Nease was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their third straight loss. They took a 3-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Oakleaf Knights. The Panthers were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Knights apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in October of 2024.
Nease started the match hot and won the first set, but they struggled down the stretch and lost the last three. The match finished with set scores of 15-25, 25-23, 25-17, 25-22.
Sophia Hayes paced Nease's offense, picking up 17 kills. Hayes got some help from Ari Ryan and her 36 assists. Olivia Hancher controlled things from the service line, finishing with four aces.
Oakleaf was led to victory by Kelsey Joshua and Nicole Kauffman. Joshua had 21 digs and one assist, while Kauffman had seven digs and three aces. Those three aces gave Kauffman a new career-high. Abigail Capuzzo also deserves some recognition as she had her first kills of the season.
Nease's loss dropped their record down to 2-7. As for Oakleaf, their record is now 6-7.
Looking ahead, Nease will head out to challenge Tocoi Creek at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. As for Oakleaf, they will challenge Baker County at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
