Westmoreland pounds Charles City Lady Panthers in home opener

Charles City's Jaela Smith lays out for a successful dig.

Robb Johnson photo

Charles City High School’s Lady Panthers’ volleyball team looked refreshed with a combination of new uniforms and several new faces. But in an Aug. 23 matchup against the visiting Westmoreland Lady Eagles, it was evident that more work is needed to produce wins on the board.

Westmoreland swept Charles City 2-25, 9-25, 11-25 in straight sets in the non-district contest.

In the opening frame, newcomers occupied the floor as Lady Panthers Head Coach Lillani Adkins wanted to get them used to the game and open lines of communication. But Westmoreland showed little mercy, rallying behind serves from Brittany Rose to jump out to a 23-1 lead before Charles City snapped the run. But it was only temporarily as the Lady Eagles closed out the first set.

In the second set, Charles City trailed 12-1 before the veteran Lady Panthers started getting back into their old form. Junior Taniyah Williams serves along with digs from sophomore Jaela Smith helped the hosts reel off seven of the next nine points to close the visitors’ gap to six (14-8). But Westmoreland wouldn’t buzz, as they scored 11 of the next 12 points to win set two. In the third frame, the Lady Eagles jumped out 13-2 and kept Charles City in check before winning the contest.

After the game, Adkins’ few words had a big impact of the expectations of her new players.

“We had some newcomers that have to get their feet set and open up,” she said, pointing to a roster with nine new players including five freshmen. “That will come with time and other than that, we have to work on our communication.”

Charles City falls to 0-2 on the season.