Battling first-game jitters, Daviess County overcame dropping the first set to cruise past Meade County 3-1 (19-25, 25-13, 25-19, 25-19). Attributing her team’s dropping the first set to nerves, Daviess County Head Coach Tyla Bailey was pleased with her girls’ momentum and leadership.
“The first set we came out kind of slow and then responded 25-13 in the second set,” Bailey said. “I’m just very pleased we were able to finish tonight.”
After dropping the first set, the Lady Panthers took an early 8-4 lead in the second and never looked back. After Meade County scored two straight points to cut it to 8-6, Daviess County went on a 13-3 run and eventually closed out the first set 25-13.
Tied 5-5 in the third set, the Lady Panthers went on a commanding 15-7 run to take a 20-12 lead. Refusing to go away, Meade County cut the lead to 20-16, before Daviess Conty went on a 5-3 run to go to match point.
In the third set, Daviess County found themselves having to play for behind, but outlasted Meade County due to their tenacity and ability to seemingly dig out every ball. The Lady Panthers’ defense was the star of the show, finishing the game with 18 assisted blocks, two solo blocks, and a whopping 95 digs.
“I am very proud of the way our blockers worked tonight,” Bailey said. “We got a lot of touches that I think in the past we wouldn’t have gotten. I know Jones our libero led us in digs with 35, which is huge. She is a hustler every night which is great.”
Playing all four sets, Lexi Jones finished with a team high 35 digs and added one assist and three service aces. Reese Whiteside recorded a team-leading 10 kills, while Jenna Lawson and Jazlynn Howard combined for 33 of their team’s 35 assists. Zoe Raymond (12), Kyndal Murphy (12), and Haylee Clark (10) all finished with double-digit digs, while Stella Roberts was second on the team in kills with eight.
Heading into Thursday’s game at Hancock County, Bailey wants to see her team clean up the little things, including missed serves and controlling what they can control.
