Lady Panthers bring home state volleyball title

Pahranagat Valley High School volleyball’s theme for this year was “We want it more, 2024.”

The Lady Panthers were true to that mantra as they clinched the 1A state title over the weekend, topping Smith Valley in straight sets to cap an exciting tournament in Las Vegas.

The tournament was held at Sunrise Mountain High School and Eldorado High School, Nov. 7-9. The excitement in the gym for the final match was high, with fans battling to be the loudest in cheering their team on. Both teams did an amazing job and played well, but Pahranagat Valley dominated the day.

“We played Smith Valley our very first match in August, so they were our first and last match of the season,” Head Coach Milly Walch said. “They are a great overall controlled team. We knew we were different than them and had different strengths, so we needed to emphasize those.”

The Lady Panthers completely dominated the net on their way to the 3-0 win (25-20, 25-23, 25-15).

“The last few years we have gotten beat first round at state,” Walch said. “Knocked out by the pressure. So this year we stressed really hard the importance of our mental

game and pushing through hard things. We were ready.”

This particularly proved true during Pahranagat’s semifinal match against Round Mountain. The Lady Panthers outlasted the Knights in a 5-set thriller (25-14, 20-25, 25-7, 23-25, 15-9).

Walch said the team was determined and fired up to accomplish its goal. She expressed how proud she is of the players and gratitude for community support.

“It doesn’t always turn out this way so we celebrated,” Walch said. “To the fans and students at PVHS – thank you. It was by far the funnest weekend of volleyball I have ever had and it was enticed by you. Thank you for being a part and helping us be the best we could be.”