Volleyball
The volleyball team made history this October by becoming the first volleyball team in school history to win the NTL small school title!!! The girls were also ranked #1 in District 4 AA play.
The girls clinched the NTL title in their win over Wyalusing in straight sets. The gym was loud and alive for this history making night. Emma Neuber had over 30 serve attempts on the night, and Gabby Susanj had at least 30 assists in the win. With this win, the girls were 18-1 on the season. The following night, they crushed Williamson to finish regular season play with a record of 19-1.
ON TO POST SEASON PLAY:
The girls took on Troy in the semi-final round at Athens High School on Tuesday, October 31. The first two sets were back and forth, with the Trojans not willing to let the game go easily, but the Lady Panthers pulled it together and won in straight sets 25-19, 25-19, and 25-10. To cap off the great night, senior Gabby Susanj hit her 1000th assist in her career. From the Northern Tier Sports Report, writer Chris Manning shared that Abby O'Connor led the Panthers with 10 kills, 5 blocks, two digs, and an ace , while Emma had 9 kills, 9 digs, and an ace. Toni Herb had 5 kills and 9 digs, and Gabby had 25 assists, 2 digs, 2 aces, and a kill. Kiarra DeLancey had 15 digs and 2 aces, and Adrian Chobot had 6 digs. Kelsea Moore added 6 digs and an ace, while Abby Chobot registered a dig.
In the finals game, the Lady Panthers avenged their only season loss as they took on North Penn Liberty in the Athens HS gym. The Panthers took the first set, although the game was a back and forth duel. Ultimately, the Lady Panthers came out on top with a score of 25-21. NPL would not go away quietly though. In the second set, NPL took the win with a score of 25-20. This was enough to shake the dust off of the Lady Panthers, and they came back hitting in the third set, taking the match 25 - 19. They would carry this momentum going into the last set. Just like the first three sets, the fourth set was not easy for either side. In the final moments, the game was tied 24-24. The crowd was loud, and anxiety was high for both teams. After the Panthers went up by 1, it was time to seal the win. Abby O'Connor came up huge with a block at the net for the win and the first ever District title for the Lady Panthers volleyball team.
To read a full write up on the night, please use this link to read the article in the Northern Tier Sports Report. https://ntsportsreport.com/index_get.php?article_id=5969
Let's keep the momentum rolling!!!! Come support these ladies on Tuesday night at HOME for the first round of the STATE playoffs!!! You can purchase tickets through the following link: https://www.piaa.org/sports/tickets.aspx?from=home
The JV team shows a lot of prospect with several freshman on the team who will be looking to step up and fill in the positions that seniors Gabby Susanj, Emma Neuber, and Adrian Chobot will vacate at the end of the season. Abby Chobot, Madalyn Smith, and Zaelea Lane look to be integral in helping keep the Panther dreams alive next year as they once again hope to find themselves on the top of the NTL podium.
Can you say REPEAT!!!! The cross country teams can!
Both the boy's and girl's cross country teams repeated as District Champions which earned both teams a trip to the state competition.
Let's back up just a bit though. Both teams are coming off of undefeated seasons with Gracelyn Laudermilch and Creed Dewing both being named as NTL Runner of the Year. Gracelyn won every regular season meet, the NTL meet, and the District meet. She beat last year's winner of the District meet by 45 seconds. Anaiah Kolesar placed 4th in the District race, with Amelia Kapr placed 12th, Lilah Hughes finished 16th, and Melanie Shumway rounded out the top 5 finishing in 18th. The girls outplaced their nearest competition by 17 points, beating NPM 45 to 62.
Both teams competed this past weekend in Hershey at the state meet. The girls team finished 5th in single A competition with Gracelyn Laudermilch leading the team charge placing 17th and earning an individual state medal. Amelia Kapr was our second finisher, and senior Melanie Shumway was right behind her. Lilah Hughes and Makenna Callear rounded out the top 5 for the team. The girls finished fifth on the tie breaker rule beating Cranberry Area for that position with freshman Kara Dughi securing that important 6th spot.
The boy's team finished 8th overall, and Creed Dewing led the way with his 7th place finish which earned him a medal and a podium spot. Aidan Kapr, Ayden Finch, Dayton Russell and Ryan Jones completed the team with Brody Bennett and Brayden Miller filling in the important 6th and 7th spot finishes.
With only one senior on each the boy's and girl's teams, the future of NEB cross country looks bright!
