After rolling through the region during the regular season, the Apollo volleyball team’s 2018 run ended with a loss to Breckinridge County. The Lady Tigers (32-7) overpowered the E-Gals (30-9) for a 3-1 (26-24, 26-28, 25-20, 25-12) win in the Region 3 championship.
Apollo was sent home earlier than they had hoped, but head coach MaryAnne Howard said the team had a terrific campaign.
“It was a great season,” Howard said. “This season was my first as head coach, and the way girls came in and adjusted to the new system makes me really proud. We played tremendously in the district during the regular season, and I really think these girls stepped up their play to exceed expectations all year.”
Breckinridge County was led by star junior hitter Tessa Allen, who helped the Lady Tigers advance to the state tournament for the first time in program history.
“We have wanted this so bad for so long,” Allen said. “Apollo and Owensboro Catholic are tough teams to beat, but we were able to bring just enough energy to win it. We lost to Apollo at the very beginning of the season, but we worked hard and improved with each game. It all paid off tonight.”
Barry Mingus, head coach of the Lady Tigers, was left nearly speechless after seeing his team achieve what he says was their goal from the start of the season.
“I’m kind of at a loss for words right now, but if I had to choose one I’d say it’s unbelievable,” Mingus said. “We haven’t ever done anything like this. All I can say is the girls brought it tonight. It was a great match, and I’m really glad the girls showed up.”
Although the tournament didn’t end how the E-Gals wanted, they fought hard from the first point of the match and weren’t going to hand the championship trophy to the Lady Tigers. Howard was complimentary of her team’s opposition after the contest, insisting they played well enough to deserve to win.
“I think Breckinridge deserves all the credit,” Howard said. “They were extremely aggressive all night long and were in complete attack mode all match. It was a great, hard-fought match by both sides, and Breckinridge played awesome. They really executed tonight.”
Leading the way for the E-Gals on the night was senior Carlee Widmer (4 kills, 12 digs, 27 assists), along with Jenna McMillen (11 kills, 9 digs), Natalie Ewing (15 kills) and Hallie Wilson (25 digs).
Breckinridge County will begin state tournament play Oct. 26, when they will face Region 6 champions Mercy, who defeated Holy Cross (Louisville) in straight sets on Thursday night.
