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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

HOOVER – After starting their season with a 1-1 performance in a tri-match, the Pelham Panthers played in the Juanita Boddie Tournament on Aug. 25-26 at Hoover High School to test themselves against some of the top talent from around the state.

The Panthers went 2-2 in pool play to advance out of Pool 3 to the Silver Bracket, where they lost in their first round of knockout play.

Pelham started off the weekend with a match against Grissom. The Panthers came roaring out of the gate with an emphatic 25-12 first set victory, but they had a chance to show their resolve in the second set with a 26-24 win in extra points to take the match.

Camryn McMinn had ten kills, while Londyn Wynn had nine. Kylee Hester recorded 24 assists, Kassadi Jones scored three aces, and Jones, Jojo Miller and Aubrie Smith each had three total blocks.

Afterwards, Pelham took on Bayside to close out the opening day of pool play. The Admirals battled out a close 25-23 first set win, and they would go on to win the match in the second set thanks to a 25-16 victory.

McMinn broke the ten-kill mark for the second straight game, and she also led the Panthers in digs for the match with nine. Hester also recorded 13 assists in the loss.

The Panthers would come back the next day to take on Baylor in the third game of pool play. Pelham would lose the first set 25-12, but they recovered strongly and held off the Red Raiders in a close second set to win, 25-21. That forced a third and decisive set, which was a tight battle that Baylor took, 15-12.

McMinn and Wynn were once again the kill leaders with nine and seven, respectively, while Hester racked up 22 assists.

On defense, Jojo Miller recorded three total blocks, and Hester led the way in digs with nine, and Wynn and Kamryn Rouveyrol were tied-for-second with six apiece.

Pelham then finished out their pool play schedule with a match against fellow Birmingham metro area team Hewitt-Trussville. Pelham took control of the match with a 25-17 first set victory, and then they closed out the match with a 25-20 win in the second set.

In the match against the Huskies, Rouveyrol recorded ten digs across the two sets and Hester earned 15 assists.

With the win, Pelham closed out pool play with a 2-2 record and advanced to the Silver Bracket, where they received a bye from the first round of matchups.

Pelham would then face Northridge after the Jaguars topped Southside in straight sets in the opening round. It was a tight match between the two sides in the first set, as Northridge took the first frame, 25-22.

With the Panthers now needing a set win to survive in the tournament, they came up short in the second set as they lost 25-18 to the Jaguars to end their run at the Juanita Boddie.

Next up for the 3-4 Panthers, they will take on Jasper on Tuesday, Aug. 29 at home.