Royal Valley Volleyball Sub-State at Mission Valley

Royal Valley’s varsity volleyball fell in the second round of a Class 3A sub-state competition in Mission Valley on Saturday.

The Lady Panthers were seeded fourth in the eight-team tournament and fell to the Silver Lake Lady Eagles, who won the tournament and will compete at the state volleyball tournament.

Other teams in the sub-state tournament were St. Marys, Osage City, Riley County, Rossville and Council Grove.

In the first round of competition, Royal Valley battled Rossville taking the first and third sets to win the match, 25-22, 21-25 and 25-20.

The Lady Panthers then faced the Silver Lake Lady Eagles, who were the number one seed in the tournament, and fell in straight sets, 25-18 and 25-14.

“We faced two difficult teams at sub-state,” said RV head coach Gary Armstrong. “We played Rossville well and after going to three sets, we ended up winning. My girls fought hard again against Silver Lake although that did not turn out as well as we had hoped, but I’m very proud of my team.”

The Lady Panthers ended their season second in the Big Seven League, which is the highest the team has ever finished in the league, it was reported. In 2014, the team finished fourth in league and third in state.

This year, the Panthers ended their season with an impressive 13-3 record in league and were 23-12 overall.  

Saturday’s games were the last for Panther seniors Bella Thompson and Danielle Stithem.

“Although we wanted first in league, taking second felt pretty good. I have a young team of fighters, and I am looking forward to building on what we have started,” Coach Armstrong said. “Working on consistency, unity and defense will be our focus for next year. We are definitely a team to watch.”

Sub-State Scores

First Round

Silver Lake def. Riley County: 25-10 and 25-14.

RV def. Rossville: 25-22, 21-25 and 25-20.

St. Marys def. Council Grove: 25-10 and 25-14.

Osage City def. Mission Valley: 25-23 and 25-18.

Second Round

Silver Lake def. RV: 25-18 and 25-14.

St. Marys def. Osage City: 25-19 and 25-8.

Finals

Silver Lake def. St. Marys: 25-12 and 25-15.