Panthers finish 3rd in Shawano tournament

Slow starts in two consecutive playoff games made winning more difficult for the Oconto Falls girls volleyball team Saturday. Each time, though, the Panthers were able to pull close or even tie the match. It was not enough in the tournament semifinal though, as they fell in three sets to Peshtigo, 25-27, 25-20, 11-15. The Panthers then bounced back to defeat Oconto, 15-25, 25-20, 15-10, for third place at the eight-team Shawano Invitational. “Unfortunately, after lunch we came out flat and did not take care of business,” Oconto Falls head coach Rochell Otto said. “Our passing fell apart and we missed too many serves. You can’t go and give teams that many free points.” The Panthers missed 19 serves in the afternoon two-game session, including 12 in the loss to Peshtigo. A win against the Bulldogs would have set up a rematch with Wausau West, which Oconto Falls beat in straight sets earlier in the day, for the championship. That was not the case, as Peshtigo was able to slip past the Panthers to advance to the championship match, while Oconto Falls lined up a third-place match against Oconto. Again, the Panthers fell behind early, in large part because of Oconto’s Carlee Behnke ability to end points, which Otto countered with a change in the rotation. “We made a minor adjustment, putting Shelby Coron blocking against (Behnke) and then we just played well,” Otto said. “Shut her down and that was the difference.” Behnke finished the match with eight kills for the Blue Devils. Coron finished with two solo blocks against Oconto and 10 total. Kilmer tallied 11 kills in the third-place match and 53 total kills with 33 digs for the tourney. Coron added 29 kills for Oconto Falls. Mikaela Thomson racked up 97 assists in the five matches. The Panthers as a team recorded 34 service errors. The Panthers started the day with a 3-0 record in pool play, dropping a close game to Rhinelander in the opening match, before defeating Wausau West and Clintonville in straight sets. “We had one little let down, but overall, we played pretty solid,” Otto said. “We took care of business when we had to take care of business.” Shawano Invitational Sept. 12 Team results: 1, Wausau West; 2, Peshtigo; 3, Oconto Falls; 4, Oconto; 5, Shawano; 6, Clintonville; 7, Kewaunee; 8, Rhinelander. OF: Emily Kilmer, 53 kills, 12 aces and 33 digs; Shelby Coron, 29 kills, 19 aces and 10 blocks; Mikaela Thomson, 97 assists.