It wasn’t the start to the week that New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva volleyball head coach Nicole Kuhns wanted as the Panthers close out the regular season.

Maple River defeated NRHEG 25-20, 25-23, 25-19 as the Panthers (15-8) prepare for a difficult match Tuesday against Martin County West (19-6-1) in the regular season finale.

“We just weren’t mentally prepared,” Kuhns said.

NRHEG struggled with its hitting, committing 26 hitting errors in the match. Anna Schlaak led the team with 12 kills and Alyssa Hagen added 8 on the night. Jenna Brekke had 12 assists and Emily Dahle had 8. Chelsey Waltz added 12 digs.

Serving wasn’t a strong point either as the Panthers missed some critical serves in the second game.

The loss may have postseason implications as NRHEG may miss out on hosting a first round match, but a win over Martin County West would go a long way to improving the chances of the Panthers hosting a first round match. That may be difficult as Martin County West received votes in the latest prep volleyball poll and is undefeated in the Valley Conference this season.