Prairie City Panther Rilee Emmel spikes the ball as Grant Union Prospectors Grace Taylor (13) and Kaytlyn Wells (15) attempt to block.

The 1A Prairie City Panthers hosted neighboring 2A Grant Union Prospectors Tuesday, Sept. 17, with the Prospectors winning 3-1.

Grant Union won the first two sets 25-18 and 25-16. Then Prairie City took a stand, taking the third set 25-21.

Grant Union went on an 11-0 run in the fourth to overtake Prairie City 25-9 in the final set for the victory.

“The last game showed how we should be playing all season,” said Grant Union head coach Ali Abrego.

Abrego was happy with good serving runs from sophomores Grace Taylor and Paige Gerry, and said seniors Taylor Allen and Kaytlyn Wells both hit well.

“It’s a good win for us going into the weekend,” Abrego said, adding her team will face Heppner for their first league game of the season on Thursday, Sept. 19. “It’s always good to have a positive swing going into the start of league.”

Grant Union has a 4-9 overall record in nonleague games this season.

She said they’d need to focus on being disciplined and controlling the momentum of the game.

“We struggled in the beginning, but we came back, hitting well,” she said, adding they also played good defense.

“I’m looking forward to league, and I think we’ll play strong against Heppner,” she said.

Prairie City coach Jordan Bass said her team has the skills to win.

“We’re still working on start to finish and keeping that energy and drive to win the whole game, not just a set,” she said.

The Panthers are preparing for their first league game this week against Harper. The Panthers will face the Hornets on the road at noon (MT) Friday, Sept. 20, in Harper. The Panthers have a 5-4 overall record in nonleague games this season.

“If they want it, they’ve got to play like they want it,” Bass said.

Panther senior Rilee Emmel said they didn’t play to the full potential they’ve shown previously.

“We need to stop being so timid and be aggressive to everything and learn how to battle, be strong and maintain throughout,” she said. “We’d rather compete against these teams, because that’s the level that we’re at.”