By ALEC ETHEREDGE | Staff Writer

JEMISON – The Jemison Lady Panther’s volleyball team took down foe Montevallo on Tuesday, Sept. 27, by a score of 3-1.

The Panthers were with out junior setter Lauren Broussard who has made her mark on the team this year. This caused Jemison to sway from their normal 6-2 offense to a 5-1, which left setting to fellow junior Hannah Northcutt.

Although the Panther’s won convincingly it wasn’t as easy as some might first think, especially early on.

The Bulldogs would sprint out to an early 14-2 lead in the first set before eventually taking it 25-21.

Jemison however seized the momentum from their almost come back in the first set and carried it over to the second set with great net play and a huge service game to win the set 25-16 and tie the match at one a piece.

The Panthers would go on to win set three 25-13 behind Cassani Steele’s six aces, two kills and one block, and Camille Hague’s two kills and five digs.

The pressure was put on Montevallo, who needed to win set four to force a decisive fifth set. It was a back and forth set with the Bulldogs having a late 18-17 lead, but Jemison showed a lot of resilience and relied on their powerful middle to squeak out a 25-23 match winning set.

“It certainly was a hard fought match,” said Jemison head coach Ronnie Holsombeck. “Our girls deserve all of the credit in the world for battling through a complete switch from what they are accustomed to and finding a way to win.”

Steele finished the match with 15 kills, six solo blocks and a career high 10 service aces to pace the Panther’s attack on her senior night. Hague added 12 digs, while Northcutt tallied 20 assists.

“This has been a theme for us all year,” Holsombeck said. “When we play together and don’t give up, there’s nothing we can’t accomplish. I’m very proud of our effort.”

Jemison will have a long break over the weekend before traveling to Calera for a big area matchup on Monday, Oct. 3. The Lady Panthers varsity squad will also play host to the county tournament on Saturday, Oct. 8.