The Republic Lady Tigers overcame a slow start to end a two-match losing streak and beat Willard 29-27, 26-24.
Republic fell behind 6-1 in the first set, and fell behind again in the second. Coach Piper Wright says her team had a hard time getting going after playing so many matches in the past few days.
“This week has been killer for us. We played all day Saturday, and Monday and Tuesday,” Wright says. “We are just tired. I think that’s part of the slow start. And I don’t know if we were mentally quite on our game until we built up our confidence.”
Haley Chastain led Republic with 11 kills, and Maddy Sherman had three service aces. Lexi Birlew contributed 18 digs on defense, and Brooke Stanfield turned in four blocks. Emily Preston had 25 assists for the Lady Tigers.
Republic improves to 16-8-1 overall. Their COC record improves to 5-1.