PINETOWN — Northside, challenged immediately by a last-minute coaching change, opened its volleyball season Tuesday at home against Riverside. The visiting Lady Knights usually prove to be a tough matchup and swept the Lady Panthers, 3-0.

The first two sets were closely contested. Northside, trailing 19-15 late in the first set, got kills from Madison Tetterton and Savannah Slade to help pull within one. Riverside was able to close out the Lady Panthers and earn a 25-20 win in the first set.

The Lady Panthers bounced back with a strong start in the second set. Rachel Lang’s strong work up front led them to a 5-1 advantage early on before the visitors went on a 12-1 run. Top-notch serving allowed Riverside to create separation with a 21-9 lead.

Northside didn’t go away, though. The Lady Panthers battled back with Lang and Meredith Boyd, among others, collecting kills, but again fell 25-20.

The Lady Knights were efficient in the third set to earn the sweep. Other than a few kills between the likes of Slade, Boyd and Brooklyn Hudnell, Northside largely collected its points on Riverside errors before losing the third set 25-12.

“They can serve the ball and they can kill it,” coach Michelle Leathers said of the competition from Riverside. “Getting them early in the season, we get a chance to work on our defense. I felt like we had cement in our shoes. We can’t really move laterally.”

Riverside proved to be a good opponent for the Lady Panthers to learn from. The season-opening experience, in and of itself, was also a learning experience for Leathers as she gets acclimated to coaching volleyball.

“It’s been tough. I’m still learning. The game has changed since I played,” she said. “This game should help me out a lot because I’m learning, as well. I saw some good things out there tonight. We just didn’t communicate.”

Communication is the first order of business for Leathers. The Lady Panthers are largely familiar with each other not just from last season’s work, but also from the other teams that a lot of the other girls play on. Their chemistry should help the team once that communication comes along.

That familiarity also helped Leathers in her transition into the coaching role. She said that knowing some of the Lady Panthers from basketball made it easier and that they helped prepare the players that aren’t familiar with her.

While the three-set loss highlighted some early-season shortcomings, Leathers also noticed some positive things to build on moving forward. She saw plenty of talent throughout the team, but needs to figure out how to use it best.

“Our back row was digging,” Leathers said. “Rachel coming up and killing the ball. There’s just so many people that want to play. I’m the kind of type, coaching basketball, that, if I’ve got a flow, I’ve got to stay with the flow. I saw the kills, with Savannah, her killing.”

Northside’s non-conference slate will continue to be challenging. A showdown at Washington lies ahead on Tuesday.