The Knoxville Volleyball Squad pulled off the upset in Nevada on Thursday as the Panthers knocked off the #9 Cubs three sets to one 25-22, 17-25, 25-18, and 25-22. The Panthers set the tone early, scoring the first five points of the match and forced Nevada to call an early time out. From there set one was basically a stalemate the rest of the way with the Panthers prevailing by three points. Set two, the Cubs serving was causing the Panthers some problems and got up by as many as six before winning by eight points. Knoxville made adjustments in sets three and four to get the win. Junior Players Payton Horn and Rylyn McCarty told KNIA/KRLS Sports, the energy was on their side all night and they had each other’s backs.

Peyton: “Our energy was there right off the bat and we just played together as a team and that was what got us the win.”
Rylyn: “All the plays that we run and different setters we use, that trust is what keeps our team together.”

Knoxville moves on to the class 4A regional final for the second straight season where the Panthers will take on 4th ranked North Scott on Tuesday. The match is at North Scott High School.