FORT SCOTT – The Neosho County Community College had been looking for a key win all season, and the Panthers got it Wednesday night to the tune of a 3-2 (22-25, 25-16, 25-18, 23-25, 19-17) win over conference rival Fort Scott Community College.

"I feel like all the pieces finally came together," Coach Asya Herron. "We've been making a lot of errors along the way, and last night, it really was a team win. Everyone did their job. We didn't make a ton of errors, and we were all healthy for the first time all year."

The Panthers got it done on the road in thrilling fashion as the visitors trailed much of the fifth and deciding set.

Neosho County found themselves down 8-4 and eventually got the deficit down to one, but a 3-0 spurt by Fort Scott forced the Panthers to use a time out, trailing 12-8.

Coming out of the break, NCCC tied the game, but the Lady Greyhounds had one more run in them, pushing the score to 14-12.

"We just kept battling. We stayed aggressive," Herron said. "It could have gone either way. Honestly, one miss and we would have lost."

The Panthers fought back, pulling out the win 19-17.

"It was a fun win against a great team," Herron said. "Fort Scott is a great team, but they made more mistakes than we did. That was the difference."

The win was the 10th of the season for Neosho County overall and third in the conference.

"That's what we needed," Herron said. "We've been waiting to get over that hump. We've beaten the teams we are supposed to but have had a hard time against the top-20 teams."

Sophomore Rianne Richard led the Panthers with 12 kills, while freshman Kalyn Bitner added 11. Sophomore Riley McGinn tallied a team-high four blocks, while Kelsie Anderson dished out 25 assists. 

The Panthers (10-8 overall and 3-1 in the KJCCC) will enjoy a weekend off before returning to action against Johnson County Community College (6-8 and 3-3).

"Johnson has lost a couple big games – Fort Scott in five and Coffeyville in three. They are always a top-20 caliber team." Herron said. "We hope they are on a slump, and we are on the upswing."