By John Rittenhouse
Ellsworth second-year volleyball coach Jason Langland thought his Panthers would be a better offensive team in 2002.
The Panthers did show some offensive spark during the season opener against Sioux Valley-Round Lake-Brewster in Ellsworth Tuesday, but it wasnÕt enough to keep EHS from coming up on the short end of a 3-1 decision.
"It was a good game," Langland said. "We've got a little more horsepower this year. We showed a lot of hitting ability, but they were digging up whatever we hit at them. SV-RL-B is a good defensive team."
All four games in the match were tight ones.
SV-RL-B pulled out a 15-13 victory in the opener before Ellsworth returned the favor with a 15-10 win in Game 2.
The Raiders regained the lead at 2-1 with a 15-11 victory in Game 3 before icing the match with a 15-12 win in the finale.
"I think our girls might have run out of gas in the end," Langland said.
Senior Jenna Groen turned in an outstanding performance for EHS by completing all 16 of her service attempts and recording four aces. She also led the charge at the net with 29 kills.
Laurel Drenth added 20 kills to Ellsworth's cause. Laci DeLeeuw and Devon DeBerg recorded 20 assists each.
The 0-1 Panthers host Westbrook-Walnut Grove tonight before traveling to Fulda Tuesday.