By RAY BENTON
Leader sports editor
The Cabot Lady Panthers won both of their short matches at the Wampus Cat benefit jamboree in Conway on Thursday. The format didn’t allow for much competition. Each team would face two other teams for two sets to 25 or for 30 minutes, whichever came first.
Cabot was only able to finish one set apiece against Sheridan and Greenbrier, but they won both sets, and continued to show improvement. There were no official scorekeepers, but Cabot coach Kham Chanthaphasouk was satisfied with his team’s performance.
“It went well,” said Chanthaphasouk. “We got off to a slow start at first, but then we bounced back. I called timeout and they responded and played pretty well the rest of the night.”
The Lady Panther varsity squad was strong with its passing and hitting while serving and communication continues to improve.
“We passed well and our hits were pretty consistent,” said Chanthaphasouk. “We have been working a lot on serving and I thought our serves improved quite a bit.
“They’re starting to talk a lot more, so communication is improving. When we communicate and are having fun, we are very, very strong. So that’s something we will work towards the whole season.”
The head Panther also liked what he saw out of the junior varsity squad. It won its only set of the night as well against Sheridan’s junior varsity. Chanthaphasouk was a little disappointed with the time restrictions, but was very encouraged by the brief performance he saw.
“We tried to play everybody, but we were only able to play one set,” Chanthaphasouk said. “But the JV looks promising also. They communicate well. They’re getting better technically. They’re getting more confident. I’m very hopeful for this group of sophomores.”