Knoxville volleyball and cross country will continue their seasons today. The volleyball squad will host Clarke trying to get back on track after a couple weeks of playing highly ranked teams, and spinning their wheels. The Panthers put together a 3-2 day at the Bondurant-Farrar Invitational over the weekend placing 2nd overall. Coach Mollie Keitges tells KNIA/KRLS Sports serving and serve-receive have been an issue for her team this year, and hopes if that can improve, the offense will benefit.

Keitges: “If we clean up those two things then we’ll out it all together and I think we;ve been good shot makers and our blocking had done pretty well, but we can’t play defense all the time.”

While volleyball will be hosting Clarke, the cross country runners will be at Newton for a meet. The Panthers will see several teams they have seen already this season including Pella and Grinnell, and a few teams they have yet to see including Marshalltown, Nevada and Ankeny. Boys Coach Michael Splavec tells KNIA/KRLS Sports freshman runner Isaac Rankin has had a great start to his season and has been going about it the right way, knowing he needs to be fast in October.

Splavec: “He is very smart for his age, and is very wise beyond his years. He know he doesn’t have to be as fast as those guys yet, he knows he has to be fast when it really counts in October.”

Rankin is 31st in class 3A currently according to Bound and is 2nd among freshmen in class 3A. His fast time of 17:02 was set at Wayne earlier in the season. Volleyball is set to begin at 7:15, while cross country is set to start at 4:30 at Maytag Park in Newton.