If Faye Hendricks had a checklist coming into Friday’s match with Apollo, her University Heights Academy Lady Blazers checked all of the boxes.
UHA beat the E-Gals in straight sets 25-23, 25-23, 25-22, avenging one of its two losses suffered early in the season.
The win improved the Lady Blazers to 31-2, passing the school record for wins set by the 2019 squad that went 30-6 and advanced to the region championship match.
But perhaps the biggest box checked was the way the Lady Blazers responded to their first match in 10 days and some extra time off for fall break.
“We had one practice and I gave them quite a bit of time off for fall break, so I really wasn’t sure what was going to happen. We looked a little rusty yesterday, but we came together and really, really executed fairly well tonight,” said Hendricks.
UHA jumped ahead 8-2 in the first set behind three straight aces from Julia Thomas. Chayse Gilliand had three kills as the Lady Blazers extended their lead to 19-13.
Apollo climbed back to tie the set at 23 behind the right arm of freshman Avery Gray who tallied four kills in the set.
After a UHA timeout, Thomas and Olivia Oakley put the set away with consecutive points.
The second set was more of a back-and-forth affair with eight ties and five lead changes. Apollo led 22-19 before a pair of kills by Thomas got UHA to within 22-21. Tied at 23, points by Sarah Peebles and Thomas closed out the 25-23 set win.
UHA fell behind in the third set as Apollo was strong at the net and rebuffed three Lady Blazer shots. Down 12-8, Evelyn Cotthoff notched a pair of aces and UHA rallied to tie the score at 13-13.
Down 22-18, Apollo (22-11) scored four straight points to tie the set, but UHA closed the set with three points to claim the match win.
“When we played Apollo earlier in the year, they were like our third match of the season and I knew that they tipped and we had an issue with that. And that was one of the areas they continued to score on us, but we got better over the course of the match,” Hendricks said. “I think that we did a much better job of staying in the rotations that we needed to be in at push points.”
Thomas finished with 14 kills and Peebles facilitated the offense to the tune of 34 assists. She also added a pair of aces.
Oakley had 11 kills and nine digs, and Gilliland contributed eight kills and six digs.
UHA’s 31-2 season has seen them go a perfect 7-0 at home and win 11 straight matches since a semifinal appearance at the All A State Tournament.
“I think that they have really played together well. And I think that the experience that they’ve had playing like almost a complete unit for three to four years is a huge advantage. We’re going to continue to use our chemistry and work on the three things we’ve been working on all year long — anticipate, communicate, execute,” Hendricks said.
UHA begins play in the 8th District Tournament Tuesday at Heritage Christian Academy. UHA will play the winner of Monday’s Hopkinsville/Fort Campbell match in the semifinals.
The Lady Blazers enter the postseason 8-0 against district opposition and 17-0 against the region as they gun for their first region title in the program’s history.
“We are in uncharted territory. They have never had this kind of successful season before. I think we need to take what’s directly in front of us, not take anything for granted, and enjoy the minute we’re in,” Hendricks said.
