Volleyball Recap: Peyton Takes a Loss

After flying high against Liberty Tree Academy on Wednesday, Peyton came back down to earth. The Panthers fell just short of the Swallows Charter Academy Spartans by a score of 3-2 on Friday. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Panthers of the 3-0 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in October of 2024.

Peyton took Swallows Charter Academy into a fifth set but they suffered a heartbreaking nine-point loss. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-11, 23-25, 22-25, 25-15, 15-6.

Samantha Nickell paced Peyton's offense, picking up 12 kills. Nickell got some help from Cassidy Miller and her 12 assists. Brynlee Ray controlled things from the service line, finishing with three aces.

Leading Swallows Charter Academy to victory were Alianna Montoya and Taylor Bond. Montoya had 13 digs and two aces, while Bond had 14 kills, six digs, and four aces. Bond has been hot recently, having posted 12 or more kills the last three times she's played.

Peyton's loss dropped their record down to 5-11. As for Swallows Charter Academy, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season.

Peyton wasted no time getting back out on the court and has already played their next matchup, a 3-1 win against Fountain Valley on the 16th. As for Swallows Charter Academy, they will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Pueblo South at 6:30 p.m. on the 22nd.