Apollo survived a back-and-forth battle with Daviess County, while Owensboro Catholic was able to fend off Owensboro in Monday night’s 9th District volleyball tournament semifinals.
Catholic won in straight sets, but a much-improved Lady Devils team played with grit and didn’t make things easy for the Lady Aces.
In the nightcap, Apollo overcame deficits in the second and third sets — also saving a set point in each — before pulling away from the Lady Panthers in the fourth frame for a 3-1 victory.
————————
For photo galleries from both games, click here.
————————
With their wins, the Lady Aces and tournament host E-Gals will square off for the third year in a row in the district title game, which is scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday.
Apollo beats Daviess County 3-1 (24-26, 27-25, 28-26, 25-16)
The Lady Panthers had late leads in each of the first three frames, but they were only able to hang on in the opener as the E-Gals clawed back with an aggressive attack at the net.
Teams matched each other point-for-point in the first set after a point at the net by Maddi Boswell cut Apollo’s deficit to 18-17. The E-Gals later went up 24-23, but DC’s Jasmine Beasley got consecutive blocks before a kill by Ashton Johnson gave the Lady Panther’s a one-set lead.
DC built a seven-point lead in set two, but Apollo went on a 10-3 run that evened the frame at 20-20. After fighting off a set point for the Lady Panthers, the E-Gals got an ace by Tallie Satterifield and a hit by DC went long — leveling the match at 1-1.
“Both teams brought their absolute A game,” said Apollo head coach Mary Howard. “There was no margin of error for either team. It was that close all night.”
Daviess County was also unable to close out the third set after grinding their way to a 22-17 advantage. The E-Gals went on a 7-1 run, using three kills from Natalie Ewing, and eventually won the set when Satterfield tapped the ball just over the net into a hole in the defense.
Howard said being aggressive allowed Apollo to come from behind and take a 2-1 lead in the match.
“We had some attack errors in the first set, and sometimes that can get into hitters’ confidence a little bit,” she said. “We stayed confident and had some players really step up to make plays when we needed it.”
Apollo ran out to a 12-2 advantage in the fourth set, and it was too much to overcome despite a late rally by the Lady Panthers. Howard said it was one of the best DC teams she’s ever coached against.
“Their front line is tough,” she said. “They have multiple hitters who can just crush the ball. Any one of them can get a kill at any moment. It was a hard-fought battle all night long. We knew we were going to have to play our absolute very best to come out on top.”
Daviess County head coach Tyla Bailey was disappointed they couldn’t take advantage of their leads to get the win.
“I thought we really came out strong, we just couldn’t finish it off,” she said. “I’m proud of the leadership the seniors showed. I hate coming up short.”
Howard hopes winning a tough match will help Apollo as they move on to the district championship and region tournament.
“I think it was one of the best games we’ve played all season,” she said. “It helps our confidence. We’ve been working to really up our offensive game, and today I think our hitters gained that confidence. It gives us a little bit of momentum.”
Apollo’s efforts were led by Satterfield (48 assists), Ewing (20 kills, 5 blocks), Anslee Hopewell (21 digs, 4 aces), Hallie Wilson (20 digs), Brylee Rhodes (12 kills, 6 blocks), Whitley Chambers (10 kills) and Abby Spong (10 digs).
DC’s leading contributors were Ryann Keller (23 assists), Kendal Goetz (21 digs), Hannah Axley (19 assists), Beasley (11 kills, 5 blocks), Elizabeth Moore (12 kills), Ashton Johnson (11 kills), Kloee Phelps (10 digs), Delaney Evans (9 digs), Kinsley Phelps (6 blocks, 3 kills) and Kayla Clark (8 digs).
Owensboro Catholic beats Owensboro 3-0 (25-22, 25-14, 25-19)
The Lady Aces came out of the gate with purpose, jumping out to a 10-3 advantage in the first set. OHS didn’t fold, though, and slowly worked their way back to eventually tie the frame at 22-all.
With a point by Cassidy Towery and back-to-back kills from Belle Wright, Catholic was able to close out the set.
The Lady Aces had stronger showings in the second and third sets and created early separation, and aggressive comeback efforts by the Lady Devils ultimately weren’t enough.
Catholic senior Cecilia Clemens said it was a much better Owensboro team than she’s faced in the past. She said the Lady Aces had to adjust after the first set, and it allowed them to pull away in the next two.
“They were ready. Their defense and serves have gotten a lot better, and I think their coach does an amazing job,” Clemens said. “We did better with passing, serve and receive, and putting the balls down in the second and third sets. We finally decided to start hitting instead of tipping. We were more aggressive.”
Owensboro head coach Melissa Hibbs said her team showed a great deal of growth since the beginning of the year, and it’s a good sign going forward for the program.
“That hustle and that heart, that is the legacy these seniors wanted to leave and I think that’s what they did,” she said. “Our district is tough and sometimes we play a little bit scared. We’ve never had a full group of upperclassmen. Now these young girls have seen they can play and win the big points. I think we can build from that.”
For the Lady Aces, attention now turns to a matchup with Apollo before playing in next week’s 3rd Region tournament. Clemens said they have to really lock in and keep getting better as they go deeper in the postseason.
“We have some mistakes here and there that keep us down, so we have to build back up from them,” Clemens said. “We’ve been struggling with getting our serves over but we did better tonight. We’re going to have to build up some confidence since we kind of came out with big heads today.”
Clemens helped led the effort, finishing with 33 assists and 19 service points. Other leading contributors were Belle Wright (12 service points, 10 kills), Cassidy Towery (15 service points, 7 kills, 5 digs), Madeline Castlen (9 kills, 5 blocks), Jenna Glenn (5 digs) and Allie Hamilton (5 kills).
Owensboro was led by Krystell Pappas (8 assists, 8 digs, 7 kills), Jersie Rhinburger (16 digs), Kennedy Thompson (8 assists, 5 digs, 3 aces), Mykael Winstead (10 digs, 3 kills, 3 assists), Armanda Pappas (10 digs, 5 kills), Mia Covington (5 killsm, 5 blocks) and Audretta Tyler (5 digs).
Stay up to date on all your local sports coverage by following @OwensboroSports on Twitter and by liking us on Facebook.
