Trailing 12-14 and facing match point in the fifth set against Owensboro Catholic, Apollo Head Coach Mary Howard called a timeout and addressed her team. Fresh off the 60-second breather, the E-Gals ripped off four straight points to stun the Lady Aces 16-15 and win the match 3-2 (25-19, 23-25, 23-25, 25-19, 16-14).
“The biggest thing I told them in the timeout was keeping the pressure on the other team,” Howard said. “I said there’s no pressure on us. We’ve been aggressive, and that’s what’s gotten us here. Stay aggressive and keep the pressure on them. Sometimes in those tense situations, especially with young players who tend to play carefully and that’s not how you engage. You have to be aggressive and make a play. And that’s what they did. They made a play.”
Apollo jumped out to an early 15-8 lead in the first set and held off a late Lady Aces run to take a 1-0 lead. In the second set, Apollo held a commanding 19-13 lead, but Owensboro Catholic went on a 7-2 run to cut it to 21-20. After a timeout and in control of momentum, the Lady Aces tied the match on a 5-2 run.
Trailing 14-7 in the third set and losing control of the match, Apollo responded with a 9-3 run to cut the lead to 17-16. After calling a timeout, the Lady Aces regained their composure and closed out the set on an 8-7 run to take a 2-1 match lead.
With their backs against the wall, Apollo jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the fourth set and never relinquished the lead. Owensboro Catholic cut the lead to 11-10, but were never able to complete the comeback and close out the match.
The fifth set was back and forth, with a plethora of long rallies and neither team able to go ahead by more than three points – culminating in Apollo’s last second comeback.
“I was so proud. The way they fought back, and with the mental toughness of how young we are,” Howard said. “We have a lot of young players on the floor, and they never let up. They just kept fighting, and I couldn’t be more pleased.”
Avery Gray led the E-Gals in kills with 19 and added 11 digs, two blocks, and two service aces, while Jessie Pate had 48 digs and three service aces. Maddi Roberts finished with 22 digs and 17 assists, while Keelan Wettstain had 16 digs, 15 kills, and six service aces.
For Owensboro Catholic, Ava Martin led the way with 19 kills, 13 digs, and two service aces, while Payton Arnold and Molly Arnold combined for 41 digs. Addie Oller filled the stat sheet, finishing with 14 kills, 10 digs, four service aces, and two blocks, while Mayme Powell had a whopping 45 assists to go with her 10 digs, four kills, four service aces, and two blocks.
Lady Aces Head Coach Brian Hardison attributed his team not closing out the fifth set to not playing to their strength.
“You can’t beat a team by tipping and throwing the ball,” Hardison said. “That’s not the team we are. We blast the ball, but not at the end of that game. By the last five points where you sit there and just roll over the block or try to push it. We can’t do that. That’s not our game.”
It is a quick turnaround for Owensboro Catholic as they are back in action tonight against Greenwood, while Apollo is off until Friday when they host the Apollo Summer Slam Down Tournament.
Lady Cougars sweep Cloverport 3-0
Annie Shelton and Savannah Blades both finished with a team-high four kills, while Hadley Young recorded three to help power McLean County past Cloverport 3-0 (25-14, 25-2, 25-19). Abbi Shivers posted nine service aces and eight digs and Hadlie Coursey finished with seven assists and five service aces, while Amelia Aull had five assists, three service aces, and two kills.
“I’ve been moving players around to different positions, but the girls played very well in their new roles,” McLean County Head Coach Traci Capps said. Hopefully, with this win, it will move us in the right direction. I’m looking forward to seeing what the rest of the week will bring.”
