MaxPreps Oregon Team of the Week presented by the Oregon National Guard

It’s one thing to go through the regular season with 21 straight victories. It’s quite another to win 17 of them by sweep.

That’s what the girls volleyball team at Imbler has done for the 2013 season, and for their dominating ways the Panthers have been selected the MaxPreps Oregon Team of the Week, presented by the Oregon National Guard.

Coached by Jennifer Teeter, who led Imbler to state titles in 2008 and 2009, the Panthers are coming off a 23-5 season and one win away from a third state title since 2008.

"As a team, the girls have worked extremely hard in practice each night to improve," said Teeter. "We set measurable and obtainable goals that focused on physical improvements and mental toughness. We have stayed focused on playing one match at a time, winning one set at a time and playing to win every point throughout the match. The team is very coach-able and dedicated to volleyball, which has also contributed to our success."

Imbler lost in the 2012 1A state finals 25-18, 15-25, 25-21, 20-25 and 15-12 to Powder Valley.

The Panthers lost just three seniors off that team and have been dominating throughout the 2013 season, including two three-set sweeps over Wallowa and Cove last week.

"From the moment we were awarded the second place state trophy last season our focus was pointed to improving upon our finish last year," said Teeter. "As a team, the girls understand that in order to achieve the ultimate goal of winning a state championship, we must stay focused on daily improvement and take it one match at time."

At Wallowa, Imbler prevailed 25-20, 25-12, 25-10 behind 14 kills from 5-foot-8 senior Malia Mills and eight from 5-7 junior Emma Bowers. Senior Ally Fullerton (5-8) had four aces,  Mills added 11 digs and 5-8 senior setter Jacey Teeter had 30 assists.

In a 25-15, 25-15, 25-9 home win over Cove, Mills once again had a dominating match with 15 kills, 5-8 freshman Hannah Wilhelm added 14 digs and Teeter added 33 more assists. Wilhelm also had 13 serve receives to start the offense.

Mills leads the team with 248 kills (4.2 per game) and Bowers has 167. Bowers (35), Fullerton (33) and Mills (31) lead the team in aces, 6-foot senior Stephanie McGilvray leads in blocks (26). Mills (228), Wilhelm (213) and Bowers (202) lead in digs and Teeter has a whopping 612 assists, which ranks second in the state.

Mills ranks seventh in the state in kills and Bowers is 20th. Mills is also 12th in digs.

The Panthers closed the regular season with seven straight wins by sweep, the last two games they lost were against Powder Valley. Imbler gained a measure of revenge with a 21-25, 22-25, 25-15, 25-22, 15-11 comeback win in that one behind a combined 26 kills from Mills and Bowers and 43 assists from Teeter.

"We have a great group of young women, who strive to excel on and off the court," said coach Teeter. "They have been committed to volleyball success from the time they were in elementary school. Improving fundamentally and striving to be mentally tough, night in and night out, is what they except of themselves and of each other.

"Overall, they are an outstanding group and I am proud to be their coach."