Witnessing their 2-0 lead over Breckinridge County in the 3rd Region Tournament semi-finals vanish, Apollo dominated the fifth set to advance to the 3rd Region Championship for the first time since 2018. Awaiting them later tonight is Meade County, who upset Owensboro Catholic 3-1.
“Breck played really well,” Apollo Head Coach Mary Howard said. “They were digging, matching our intensity, coming at us, and attacking. It was grueling. It seemed that whatever team could catch a little bit of momentum and make about a five-point run, it was hard for the other team to catch up. I’m glad we saved the best for last.”
Apollo made quick work of the first set, but found themselves in some early trouble in the second. Trailing 8-0, Apollo clawed back, going on a dominant 20-13 run to cut the lead to 21-20. In control, the E-Gals were on set point, but the Lady Tigers tied it 24-24. Unfazed, Apollo won two straight points to win the set 26-24 and take a commanding 2-0 lead.
With their season on the line, Breckinridge County once again came out aggressive in the third set, jumping out to a 7-1 lead. Apollo cut the lead to 22-19, but was unable to complete the comeback.
Throughout the match, Apollo had multiple slow starts to sets, an issue they weren’t always able to overcome.
“We just have to mentally reset after each ball because these regional games are all intense,” Apollo’s Avery Gray said. “Every ball matters, and it is really important just to move on and forget about the last ball.”
The fourth started similarly to the last two, with the Lady Tigers taking an early 5-1 lead. Apollo cut the lead to 9-7, but Breckinridge County responded by scoring six straight points. The E-Gals trimmed the deficit to 21-15, but eventually fell 25-16.
Entering the fifth set, Howard reminded her team to not to worry about what could happen, but instead to stay aggressive and play their game.
“We discussed giving all we have, keep fighting for everything, and to focus on serving and passing,” Apollo’s Jessie Pate said. “The team that really stays aggressive the entire time is going to win, so we focused on that.”
Rejuvenated and ignoring the mounting pressure, the E-Gals returned to form – beginning the fifth set on a 7-2 run. Breckinridge County called a timeout, but Apollo responded with a 8-5 run to win the set 15-7.
Gray finished with a team-high 18 kills and added 21 digs, two blocks, and one service ace, and Keelan Wettstain had 16 kills, 14 digs, two blocks, and one service ace. Pate recorded 28 digs and three service aces, while Jessica Lee and Maddi Roberts combined for 43 assists.
Standing in the E-Gals way of their first 3rd Region Championship since 2016 is Meade County, a team they beat earlier this season 3-1.
“Meade is a very good team and has some strong hitters.” Howard said.
Lady Aces’ season comes to an end
Looking to reach the 3rd Region Championship game for a fourth straight season, Owensboro Catholic was unable to fully establish a rhythm, falling to Meade County 3-1 (16-25, 22-25, 25-18, 16-25).
Leading 1-0 and tied 8-8 in the second set, Meade County went on a 10-5 run to take a 18-13 lead, but the Lady Aces trimmed the deficit to 20-18. Down the stretch, Owensboro Catholic was unable to get closer than within two, finding themselves in a 2-0 hole.
In the third set, the Lady Aces took a quick 6-2 lead, but Meade County responded with an 8-3 run – going up 10-9. From there, Meade County never led again for the rest of the set, with the Lady Aces closing on a 16-8 run.
Owensboro Catholic Head Coach Brian Hardison attributed his team’s third-set success to being more focused.
In the fourth set, Meade County jumped out to a 9-2 lead, but after a timeout, the Lady Aces responded by cutting the lead to 10-8. Meade County called a timeout of their own, culminating in them ending the match on a 15-8 run.
Mayme Powell led the Lady Aces with 44 assists, seven kills, six digs, two blocks, and two service aces. Emmy Roberts added 13 kills, six blocks, and two digs, while Molly Arnold recorded 19 digs and one service ace. Ava Martin had 12 digs, eight kills, and one service ace, and Addie Oller posted 12 kills, four digs, three blocks, and one service ace.
