POWELL – The Pinedale High School Lady Wrangler volleyball team gathered with other 3A squads from across the state at the annual Conference Duels, hosted this year by Powell, on Oct. 6-7.

The event provided an opportunity for teams to test the water against opponents they will likely see again at Regionals and State.

Rising to the challenge, the Lady Wranglers scored a hard-earned four-set win against Lovell on Friday, 3-1. Pinedale went on to post a resounding 3-0 win against Thermopolis on Saturday.

The Lady Wranglers came up short against the host school, Powell, on Friday morning, 3-0, though the third set was close.

Pinedale squared off against Worland on Saturday morning. The Lady Wranglers battled Worland through four close sets and won the second set. Unfortunately, Worland won the third and fourth sets, though by a narrow margin, for the 3-1 win.

On Tuesday, Oct. 10, Pinedale hosted conference opponent Lyman for its annual Pink Out Night. The Lady Wranglers honored people battling breast cancer and breast cancer survivors before the varsity game.

As with all games between Pinedale and Lyman, the Lady Wranglers fought the Lady Eagles point for point through all four sets.

The Lady Wranglers won the first set, 26-24. The next three sets each came down to the wire, with Lyman ultimately pulling out the win by only a handful of points – 25-22, 25-18 and 25-22.

Conference Duels

The action commenced with Pinedale taking on the host of the tournament, the Powell Lady Panthers. Powell entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed in the 3A Northwest Quadrant.

The Lady Panthers won the first two sets, 25-14 and 25-15. The Lady Wranglers put in a solid effort to turn the tables in a closely contested third set. Powell managed to edge ahead by a few points at the end of the set for the win, 25-21.

Regrouping, Pinedale was determined not to yield the court in the subsequent game against Lovell. The Lady Wranglers posted a victory in the first set by 3 points, 25-22. Lovell rallied in the second set, scoring a 25-9 win.

Undaunted, Pinedale answered back with a resounding win in the third set, 25-14. Buoyed by the victory, the Lady Wranglers handily won the fourth set, 25-18, to triumph over Lovell, 3-1.

On Saturday morning, Pinedale gave Worland, the No. 2 seed in the 3A Northwest Quadrant, a run for its money. Worland pulled ahead in the first set to score game point, 25-17.

Making a stand in the second set, the Lady Wranglers trounced Worland, 25-15. The third and fourth sets turned into a point-for-point battle with Worland winning by only a few, 25-19 and 25-21.

The Lady Wranglers quickly rebounded from the Worland game and went on to score a decisive win against Thermopolis, 3-0. The first set was close, although Pinedale managed to edge ahead near the end of the set to score game point, 25-20.

The Lady Wranglers overwhelmed Thermopolis in the second set, 25-8, and won the third set by a significant margin, 25-12.

Pinedale takes on Mountain View on the road on Friday, Oct. 13.