Since a two-week quarantine early in the season, the Lady Tigers volleyball team has been practicing and playing at a furious pace to make up past games while playing all its regularly scheduled ones. Thursday, Republic shook off its fatigue for a conference road win at Joplin, 25-23, 17-25, 25-19, 25-23.
“They’ve literally played three games a week for the past three weeks, plus all-day tournaments,” said coach Allison Davis. “They’re exhausted, but they pushed through tonight.”
Davis said one key was her team’s ability to spread its offense around more effectively than it had in previous games.
“We … had three girls with 13+ kills,” she said. “We got behind a couple of the sets, but the girls worked together as a team and prevailed. Several people stepped up tonight, making this a true team win.”
Kaemyn Bekemeier had 16 kills to lead the team, and Kailey Manes and Rilynn Finley were also in double figures. Avery Riggs added nine kills for Republic.
“Our stat leaders played crucial roles tonight, but also, Ella Riggs had a great night and stepped up in the Libero position,” Davis said.
In addition to her 16 kills, Bekemeier had 20 digs to lead the defense. Kailey Manes had two blocks and two service aces, and Payge Plank distributed 49 assists.
Republic improves to 8-12-2. The JV and freshman teams also won in two sets each.