CEDAR FALLS - Olivia Fisher pounded down 21 kills and 11th-ranked Janesville labored through a 25-14, 25-14, 25-13 victory over NU High Wednesday in a Class 1A volleyball regional at Nielsen Fieldhouse.
The Wildcats (21-8) were ragged at times, but were good enough to hold off an improving Panther squad.
Janesville coach Shelly Sorensen wasn\\\'t sure what she\\\'d see from a squad that has just one senior, but gave her team a passing grade.
"It was good to get this first one under our belt," Sorensen said. "But we have to do a lot of things better next time out.
"Our offense was okay, but we need to get a better rhythm going. We put up a few blocks, but they got a few hits down on us I\\\'d expect us to dig up next time, and I certainly would\\\'ve liked to seen us play with a bit more energy."
The Wildcats dominated sets one and three, but were pushed until midway through the second set before pulling away.
Shelby Murley dished out 28 assists, while Karli Kruse added five kills and three aces.
"We played consistent, but it wasn\\\'t at the top of our game," Fisher said of Janesville\\\'s performance. "We definitely have a few things to work on before Tuesday."
Fisher was consistent, piling up six kills in game one, eight in the second and seven in the final.
Behind Morgan Granger, NU High gave Janesville trouble at times, but in the end the Panthers didn\\\'t have enough firepower to stick with the Wildcats.
"We accomplished some things we set out to do (this season)," NU coach Kim Bear said. "We got a conference win, which was the first time in five years.
"I\\\'m not disappointed. We could\\\'ve played harder tonight, but Janesville is a good team and obviously Olivia is a good hitter. But we didn\\\'t play to our full potential."
Janesville advances to face East Buchanan, a four-set winner over Dunkerton, Tuesday at Nielsen Fieldhouse at 7 p.m.