PRAIRIE CITY – The Prairie City volleyball team came up short last week.

The Panthers dropped their opening match of the season to Imbler in four games Aug. 29. Imbler jumped on Prairie City early and took the first two games 25-11 and 25-16.

The Panthers fought off Imbler to win a close third game 25-22. Prairie City led by as many as five points in the third game, but Imbler tied the score several times. The Panthers finally secured the game after a bad hit by Imbler.

However, the momentum was short-lived as Imbler took a 15-5 lead in the fourth game. Prairie City never closed the gap in the game and lost the game 25-10.

Prairie City coach Melissa Woodbury said the game exposed some things the team needs to focus on in practice.

“We know what we need to work on,” Woodbury said. “We played excellent for the first game. This is what early games are for. We need to work on hitting, blocks and the flow of things.”

Katie Carey led Prairie City with seven kills and four blocks.

Demetria Thompson and Sarah Bowers of Imbler had six kills each. Kira Poe had 28 serve points and Reva West had 22 assists for Imbler.

“It was a good start for us,” Imbler coach Jennifer Teeter said. “Reva West and Demetria Thompson played strong for us.”

Although Prairie City lost, the team improved over last year. They were shut out in three straight games last season.

Prairie City will face Pine Eagle at 2 p.m. Friday, Sept. 5 at home. The Panthers host their annual tournament Sept. 6, starting at 9 a.m. The tournament will include 12 teams.