CLIFTON -- Tuesday night's volleyball game between Manteno and Central was a tale of two teams.

For the Panthers, it was a near-perfect way to kick off the season as they swept the Comets, 25-9 and 25-11, and only seemed to get stronger as the game went on.

For the Comets, it was a step backward in their second contest of the year. Yesterday, Central faced off against Armstrong at the Timberwolf Tip-Off, and though they ultimately lost that game, too, head coach Jill Luckenbill was much happier with their performance in that match.

"They played very well (on Monday), it was a completely different team than what I saw on the court today," Luckenbill said. "Half the girls came to play, half of the girls did not, and that's something that the girls themselves are going to have to change."

Central seemed unsure of itself for the majority of the game, not communicating very well in either set. That resulted in eight dropped balls, one of the main reasons for the lopsided scores.

Manteno took advantage of that hesitancy, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and keeping their foot on the gas. After Central regained their composure after an early timeout, the Comets kept the game close for a few more volleys, but Manteno pulled away on a 5-0 run, and then went on another 9-0 run to end the game.

The second set wasn't much better for Central, though it got off to a much better start than it did in the first one. The Panthers swapped out about half of their roster for the second game, but kept the same momentum going regardless of who was on the court.

Manteno's depth likely will be one of their strong suits this season. The team as a whole is loaded with juniors (eight total), but there's a lot of experience on the roster despite only having four seniors. It helped that the bench was able to contribute significantly in the second game, and senior Madie Monk said she was impressed with how everyone performed in their first game.

"It was nice to see everybody not only getting playing time, but doing well when they were playing too, which is a great factor," Monk said. "We've got great people all up and down the bench. There's not a single person that can't help the team."

As a result, there's some competition going on for roster spots. Manteno coach Cheryl Davis mentioned the team has a few different setters who will be competing for playing time, and both their left and right sides are strong, as well.

"We've got several setters that are doing a nice job running the offense. Couple of juniors and a senior that are kind of battling it out right now, rights and lefts, all the outsides are really fighting for that playing time," Davis said. "It's a great problem to have."

But even though the Panthers have a number of different players who could be game-changers on any given night, there's one in particular who stood out against Central.

Manteno had a dominant lead in the first set, but outside hitter Kaycie Wenzel ended the match decisively with a spike that seemed to rattle the glass in the gym's windows, and that wasn't the only spike of hers with that kind of intensity; she finished with three kills and led the team with seven digs. Though she played just the one set on Tuesday, sitting in the second to allow others more playing time, Davis says that she's one of their top players.

"She brings some consistency. She does a really good job out on that left side swinging and defensively," Davis said. "She's probably the most consistent we have right now, she's just really smart with her swing."

It was a bad game from the beginning for Central, who looked like they were sleepwalking through parts of the match. Call it a bad day or fatigue that carried over from Monday -- Luckenbill wasn't sure what to make of it.

Manteno's fast start and long runs might have contributed to the team's loss; whenever the Panthers accumulated multiple points, the team struggled to find their footing to change the tide.

"That is one thing we struggle with once we're down, we can't catch up," Luckenbill said. "That's our number one goal to have these girls overcome."

It's a younger team for Luckenbill this season, and though some of the players were teammate on the JV squad last season, not many of them have played together. Finding that team chemistry will be key, and how the group responds to this kind of performance might be indicative of what the season looks like for Central.

"All I want to see is the girls to turn around and play like they did yesterday because I know they're capable (of it)," Luckenbill said.

Continued here:

Panthers slow down Comets - Kankakee Daily Journal