When Daviess County walked into its gym Tuesday evening for a matchup with district rival Owensboro, the Lady Panthers were still a ways from being in contention for top seed in the 9th District Tournament but when they left at the end of the night, they had taken a big step forward and made a statement in the process.
For the Lady Devils, a victory Tuesday would have made them 3-0 in district play and a lock for the No. 1 seed but Tyla Bailey and her Lady Panthers had other plans.
Daviess County came out of the gates on fire and never looked back as it swept OHS 3-0 (25-19, 25-23, 25-22) to now put destiny in its own hands.
Bailey said they couldn’t let themselves get overwhelmed when they thought about what was on the line.
“We really focused on every point, every ball,” she said. “It’s going to be a battle. We knew Owensboro was having a really good season and that if we didn’t show up to play, anything could happen.”
Despite losing the first two sets, the Lady Devils gained momentum as the third went on and led 21-16 before DC ended the set and the match on a 9-1 run.
Bailey said they had to get back in the set one point at a time.
“All we needed was one good pass, one good set, one good swing,” she said. “If they want it, go get it. Owensboro was not going to just give it to us so if they wanted it, they had to go fight.”
When her team gets in the position they were on Tuesday, Bailey admits they’re not always as calm as they should be but her team has a knack for having each other’s back.
“We get jittery,” she said. “Several times the coaches and even the players would remind each other to just take a deep breath, we know how to play. Do your thing.”
The Lady Panthers have had to deal with COVID adjustments this season just like every other team but they’ve used the last several weeks to make up for it.
Bailey said she did everything she could to keep her team safe and it’s helped them as the season has gone on.
“Even when we could be in the gym working out, we kept everything virtual,” she said. “We really didn’t know what we could do or what we couldn’t do. I really just wanted to keep the girls as safe as I knew to do. The past four weeks, we’ve really been coming in hard. We have felt kind of behind but I like to think that’s normal … I’m very pleased with the way the girls have adapted and they just roll with whatever we throw at them.”
For the Lady Panthers to have a shot at the top seed, they’ll need to beat Owensboro Catholic next Tuesday at OCHS but a Lady Aces win would leave Apollo and Owensboro to flip a coin to see who gets the No. 1 seed.
Before that pivotal match, DC still has to take on Franklin-Simpson (Thursday) and Owensboro (Monday).
Bailey said they can’t rest on Tuesday’s performance.
“We keep fighting,” she said. “Yes, we’re proud of winning tonight and it was a tough battle but we don’t stop here. We talk all the time about not becoming complacent and that no tema is going to give us anything. It’s important that we find our rhythm and find the rotation that clicks and we do the best to play our game.”
The Lady Devils will look to snap their losing skid Thursday as they host Ohio County at OHS.
Daviess County 3, Owensboro 0
OHS (5-2) 19 23 22–0
DCHS (4-1) 25 25 25–3
OHS: Brooklyn Williams (4 kills), Chase Mather (ace, 6 digs), Jersie Rhineburger (12 digs), Kennedy Thompson (2 aces, assist, 6 digs), Krystell Pappas (2 aces, kill, 15 assists, 9 digs), Lainey Hayden (ace), 4 kills, 12 digs), Mia Covington (8 kills)
DCHS: Josie Newcom (5 kills, 2 digs), Kendal Goetz (2 kills, assist, 5 digs), Jasmine Beasley (8 kills, block, dig), Ryann Keller (23 assists, block), Adylan Ayder (8 kills, block, dig, ace), Elizabeth Moore (15 kills, 2 blocks, 5 digs, ace), Kloee Phelps (3 kills, 10 digs, ace), Lexi Owen (11 assists, 3 aces)
