’s run to the Class 4 quarterfinals.
Annika Welty, a senior all-state middle hitter, led Park Hill South with nine kills and five blocks.
In addition, three freshmen played big roles in the comeback. Arley Anderson split time at setter with junior Kacy Lewallen, and the duo combined for 23 assists. Adah Anderson recorded a team-high 11 digs in a balanced effort for the defense.
Park Hill South junior Hannah Knight (10 digs), Arley Anderson (nine digs), Lewallen (eight digs), freshman Abbie Day (seven digs) and junior Cassidy Hedrick (six digs) were all bunched on the stat sheet. Day and Hedrick added five kills apiece, while Michelle Dvorak, a returning junior who received limited playing time in 2016, complemented Welty with four kills and three blocks out of her middle spot.