On Aug. 22, the Lady Panthers played a doubleheader against Trinity and Columbus. While they defeated Trinity in a shutout, they were on the wrong side of a similar game in their loss to Columbus.

“I think our defense was really good because we had a lot of rallies and we kept it going,” sophomore Tessa Laney said.

While playing Trinity, the Lady Panthers had a lot of momentum and took the early lead. The Lions attempted to come back and scored five points before Starr’s Mill could score another, but the Lady Panthers came out victorious, defeating them in the first game.

Throughout the second game, the Lady Panthers held the lead, but the Lions stood their ground, keeping the game close. The tempo of the second game was similar to the first, and Starr’s Mill continued to keep their momentum even though Trinity attempted to take the lead.

“I feel like we could have more energy, but we could always do that,” senior Gabi Ramkissoon said. “We have a few other little things to fix.”

Early in the first game of the evening’s second match, Columbus took the lead, but Starr’s Mill managed to keep a close score throughout. The Blue Devils held the lead throughout the match, but the Lady Panthers kept the score within three points.

“We need to uplift others when things are down,” Laney said.

Just as the first match against Trinity, this match was also fast-paced and aggressive. Even though there were holes, Starr’s Mill managed to make many saves by diving onto the floor. As the game progressed, the Lady Panthers started to tire and put less energy on the floor, but the Blue Devils were not wearing out.

“I’m one of the seniors, so I feel like it’s my job to kinda help the underclassmen,” Ramkissoon said.

In the second game, Starr’s Mill continued to show their fatigue, and allowed for Columbus to take the early lead once again. Unlike the first game, the Lady Panthers were not able to immediately come back, and they struggled to score. Near the end of the game, the Mill was able to start slowly catch up as the Blue Devils were beginning to slow down.

“We put these games because we know they won’t be easy,” volleyball coach Walt Ellison said. “We play them to learn our weaknesses.”

The Lady Panthers play next on Aug. 24 in a best-of-5 match against Landmark at Landmark at 5 p.m.