KANSAS CITY – Coach Asya Herron felt like she got redemption on Wednesday night.
In 2015, the Neosho County Community College volleyball traveled to Kansas City to face the Kansas City Kansas Community College Blue Devils. The visitors won the first two sets before dropping the final three.
A year later, the Panthers went up and swept the Blue Devils, 3-0 (25-22, 25-21, 25-14).
"It was nice to go back there and win in three," Herron said.
Feeling anxious heading into the third set and wanting to put them away with a big win, the Panthers did just that.
"It was a nice team win. We had a lot of points from several different people," Herron said.
Sophomore Mandi Taylor led the Panthers with nine kills, while sophomores Rianne Richard and Jessie Roukema and freshman Maryssa Recio had seven each.
"We spread the ball out. If we didn't put the ball away, we would get a big block," Herron said. "We made them guess a lot."
However, the play extended past Neosho County's offensive attack.
"Taryn (Strobel) and our defense, in general, was much improved," Herron explained. "We had some really long rallies that we won that weren't necessarily pretty, but we kept digging balls and putting it on their side of the court until they made a mistake."
Strobel tallied 24 digs for the match is now only 19 away from the 1,500 dig mark for her Panther career.
"We talk to the team, everyone has three responsibilities, and if they do those three, everything on the court is covered," Herron said. "Last night, they did a really good job of that."
Wednesday's victory also marks the first win over KCK since 2013, including a 3-0 loss at home to the Blue Devils earlier this season, and Herron said it shows how much the team has improved in 2016.
"It's a comfort level of being comfortable in your role," she said.
"Early in the season, we had quite a few injuries. It shows our growth as a team, and they are embracing their roles. It was a team win.
Everyone did their job and didn't overplay. That was the difference between playing the first time and now."
The Panthers are 18-11 with only two matches left in the regular season.
Neosho County will travel to Independence (8-19) on Wendesday, Oct. 26.
First serve is scheduled for 6:30 pm.