Top-seeded Portland made quick work of Springfield on Thursday night, advancing to the District 11-AA championship in straight sets.
The first two sets were competitive. The Lady Jackets stayed with the Lady Panthers but were unable to finish. Portland won the first set 25-16 and the second 25-20.
It all fell apart for Springfield in the third set when mental errors started piling up. They were down 11-2 to start and ultimately lost the set 25-10.
Portland made the championship game once again and have plans to make it further. They have made the state championship game the last three seasons and won in 2017 and 2018.
PHS head coach Rob Lesemann thought his girls performed well enough to get the win but wants to see improvement.
“We did okay,” Lesemann said. “We’ve struggled with some serve-receive and passing all year, and we didn’t necessarily do much better there. I’m hoping that we’ll pick it up a little bit. We’re gonna have to.”
The Lady Panthers have had to make many adjustments this season. They lost three seniors from last year, and Lesemann has had to shift his players around. His back line played well against Springfield, covering the floor well.
“I’ve had about ten different lineups this year, but they do a good job getting a ball up, maybe not where I want it to go but getting it up,” Lesemann said. “They, I think, their third game was a lot better. They passed a lot better, more to the target that they should, but yeah, we’ve always had scrappy defense. Even before we had tall girls, that’s how we got by.”
SHS head coach Ann-Marie Cobb knew Portland was a tough matchup, but she thinks her players got that idea in their head a little too much.
“Something about Portland they have in their heads, that you know, they’re just better than us,” Cobb said. “And we got up enough, you know, that first game we played so well, but it just wasn’t enough to keep it going. (They) just get in their heads that they can’t do it. I don’t know what it is.”
Springfield graduates seven seniors. Each has played volleyball for at least seven years. All of them played valuable minutes for Cobb. It was the end of most of their careers, and that realization brought out emotions after the loss.
“This was their last high school game,” Cobb said. “Some of them may not, you know, touch the court again if they’re not gonna play club. Plus, they’ve been friends for so long, and this is their family. Their friendships are here, so I’m sure that’s where a lot of their emotions come from.”
Springfield’s senior setter Morgan Gunn and junior outside hitter Josie Buck were named to the All-District team. Gunn is grateful to be recognized for her hard work.
“Coaches saw my effort, and they saw my hustle and my love for the game,” Gunn said. “I’m really appreciative of it.”
Despite the exit from the tournament, Gunn says the thing she will remember the most is playing with her teammates the past four years.
“We have seven seniors on the team, and we all have played together since freshman year,” Gunn said. “ And we’re all like best friends, and that’s probably what I’ll remember the most, just playing with them.”
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