A disastrous first set against powerhouse Nixa didn’t cause cause the Lady Tigers to call it a night. Republic rebounded from a poor start to push Nixa hard in sets two and three, despite ending up on the losing end in all three, 9-25, 22-25, 21-25.
“After that first set, I basically told the team they were better than a ‘9-25’ team,” said coach Allison Davis. “I told them to focus on our side of the court… to play our type of volleyball, and to have a purpose each play.”
Republic responded, staying with Nixa throughout the next two sets. Rilynn Finley played a big role up front, leading the team with nine kills and three blocks. Kaemyn Bekemeier led Republic with nine digs. Payge Plank had 26 assists.
“The girls got their confidence back and played better defense. We started getting more touches on the blocks and we were able to play our aggressive offense those last two sets,” Davis said. “Losing isn’t fun, but I’m proud of the way they came back and played those last two sets.”
The Republic JV team lost two sets and the freshman team split its two sets.
Republic’s varsity squad is now 18-7 overall and 3-4 in the Central Ozark Conference.