Lady Panthers hold off Owensboro
Sep. 22—The Daviess County High School volleyball team had to battle Tuesday night, but the Lady Panthers eventually emerged victorious against Owensboro in a hard-fought district tilt at the OHS gymnasium.
DC came away with a 25-21, 25-22, 25-23 win.
"We knew going into it, the match would be a competitive one," said Lady Panthers coach Tyla Bailey, whose team overcame a late third-set deficit for the sweep. "I am proud of the way we finished strong and came away with the win to place us as the first seed in the district."
After capturing a victory in the first set, DC (13-7, 4-0 in 9th District) opened the second on a 3-0 run before Owensboro answered. The Lady Devils (12-7, 1-3) scored five unanswered points to pull ahead briefly before both teams traded scoring throughout the set.
Neither side found much separation until a 4-0 run pushed DC to an 18-4 advantage — only to be matched by Owensboro's own 4-0 surge. However, the Lady Panthers secured seven of the game's final 11 points for the set victory and subsequent 2-0 lead.
DC started the third set with a 6-2 lead before OHS got going, but the Lady Panthers built a 14-9 advantage thereafter. OHS trailed 17-13 until a 7-1 run — highlighted by back-to-back aces from sophomore Addie McDaniel — pushed the Lady Devils to a two-point lead.
Both squads battled to a 22-22 stalemate until the Lady Panthers pulled ahead for a two-point set win and overall victory.
"Owensboro played very well tonight," Bailey said. "They're always a tough team, so props to them for coming out and being ready to play."
Josie Newcom finished with 15 kills and five digs for DC, while Adylan Ayer added 11 kills and four digs. Lexi Owen dished 29 assists with four digs, three kills and three aces, and Kayla Clark recorded 10 digs.
Other top performers for the Lady Panthers included Avasia Brandle (five digs); Mary Grace Hill (five kills, three digs); Emma Rogers (five digs); and Kayla Thomson (two kills).
Despite the loss, OHS coach Melissa Hibbs was pleased with her team's effort throughout the evening.
"They played hard and they fought," she said of her players. "We were down in the second and third sets by quite a few, and they came and they fought and showed a lot of heart when we could've absolutely laid down.
"Even though it was a three-set loss, I think we were right there with Daviess County the whole time. We just have to eliminate our unforced errors. We had a few serves we missed, a few miscommunications. If we eliminate that, I think the outcome may have been different."
Mia Covington finished with seven kills, eight assists, eight digs and two blocks for OHS, while Maya Joska posted six kills with 13 assists, nine digs and six blocks. Kennedy Thompson chipped in 11 digs and three kills, and Brooklyn Williams tallied five kills, three blocks and two digs.
The Lady Devils' other contributors were Hannah Ashley (nine digs, two aces); Chase Mather (eight digs, three aces); McDaniel (four aces, four digs); and Addie Travis (three kills).
"Props to Daviess County, because they were fighting just the same way, and they're tough," Hibbs added. "They're a tough team and solid all around. ... We're going to go back to the drawing board and continue to work. We're going to need to get better for district in October."
The win was the fifth in a row for DC, which returns to action Thursday at Grayson County. Owensboro plays again Thursday when it hosts Henderson County.
