Panthers V-Ball Cruises Over Hope

Johnston High School's girls volleyball team put on an impressive display on Sept. 15, making quick work of Hope High School and taking the match 3 games to 0.

The Panthers started the first game on an incredible roll. They scored the first nine points, and sophomore Alexandra DiRaimo had six aces during the stretch.

"She is a really hard worker," Johnston's head coach Greta Lalli said.

Hope would not go down without a fight, though, and quickly closed the gap to 13-9. They got even closer, as they cut their deficit to 16-14.

Johnston would end the first game on a 6-0 run, winning 25-16. Sophomore Erin Tvenstrup had two aces during the streak.

The beginning of the second game was very tight. The game was tied at 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6. Hope scored three consecutive points, to take a 9-6 lead.

Johnston slowly chipped away at their deficit and their first lead of the second game was 14-13. They put together a 7-2 run, to take a 19-15 lead and eventually won the game 25-18.

The Panthers dominated the third game, building a double-digit lead early in the game. After Hope scored a point to make it 3-1, Johnston went on a 6-0 run. Tvenstrup notched 3 aces during the scoring surge.

"The improvement in the serving really helped us tonight," Lalli said.

An 11-3 run by Johnston increased their lead to 21-5. Hope refused to give up and an 8-1 run cut their deficit to 22-13. It proved to be too little, too late, as the Panthers won the third game 25-14 and swept the match 3-0.

"We have communication drills and they improved from Tuesday’s match," the coach added.