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VB Team Prepares for Season with Jamboree Win

Vylet Hollatz, senior LHS journalism staff writer on August 31, 2026

For the first time in 15 years, on August 20^th, the Panther volleyball traveled to Polk to take on High Plains in their season opening jamboree. 

The 2026-2027 Panther volleyball team has 7 seniors: Carmen Malena, Ella Higby, Emersyn Urban, Kaylee Brabec, Madi Freudenburg, Reese Wietfeld, and Vylet Hollatz. The incoming juniors are Lainey Urban and Sadie Brabec. The sophomores include Averi Clausen and Avery Kuester. Finally, the 2 freshmen are Bergan Settje and Ella Hansen. 

The Panthers started the night off strong, winning the first set 25-19. They kept rolling in the second set, ending 25-17. Then in the third set the Panthers lost 23-25, but they didn’t lose sight of the ultimate goal. They ended up winning the fourth set 25-13 to start their season off on the right foot. 

Carmen Malena, a senior said, “The jamboree was a great game where we were able to work as a team and use the skills we have been working on this summer. It was fun playing as a new team and seeing what we all can do!  We now have a week off to work on those things needed and keep improving for the rest of the season.”

Head coach Brianne Bachman stated, “The team played strong defense throughout the night and did an excellent job in serve receive, while keeping defensive errors to a minimum. One of the team's key focuses this season has been reducing offensive errors, and the girls showed improvement in that area as well. We have a lot of inexperience on the floor, but it is exciting to see how much the girls continue to grow. They are learning, gaining confidence and getting better every time they step on the court. There is a lot of excitement surrounding this year's Panther volleyball team. The jamboree win was a great start to the season to start building some momentum, and we’re looking forward to building off this performance, continuing to improve and carrying that momentum into our first regular-season game.”

With the jamboree behind them, the Panthers look to launch into their regular season opener on Monday, August 31st. 

Leigh vs. High Plains Stats:

                        Set 1               Set 2               Set 3               Set 4

Leigh:                25                    25                    23                    25

HP:                    19                    17                    25                    13