The Knoxville Volleyball Squad who found out it is ranked 13th in the preseason class 4A rankings from the Iowa High School Girls Athletic Union, will come into this season as the defending South Central Conference champion. The conference looks balanced this season, but Panthers Coach Mollie Keitges tells KNIA/KRLS Sports if there was a consensus favorite, it would be Eddyville-Blakesburg-Fremont. However, she feels her team may be getting overlooked after the loss of two players that figured in greatly to the team’s success. Keitges adds it will be a close battle for the entire season.

Keitges: “All seven nights on the conference schedule we’ll need to be ready. It appears that we lost a lot of experience, but we also have a lot of experience coming back, so I hope we can lean on that experience in the conference matches.”

The Panthers season opener is Monday in a quad at Ottumwa, Knoxville’s conference opener will be September 3rd at Albia. Knoxville will also hold an inter-squad scrimmage during Meet The Panthers Night tonight at the high school gym starting at 5:45.