Despite falling, Lady Panthers volleyball show improvement in relaunch campaign

Lady Panthers Charity Jones (right) and Jada Cotman hustle to keep the ball in play.

Andre' Jones photo

Reviving Charles City High School’s girls volleyball team became a reality this year. And despite a straight sets loss to visiting King & Queen on Sept. 17, hopes of improvement and team unity are clear goals for first year head coach James Raj.

Fielding its first team since the 2003-04 season, the Lady Panthers fell 25-10, 25-4, 25-10 to the visiting Lady Tigers in front of a modest crowd. The turnout of support was something the program looked for and the team is looking to build upon, according to Raj.

In the opening set, Charles City fell behind early 11-3 before its first big momentum swing. Back to back scores by the Panthers continued with a Keonna Motley ace and an Ashley McDermott spike to narrow the gap to 11-7. Another tap for a score by senior Sydney Richard narrowed the margin to a mere three points (11-8).

But a King & Queen team built on veteran experience and playing experience took over, commencing a 14-2 run to close out the first set. That momentum carried over to set two for the visitors.

The hosts would once again put up a valiant effort in the third frame. Motley’s back-to-back aces put Charles City within striking distance (9-5). McDermott’s ace would once again get the Lady Panthers within three (10-7).

But King & Queen would take over from there. Behind the serving of Ruby Burton and four consecutive aces, the Lady Tigers would run off nine consecutive points before an errant serve thwarted their momentum. The Lady Panthers would be unable to reverse the flow of the game before falling in the final frame.

After the contest, Raj expressed pleasure in seeing improvement during the contest.

“In the first game we got a real challenge facing [defending state champion] Mathews,” he said. “We learned a tough lesson at that game.

“Tonight, we saw improvement and our tactics were better,” Raj continued. “Just like the players, me and assistant coach [Anthony] Xavier are learning as well. The girls are enthusiastic and we are making improvement.”

Charles City falls to 0-2 on the year.