When the girls’ volleyball teams at Mehlville and Lindbergh Senior High met last week for a key Suburban West Conference matchup, there was much more than wins and losses on the line.

Of course there was the ongoing rivalry between the two schools, but there also was the opportunity to grab a share of the conference championship at stake.

When the dust settled from a hard-fought battle between the two squads, it was the Panthers who came away with a 30-28, 25-21 win over the Flyers.

“We’re just clicking right now,” Mehlville Head Coach Susan Hurt told the Call. “We moved some kids around; it’s really paying off.”

The Panthers (15-1, 4-1 Suburban West) are one of the hottest teams in the area.

In fact, as of this past Monday, they’ve been riding an impressive 14-game winning streak. Despite the win, Hurt was quick to note the success of the Flyers this season and the hard work by their head coach.

“Johnna’s done a great job with her kids,” Hurt said. “They never gave up and it was a great match. They’ve never beaten some really good teams this year.”

The Flyers (14-4-1, 2-2 Suburban West) have been solid throughout the season and came into their match with Mehlville riding a three-game winning streak in which they had won 10 of their last 11 games.

Lindbergh’s head coach Johnna Wieter said she believed that the team’s slow start in the first game may have been the deciding factor in the team’s setback.

“I felt that we got off to a slow start,” Wieter said. “Had we started like we finished in the first game, I believe we could have won the first game. We made silly mistakes at the wrong time, but overall I felt like we played a good match. I was proud of the girls because they really wanted that game.”

Wieter spoke very highly of the service play of Mary Catherine Richmond and Kay Stewart both of whom helped the Flyers come back in the first game of play.

“Both of them picked a great time to serve well and get us back into the match,” Wieter said. “Mary Catherine’s serving is what got us back in the game and Kay was giving us a very consistent and nice jump serve.”

Mehlville’s Kaitlyn Deutsch and Andi Moran were great for the Panthers as Deutsch recorded 15 attacks, six kills and seven assists. Moran on the other hand had 11 attacks, three kills and 13 assists.

“Kaitlyn’s been doing really well,” Hurt said. “Between her and Andi, they’ve been feeding off each other really well.”

The Panthers return to play this Friday evening as they play host to Fox in one of their final conference match’s of the season.

With the game also being a part of Mehlville’s homecoming festivities, Hurt knows that her players will be fired up.

Lindbergh continues play this week as it plays host to Parkway Central at 5 p.m. Friday at Lindbergh; while the Mehlville vs. Fox match is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. start Friday at Mehlville.