The road to state lies through the Pahranagat Valley Panthers. How many Hornet fans are sick of hearing that one? Unfortunately that is what it is, and the Hornets have to put their game face on and play them on Nov. 9 at 12 p.m.
This all comes to fruition because on Tuesday the Lady Hornets volleyball team won their quarter final game against Lund at Beatty 3-1. (25-21, 22-25, 25-22 and 25-21.)
Hornets Coach Dale Lerbakken said it was a great game for the fans, but not so easy to watch as the coach.
“Our hitting was led by Lucero Hernandez and Claudia Granados. Claudia, I thought had her best game, and as a freshman I feel is really coming on. Christina Thompson had a ton of assists, digs, and tips,” he said.
Lerbakken was not too happy about playing in Pahranagat Valley.
“I’m not sure what the purpose of having the number one seed host a tournament, it sure seems to put everyone else trying to defeat them at a great disadvantage, but the powers that be know a lot more than us lowly coaches. I think every tournament game should be held at a neutral location,” Lerbakken said.
Pahranagat Valley played their last game at Tonopah and was vulnerable. The Lady Muckers took the second match 25-20 and almost took the third and the fourth matches (17-25 and 16-25).
Muckers Coach Harvey Gonzalez said it was all about placement of the hits with his team. Gonzalez said the Panthers team is a very good digging team. He knew going into the game his team could not give the Panthers anything.
“They are a disciplined team, well coached. They can dig and we knew it but we just did not hit at the seams and make them move, we hit right at them,” he explained.
Every team seems to know how good Panthers Coach Ginger Whipple prepares her team’s defense, but even the hard-hitting teams are having trouble keeping the balls away from her defenders. This is why she has been to the state title match for the last 17 times.