Six girls huddle on the edge of the court, then suddenly crouch down and begin jumping up and down while screaming a team cheer. The energy seemed high at the Oct. 21 volleyball match vs. the Eisenhower Cadets, but the Wenatchee Panthers struggled, losing 3-0 at home.

During the first set, the Panthers alternately led and tailed the Cadets through two long, crowd-pleasing volleys and several wild balls hit by both teams that went flying off the court. However, it ended with the Panthers losing 25-18.

“At first, we started pretty strong,” senior Alexis Garrison said. “We went on a rollercoaster and went down a lot … We were excited [before the game] but when we started to play [our energy] went down [and] we couldn’t get it back.”

According to Garrison, this has been an ongoing problem with this group of girls. She said that after a six- to eight-point deficit, it’s hard for the team to get back up in energy or points.

The second set was a catchup game for a while with the Panthers leading. About halfway through the set the Panthers won a short volley, but after that they began to fall behind, while being urged on by a small but enthusiastic student section. The second set also ended in a Cadet win, 25-15.

During the third set, the team’s energy was really low. Wenatchee fell behind in the first few minutes of the game, and weren’t able to gain a lead. About halfway through the set, the players began making more and more desperate moves that didn’t pay off, and the match ended with a Panther loss, 25-9.

“We just really wanted to win,” senior Tessa Morgan said, who had a great dig, fell, and had to jump back up again to try to spike the ball. “I just wanted to do whatever I could to get the passes up for the team.”

“We had a big letdown in the third game,” Head Coach Emily McLean said. “I think we lost our focus and maybe a little of our confidence. I think it’s something all teams face a challenge with.”

McLean also said that volleyball is a “momentum-based” sport and the team “made a lot of unforced errors.”

“We just didn’t get the ball rolling,” McLean said.

Morgan also addressed the same problem as Garrison with the team energy being down.

“I probably would have tried to pump my team up more,” Morgan said. “If one person is down, then the whole team is down. It’s important to keep it up, keep up the energy.”

The team will travel to play Davis next on Oct. 23. at 7 p.m.

Tonight, boys will compete in the 2014 Buff Puff volleyball tournament. Look for a story on the winning team online tomorrow.