Agoura girls' volleyball team comes up short against Newbury Park

PANTHERS PREVAIL-Hillary Barner of Agoura bumps the ball during Tuesday night's match against Newbury Park. The Chargers lost in four games, dropping their Marmonte League record to 1-6. The girls' volleyball team at Newbury Park High hopes the second half of their season is stronger than the first. They got off to a good start Tuesday night with a 31 win at Agoura.

The Panthers beat AHS 25-21 in the first game before the Chargers tied the match by winning the second game 25-15. NPHS then closed out Agoura the next two games, beating them 25-12 and 28-26 in the finale.

"We definitely didn't play our best game tonight but it's nice to get the win," Newbury Park head coach Brock Redmond said. "We allowed them to go on too many runs and Hillary Barner, their outside hitter, tore it up against us."

"I think we are improving though. This team works its butt off in practice. We don't have as much experience as some of the other teams, but I am impressed with the progress," he said. "Physically, I think we are as good as any team in the league, we just need to work on mentally being as good as everyone else."

The win improved the Panthers' record in the Marmonte League to 25. The loss dropped the Chargers' record in league to 1-6.

During Tuesday's match, the young Agoura team seemed to have trouble with its serve and their communication on the court wasn't much better.

"We're not having a very successful season," Agoura head coach Amanda Kiser said.

"We are a very young team and we need to do a better job of playing consistently. We will play 10 straight points very well, but then struggle the next 10 plays. If we can play like we did in the second game tonight, then we will have a lot more success," the coach said.

Newbury Park had command of the night early on when freshman Amber Glabb served an ace to put the Panthers up 2213. After a small run by the Chargers, junior Jesse Bowden put the game away with a kill near the net to win the game for NPHS 25-21.

Agoura came back strong in the second game, winning easily 25-15. Barner contributed with four kills and one ace to lead the Chargers.

In the third game, NPHS was dominating, as it took advantage of four missed serves by the Chargers.

Agoura rebounded and got within seven points to cut the lead to 15-8. That's as close as Agoura would get, though, as the Panthers then went on a 104 run, highlighted by a drop shot just barely over the net by Bowden and a kill and ace by junior Breanne Kebely.

The fourth game went back and forth between the teams and Redmond decided to call a timeout after Agoura tied the game at 24.

"I called them in the huddle and told them to step it up," Redmond said. "I called a play and they ran it well. We sided out and then we played well after that."

The teams remained tied at 26 when Kebely hit a shot from the outside to put the Panthers up by one. Newbury Park followed the next play nicely when senior Lauryn Gabby had a kill near the net to put the game away.

The win comes just at the right time for the Panthers, who have had to play some different lineups lately because of an injury to one their star players, senior Shelby Pierson. Pierson started practicing again this week and Redmond expects her to be in the lineup tonight against Westlake to begin the second half of the season.

"I believe by how hard we have been working in practice that we are going to be a much improved team in the second half," Redmond said. "I think the teams that beat us easily in the first half are going to take us lightly and we are going to sneak up on them."