It came down to the last few points in a tiebreak fifth set, but the Apollo volleyball team held off Henderson County Thursday for a home-opening 3-2 victory (25-20, 21-25, 25-19, 22-25, 15-12).
The E-Gals (1-0) used a pair of service aces from Jenna McMillen to get a 7-2 lead in the fifth set, and a one-handed dig by Anslee Hopewell helped them stay on top at 12-10 late in the frame. The Lady Colonels did pull within one, but Apollo was able to close out the match when a return sailed long from Henderson County.
Apollo Head Coach MaryAnne Howard said she’s happy her team was able to start the season with a win against a tough opponent.
“That’s a hard-fought match all the way through,” Howard said. “Henderson is one of the best teams on this side of the state. They’ve got some tremendous talent, and they are big at the net. I couldn’t have asked for a better opening match.”
The E-Gals were also successful last week when they advanced to the championship flight of the Bluegrass State Games, but Howard still thought there was room for improvement. She said the team exceeded the expectations she had coming into the match, and they carried out the game plan successfully.
“I think we stayed aggressive on our serving,” Howard said. “The servers did a great job of hitting their spots to try to keep Henderson out of their offensive system. Our back row was digging up some really hard-hit balls defensively, and our blockers really stepped up as the game went on.”
The first four sets largely mirrored each other — whoever could get the lead early was able to maintain it. Despite some heavy hitters from both teams up front, several points were long rallies that only ended when one side made an unforced error.
Howard said the E-Gals need to clean up some things on the offensive end, but she’s proud of what she saw on opening night.
“We just need to keep working on our team chemistry and on our offensive efficiency,” Howard said. “Those things will come in time.”
McMillen lead the team with nine kills, while Carlee Widmer had 20 assists, Brylee Rhodes added six kills and four aces, Taylor Blair had eight kills, and Natalie Ewing had five blocks.
Apollo plays again at 2 p.m. Saturday when they hit the road for a match with Evansville Mater Dei. They’ll then travel to Bowling Green for a 6 p.m. match Tuesday before returning home to host the Apollo Summer Slam Tournament Aug. 17-18.
