CASSTOWN – The Covington Lady Buccs closed out the regular season facing long-time rival Miami East on Thursday at Miami East.
And even though the Lady Buccs came up short against the Vikings in four very competitive and exciting sets, it is apparent Covington is peaking at the right time heading into tournament play.
In what was a tournament-type atmosphere, the first set was a back-and-forth battle until Miami East broke a 19-19 tie and pulled away with a 25-20 win.
The second set was another grueling battle as both teams made the other earn nearly every point. Covington had a golden opportunity to tie the match, but Miami East finished strong once again in clutch situations to take a 2-0 lead with a 26-24 win.
Many teams would crumble after dropping a close set, but the Lady Buccs battled back to put themselves back in the game with a 25-21 victory in the third set.
Unfortunately for Covington, the Lady Vikings reclaimed the momentum in the fourth set and the Lady Buccs couldn’t recover. The result was a match-ended 25-16 victory for Miami East.
senior Nigella Reck had a huge night for Covington as she tied her own school record for the most kills in a match with 21. Kearsten Wiggins also had a huge night with 23 digs, just two off of tying the school record.
The loss drops Covington to 14-8 on the season and 11-3 in the TRC, which was good for second place in the league to Miami East, who finished unbeaten at 14-0 in the conference.
The junior varsity team defeated Miami East in two sets 25-18 and 25-23 to finish its season with a 20-2 overall record and 14-0 in the TRC. The junior varsity Lady Buccs didn’t lose one set all season i n TRC play.
Covington will open up OHSAA Tournament play at Arcanum on Tuesday 7:00PM versus Yellow Springs.
Covington Stats:
Nigella Reck – Tied her own kill record with 21, 3 aces, 2 solo blocks, 2 block assists, 12 digs.
Taylor Kirker – 1 ace, 4 kills, 34 assists, 18 digs.
Hailey Naff – 7 kills, 1 block assist, 2 digs.
Carlie Besecker – 3 aces, 8 kills, 4 assists, 1 solo block, 2 block assists, 18 digs.
Kearsten Wiggins – 2 aces, 1 block assist, 23 digs.
Reaghan Lemp – 14 digs.
Lauren York – 7 digs.
Abby Reynolds – 1 kill, 2 block assists, 5 digs.
