The Lady Panthers of Milton High School only allowed for three sets at home against district rival Pace in Thursday night’s volleyball matchup. Milton edged the Lady Patriots in sets 26-24, 25-21 and 25-18.
Chelsey Adams, Milton’s head coach, was pleased to leave the district match with a victory, especially when the Lady Patriots were looking to bounce back in each set.
“It was great feeling considering my girls haven’t been playing as well as they could be,” she said.
Adams credited the aggressive play of McKenzie Stevenson and Hayley Cauley against the Lady Patriots.
Mark Gough, Pace’s head coach, didn’t make any excuses for loss, which brings the Lady Patriots to 5-5.
“We just didn’t play well, we’re not communicating like we are supposed to,” Gough said. “We are not playing consistently.”
Gough said he plans to work on “consistency, following the ball and being smart with the ball ” in the weeks to follow.
Next week, both teams will travel to compete in separate volleyball tournaments and return to facing district opponents the following week. Both coaches said the tournaments will provide some relief for their teams.
“With such a big district, the state has put us in…(district games) takes up two-thirds of your schedule,” Gough said. “So it is going to be nice to play somewhere else.”
Adams agreed, adding participating in the tournaments will help the team overall throughout the season.
“It’s more for a team bonding experience and of course we want them to do well and play hard like they are supposed to. It is not a district game…and we have had three this week.”
The Lady Panthers will travel to Pace High School for a rematch on Monday, October 5. Freshmen squads play at 4 p.m. with junior varsity at 5 p.m. and varsity at 6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Volleyball: Lady Panthers top rival Pace, 3-0