Panthers give Moore successful coaching debut in opener
Sept. 4, 2007

LaGrange College's volleyball team swept visiting Atlanta Christian 3-0 at a packed CEB Gym on Tuesday. It was the season opener for the Panthers and the coaching debut of new head coach Megan Moore. The Panthers won by scores of 30-17, 30-16 and 30-15.

"It was very exhilarating, maybe a little nervous at first but then when we got that first kill I settled down," Moore said. "Getting everyone in the match was the toughest part because I knew we had a tough schedule and I knew this was one match I could get a lot people in."

The Panthers took advantage of a deep bench in downing the Chargers. The Panthers played all 19 players available, while Atlanta Christian had only eight players.

In the first game, the Panthers fell behind 7-5 in the early going. Megan Waycaster tied the game at 7-7 with a service ace. It was part of a 6-0 run that put the Panthers ahead to stay 11-7. The Panthers continued to build on their lead. A service ace from Heather Tidwell and a kill from Kiley Kirkpatrick opened up eight-point leads for the Panthers. The Panthers' biggest lead came on game point for the 30-17 final score.

Atlanta Christian got two quick points to start the second game. The Panthers, with five new faces in the lineup, scored the next four points and never trailed again. The Chargers got within two points on several occasions. The Panthers broke the game open with six straight points, the last on a kill by Sarah Newland, to open up a 19-10 lead. The lead swelled to 24-13, as the only points the Chargers got were off two Panther service errors. Jennifer Fields' kill gave the Panthers their largest lead, 28-14. The Panthers closed out the two points later for the 30-16 final.

The final game was all LaGrange. The Panthers jumped out to a 6-0 lead to start the game. The Chargers cut the lead to 11-9, but it was as close as they would get. The Panthers scored 10 of the next 12 points to open up a 21-11 lead. The Chargers closed the gap with four unanswered points to make it 21-15. The Panthers responded by closing out the game and the match by scoring the last nine points for a 30-15 win.

The Panthers had 12 players with at least one kill. Connie Russell had a team-high six, while Jessica Boler added five and Kiley Kirkpatrick had four. The Panthers finished the match with 32 kills.

Kayla Black had a team-high 12 assists and Waycaster had 10. Waycaster led the team with seven digs and Grace Burgess had six. The Panthers had 13 service aces, with Waycaster having a team-best three.

The Panthers travel to Jackson, Miss. for the Millsaps Invitational. The Panthers face Mary Hardin-Baylor and Mississippi College on Friday. On Saturday, they face tournament host Millsaps and East Texas Baptist.