Top to bottom, Republic volleyball had a perfect night against Branson. Republic capped its evening with a three-set sweep in the high school varsity match, but before that, the Lady Tigers already had four other wins – from seventh and eighth grade up through junior varsity.
The varsity cruised past a team it had needed three sets to beat in the opening tournament of the season. The final Tuesday was 25-13, 25-13, 25-14.
“We were a unified team tonight. We came out extra focused,” said coach Allison Davis. “I’ve been talking to the girls … stressing the importance of tonight’s game. This is a conference and a district opponent. We beat Branson early on in … our first tournament, and we beat them in three, and I just wanted to prove ourselves. I wanted the girls to have that same motivation… to prove we’re a strong opponent in our conference and our district.”
Kailey Manes had a big night, leading the team in three categories: kills (11), blocks (3), and digs (10). Claire Esther had two service aces for Republic.
Payge Plank had a career-high 53 assists. She now has more than 1,100 assists in her career.