After Daviess County coach Tyla Bailey led the Lady Panthers to their first region title in program history, she took a look at her team celebrating and started to tear up.
Seeing her players celebrate after their sweep of Grayson County in the 3rd Region Tournament final Thursday, Bailey just couldn’t keep the emotions in.
“Happy tears.”
The Lady Panthers dominated the field from start to finish this week in Leitchfield, and they didn’t lose a set during their region championship run.
DC swept the Lady Cougars 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-13) to cement their spot in the KHSAA State Volleyball Tournament, where they’ll take on perennial power Assumption on Monday in Louisville.
Bailey said she was proud of what they did to win Thursday, as they also had to deal with an ill player.
“We definitely had some obstacles we had to overcome,” she said. “I’m very pleased with the girls, regardless of what happened, they didn’t fold and they knew going into it, this is what they wanted. They knew it would set school history but it was also just a function of we’re here, why quit now. I am very proud of how we came out and how we played.”
Since their back-to-back losses against Breckinridge County and Apollo, the Lady Panthers are 6-0 with five sweeps.
Bailey said it’s always good to be clicking at the right time. She said it’s not been about her or one player, but the team as a whole.
“To me, it just proves they know when to pull together and they know that teamwork is always crucial, but they just always click at the right time,” she said. “That can’t be taught. Many of them have played for six years so the chemistry just comes along with it. I’m very proud of the depth that we have. Anybody on the bench I can call upon and they can go in and get the job done.”
The Panthers lone non-sweep during their run came in the 9th District final against Owensboro Catholic.
Bailey said they knew they had the chance to make history Thursday, but they had other things to do first.
“It was always in hindsight but we knew we had to get district first,” she said. “I always say, nothing is promised in postseason. It’s definitely always in hindsight, definitely always a goal but we were just happy to win district. We knew once we got there, we had what it took to prove we’re the best in the region.”
Sophomore Josie Newcom has been a standout hitter for DC this season and she said Bailey made it a point to come out strong on Thursday.
“Since we played Breck yesterday, we never had that mindset before that we had,” she said. “It was insane. We went out and had the same mindset we had against Breck, which is going out there and kick butt and never giving up.”
Newcom said when they’re on the court, it’s a family, and that this squad is the closest she’s ever been with a team.
“I look up to every single one of those seniors, every single one of them,” she said. “They’re great girls, they’re great players. It’s a big support system with them and I love them to death.”
The Lady Panthers have several seniors on the squad and each did their part on Thursday and throughout the week to get the job done.
Senior Ryann Keller said this is something they’ve been waiting for.
“We have been looking forward to this,” she said. “We just made our school’s history so we’ve been looking forward to this for so long. We really just came in with the right mindset and we just did really good. There were definitely times that it was hard but I feel like we pulled it off.”
Keller was an 8th-grader when the Lady Panthers won the district title for the first time.
She said there’s one item on the agenda to prepare for Monday.
“Rest,” she said. “Probably practice on Sunday but a lot of rest, definitely.”
Fellow senior Kloee Phelps said Bailey makes it a point to them that they need to play a complete game.
Throughout the 3rd Region Tournament, they did.
“We always say we need to start strong and finish strong and play our game,” she said. “When we’re not playing our game, we usually get in a big hole and it goes down south. When we made it to region, which kind of shocked everyone because that just usually doesn’t happen for Daviess County. Once we won district, we said have nothing to lose at this point so we gave it our all and did our thing.”
Phelps is not only a leader in the stat sheet for the Lady Panthers, but she’s also a vocal leader on the court.
She said she fits into that role well.
“I just realized volleyball is a game of communication,” she said. “Someone has to be that leader. I think everyone counts on me to be that person because I’m not shy, I don’t really care. It really comes natural to me and I think it helps everyone. I’ve always been that person, since sixth grade.”
When asked about her fellow seniors, Phelps didn’t hesitate.
“They mean everything,” she said. “They’re my best friends. We’ve gone through so much together. Ten coaches together, sweat, tears, everything. We’re so close and I think that really is what helped us. I would do anything for them, they’re my best friends.”
The Lady Panthers go into the KHSAA State Volleyball Tournament with a record of 14-3.
The Rockets have been ranked nationally at times this season as they go into Monday with a record of 14-2 after they beat Sacred Heart in five sets for the 7th Region title.
Bailey said they’ll work hard in the coming days and give it all they’ve got on Monday.
“We are going to group together and savor all the time we have left,” she said. “For the seniors, it’s definitely a big deal.”
