The Neosho County Panthers saw their district tournament run come to an end Wednesday night, falling to Labette Community College in straight sets, 3-0 (22-25, 16-25, 21-25), in the district semifinals in Parsons.
Neosho battled throughout the opening set, keeping the score close before Labette pulled away for a 25-22 victory. The Panthers continued to compete in the second and third sets but were unable to overcome the Cardinals, who secured the match with a 25-16, 25-21 finish.
Makenzie LaRue led the Panthers offensively with 13 kills on 24 attempts, hitting an impressive .458. Abigayle Hudson added five kills without an error, hitting .385, while Eliza Maraschin and Hedi Koppany each contributed five kills.
Defensively, Mckenzye Williamson led Neosho with 16 digs, while Georgia Rogers added eight digs and 15 assists. Janka Makai also recorded eight digs, and LaRue contributed two blocks.
The Panthers finished the night with 35 kills and 47 digs as a team.
