Panthers Score Big Win Against Parkway Central on Senior Night

The volleyball team finished undefeated at home Friday, beating Parkway Central High School in two games, 26-24 and 25-20.

The win over the 20-8-1 Colts will give the Panthers an edge in the seeding for districts Saturday morning.

“That means so much; that’s a huge win to put on our resume in trying to get a better seed tomorrow,” Mehlville coach James Fischer said. “Going in, we knew who their go-to's were, we keyed on them and reacted to the other ones.”

The first game was close, with the biggest lead a three-point margin either way. The Panthers were down 22-24 when senior Eric Hoyer served two for the tie.

Two net calls on the Colts gave the Panthers a 26-24 victory.

Mehlville’s defense challenged the tall offense of Parkway Central as they started tipping in the second game.

“That was a huge team, they are big across the board, so we weren’t worrying about the stuff block so much, just getting a touch on it and letting the defense in the back row do their thing,” Fischer said.

Mehlville pulled away in the second game after big kills by Mark Leininger and Hoyer. Leininger finished with 10 kills on the night; Hoyer had nine.

With just a four-point lead, Leininger attacked from the outside, and the Colt defender gave it right back to him with a pass just over the net. The junior jumped up and hit it again, slamming it to the floor.

The kill set the tone for the rest of the game, with Mehlville leading by seven. Parkway Central tried to come back with a kill and block from Zach Biggs, at 24-20, but it was too late. Hoyer ended their hope with a kill.

“I wasn’t too worried, it was still four points, I just knew we had to get one point, so I had a lot of confidence in that last hit.” Hoyer said. “It feels great the last senior game to finish undefeated for the season.”

The senior attributes the team’s success (13-7 for the season) to its tight-knit attitude.

“This team, the chemistry is definitely good,” he said. “The underclassmen step up a lot more than they did last year, they feel like a part of the team and not just on there for filler. It’s one team and not two separate groups.”

Hoyer and Aaron Friday were honored before the game as the team’s seniors.

Fischer said the two were big leaders on the court, but in different ways.

“Aaron does it energy-wise, he just has fun and laughs and messes around with everyone and they love it,” he said. “Eric is kind of a silent, let-me-show-you-how-to-do-it leader and people just kind of follow what he does.”

Mehlville takes on Eureka and Parkway North next week before starting districts. 

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