Republic swept Glendale in straight sets Tuesday night, earning a key district win at home, 25–19, 25–18, 25–20. The victory came against a Falcons squad that entered the night 6–1 and lifted Republic’s record to 9–9–1.
The Tigers had the upper hand early, racing out to a 4–0 lead in the opener. Glendale tied the score, but Republic built a 16–10 cushion and held off a late charge behind kills from Kate Mitchell and Reese Finley.
In the second set, Glendale led 6–4 before Republic surged on an 11–4 run to take control. The Falcons never pulled closer than four the rest of the way.
Glendale pushed hardest in the third, turning a 19–16 deficit into a 20–19 lead. But Addyson Warner’s service helped Republic close on a 5–0 run to seal the sweep.
Finley finished with 11 kills and nine digs, while Mitchell added eight kills and three blocks. Rylee Vent had seven kills and a team-high 13 digs. Shelby Forbis chipped in seven kills. Audrey Pearce delivered three aces, and setters Chloe Pullan and Finley combined for 38 assists, with Pullan dishing out 22.
“We executed the plan that we had in place for the girls,” said coach Allison Davis. “The film that we watched, we had a plan in place. And tonight I’m really proud of the fact that they executed exactly what we told them to do in practice. They just came out and from set one all the way to set three, and they fought hard. It was a good district win for us.”
Davis said it was also good to see her players enjoying themselves on the court.
“It’s always great to win, but I always tell them, ‘What are we doing if we’re not having fun?’ We’re in the gym three, four months at a time and we still have to have fun no matter what. I’m proud of them.”
Republic travels to Webb City on Thursday.
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