While most teams around the state continued games and practices during fall break, the Daviess County Lady Panthers took some time off to regroup for the final stretch of the season.
Despite back-to-back losses to start the final few weeks, a switch was flipped in the Lady Panthers and it’s led to a now five-game winning streak with Wednesday’s win coming in their most complete performance of the season.
Daviess County swept Breckinridge County 3-0 (25-20, 25-22, 25-13) to get back to its first 3rd Region Volleyball Tournament final since 2015.
“They executed everything that we worked on,” DC coach Tyla Bailey said. “That was the team I’ve been looking for all season. They came through at the right time and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
Going in Wednesday, Bailey said she had some butterflies.
“All day, I was very anxious and I had the jitters,” she said. “I felt like I was back in college preparing for a game. It’s the good nervous. The nervous if I wasn’t feeling it then I’d think something was wrong.”
Even with their earlier loss to the Lady Tigers, Bailey said they didn’t let it deter them.
“We don’t dwell on anything but we did use that loss as motivation to come out and play our game tonight,” she said. “We knew they had strong players. They’re a strong team but we need if we rallied together, we played and worked as a unit, then good things would happen. Fortunately, that happened and we’re excited.”
Senior Elizabeth Moore said the team talked about the loss a lot and it was a goal coming into Thursday to break down Breck.
They succeeded.
The Lady Panthers controlled the match from start to finish as the Tigers made the second set a little tighter but then it was all smooth sailing for DC.
“They still played really well,” Moore said. “I think we just played our game. We got inside their head a little bit, you could tell. You could tell when they get down on themselves but they played really well. They have really strong hitters.”
The win now sets up a battle with host Grayson County at 7 p.m. tonight at GCHS. The Lady Cougars and Panthers didn’t face off this season but they finished the regular-season as the top two teams in the 3rd Region, according to the RPI.
GC was No. 1 with a .656 while Daviess County finished at .622.
“Carrying into tomorrow night, we need the same mindset,” Bailey said of the gameplan. “We know that no team is safe. If we’re going to do this, we’ve got to show up point by point. Grayson’s a tough team … Home-court advantage. We’re just going to have to roll with it and do our best.”
For Moore and her fellow seniors, it’s about keeping the same energy but she admits they wouldn’t be where they were this season without each other.
“Without the connection, I don’t think we would play as well as we do,” she said. “Us just knowing our setters, Josie (Newcom) and Lexi (Owen) have played together for so long. I’ve played with Ryann (Keller) for so long. Us just knowing each other helps. I’ve played with those girls since sixth grade, we all just work.”
Moore (11 kills, 13 digs, ace) and Josie Newcom (11 kills, 11 digs, 2 aces) led the Lady Panthers while Adylan Ayer (7 kill, block, 4 digs), Kloee Phelps (kill, 15 digs, 2 aces), Lexi Owen (17 assists, 9 digs, 2 aces), Ryann Keller (kill, block, 14 assists, 3 digs), Jasmine Beasley (2 kills, 2 blocks, dig) and Kendal Goetz (3 assists, 8 digs, 4 aces) all contributed to DC’s dominant victory over Breck.
