The No. 18-ranked Neosho County Community College volleyball team made it look easy on Sophomore Night on Monday at Panther Gym. As a result, the Panthers swept the Independence Lady Pirates, 3-0 (25-9, 25-15, 25-15). Coming into the season, Neosho County wanted to finish the Kansas Jayhawk Conference play undefeated at home, and Monday's win accomplished that. In all, the Panthers went 10-1 at home in 2017. "I'm glad we did it in three," Coach Asya Herron.  "We didn't mess around. We got in and took care of business. I thought we played solid volleyball and didn't give them any opportunities to be successful." In the early going of the match's opening set, Independence matched Neosho County point for point. That was until sophomore Joanna Riggs' block gave the Panthers a 4-3 lead. From that point forward, Neosho County outscored Independence 21-6 over the remainder of the opening set. The Panthers pulled away with kills from sophomore Maryssa Recio, freshmen Ryed Creek and Chandler Karr. Karr also served up a pair of aces in the set, but it was sophomore Kalyn Bitner who capped off the set with a kill. "I'm proud of our sophomores, especially, with it being Sophomore Night, but I'm really proud top to bottom – all of my kids," Herron said. "The way they act on the bench. The way they act on the floor. It's a good group." The second set was much the same. Independence scored first, but the rest of the set belonged to the Panthers. A 6-1 run gave Neosho County an 11-5 lead, forcing the Lady Pirates to call a time out. The visitors responded with a 4-0 run behind a pair of serving aces. Creek slowed the run with a kill and tallied four over the next six points, giving the Panthers a 17-13 advantage. Neosho County only allowed two more points for the remainder of the set. In the match-deciding set, the Panthers raced out to a 9-4 lead and cruised to their second 10-point set win of the event. The win was the 27th of the season for Neosho County as it now turns its attention to this weekend's District Tournament. "We are going to spend the rest of the week preparing for who we will play," Herron concluded.  "It'll be nice to have a few days to prepare for it. That's goal No. 2 – to win the District Tournament. That's what our eyes are on now." The Panthers (27-11) will travel to Coffeyville on Saturday for the District M Semifinals. 

They will open play with Johnson County Community College (15-16) at 1 pm. The winner will face the winner of Coffeyville Community College (38-2) and Labette Community College (14-21), which starts at 11 am, for the right to represent the District at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in Charleston, W.V. on Nov. 16-18.