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WORLAND - They are in different conferences now but whenever the Worland Lady Warriors and Hot Springs County Lady Bobcats meet on the volleyball court it's going to make for an energetic night. The two dueling student sections certainly cracked it up to 11 Thursday night at Worland High School as the two volleyball rivals clashed in a non-conference match.

The Lady Warriors downed the Lady Bobcats 3-0 (25-18, 25-20, 25-19) and at times showed just how high the ceiling is for this team. Whether it was with sharp passing, followed by a big hit or controlling the net by racking up the block, the Lady Warriors put together impressive stretches during their Thursday night victory.

"Things were going great, but the atmosphere was actually crippling at times," said WHS volleyball coach Brittany Miller. "Kudos to the Worland and Thermopolis student sections, they rocked the house tonight. I told the girls we'll have to go off trust because if you can't hear each other trust each other. We got in our whole roster tonight and sometimes that makes for rigid moments but those girls came in and performed."

For the Lady 'Cats, the scoreboard shows a 3-0 loss but does not paint a full picture of just how gritty they played. Several times they found themselves on the wrong end of a run, the worst coming in Game 2 when Worland opened up with a 13-2 run. In years past heads would have hung and a towel thrown in, but to Thermopolis' credit, they kept battling.

As bad of a start as Game 2 was, the Lady 'Cats clawed their way back into the game with a 16-9 run that forced Worland to take a timeout with a 22-18 lead.

"I told them I was proud of them. It was just the runs that we let Worland go on. We had our moments but we've got to play like our hair is on fire," said HSCHS Shannon Hill. "Our defense we'd just let these balls drop and it was like we thought if we stood in this magical spot the ball would come right to us.

"I tell them all the time that state is right here and we have to keep that in the back of our minds but know these matches are everything. We have to believe that we can win and get rid of that stigma of other teams thinking 'Oh it's just Thermopolis.'"

Hill was also proud of her team for their scrappiness on the court. In each game, Worland looked to have Thermopolis in blowout territory but the Lady 'Cats dug deep and made a game of each one.

"Most of the time when we come down here the crowd is so intense, it's a huge rivalry and we get blown out of the water. I was so proud of them. Never once did they give up and I could tell from their faces there was no quit. They fought back from 10-0 in the second game. We just have to focus on stopping those runs and getting the ball back," said Hill.

Thursday's win gives the Lady Warriors positive momentum heading into today's 3A West conference duals in Lander. Miller also liked how her team made sacrifices for one another in order to achieve the win; it also set a good example for many of the Worland recreation league youth volleyball players who were in attendance for the match.

"We keep talking – and seeing the rec volleyball kids here tonight – about Worland volleyball being bigger than yourself. You might not be having the best night but you need to make sure that your teammates have the best night of their life. Also, when they made mistakes tonight they didn't drop their heads but just kept going. That's important because we have teammates and you have a program that has your back. So if you make a mistake keep going and don't drop your head," said Miller.

For the Lady 'Cats, they'll host the Glenrock Lady Herders at 4 p.m. on senior night tonight. Hill wants to add a few wrinkles to the offense and is looking for better defensive consistency.

"There are a few pieces to add, we need a few more options in the offense and that's one piece I'll work on. And another piece we'll have to play defense and go for balls rather than expecting them to come right to us," said Hill.