Republic stormed back from the brink of defeat to beat Willard in a five-set thriller on the road Tuesday, 25–23, 23–25, 22–25, 25–21, 15–11.
After dropping two straight sets and falling behind 19–10 in the fourth, Republic appeared finished. But a long service run by Chloe Pullan flipped the match. Pullan helped fuel an 8–0 surge that erased most Willard’s lead, and the Lady Tigers closed out the set 25–21 to stay alive.
“We took a timeout, and it was clear that Willard had all of the control,” said coach Allison Davis. “I told them, ‘They’ve already shown me they want to win this game—it’s time for us to take control back on our side of the floor and execute.’ We had to be aggressive with the ball and not just give them easy points. Then we had a couple of big plays, and that just ignited the energy we needed to keep the momentum.”
That rally carried over into the fifth. The teams traded points early, but after a 10-10 tie, Republic closed out the match by winning five of the last six points.
“The thing that’s impressing me most about this team is that we could’ve rolled over and quit,” Davis said. “But they’re showing they’re not done. They’re willing to fight and finish. Last year’s team wanted to finish but couldn’t always get it done—this team wants to finish. They might give me a few gray hairs, but at the end of the day, I’ll take that win.”
Kate Mitchell was big in the front row, leading Republic with 16 kills and eight blocks. Reese Finley finished with 26 assists, while Rylee Vent recorded 22 digs to anchor the defense. Pullan, Finley, Audrey Pearce, and Bria Claxton each had two service aces.
The win was Republic’s sixth in a row, improving its record to 15–10–1. Willard fell to 20–10–4. Republic closes the regular season at winless Parkview on Thursday before district play begins October 22.
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