The Shadow
COUGAR SETTER — Burke Staunton keeps the ball in play against Radford Monday night. (Gavin Dressler Photo)
COUGAR SETTER — Burke Staunton keeps the ball in play against Radford Monday night. (Gavin Dressler Photo)
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The Radford Bobcats walked into the Cougar Den Monday night with a perfect record.
Five sets later, they left town with it.
In between, the Covington Cougars didn’t make it easy.
Radford senior Alexis Finley served up 12 unanswered points and three aces in the fifth set to put Covington away 25-19, 25-18, 25-27, 18-25, 15-3 and improve the Bobcats’ record to a perfect 6-0.
“Radford’s an excellent team,” said Covington skipper Mary Tyree. “They’re fast, they’re quick, they get the ball to the setter and they find the holes.”
Covington middle hitter Leteashia Clarke tried to make sure there weren’t very many holes as she racked up a triple double — 24 kills, 14 blocks and 11 digs — across five sets.
Clarke dominated the third and fourth sets at the net with 10 kills that included a spike that counted the final point in the third set.
“She was on in the beginning and then she went to sleep on me and then she came back to play,” said Tyree. “She affects the tempo of the game.”
The Cougars got off to a slow start and spent most of the first two frames chasing the Bobcats on the scoreboard.
“To look at the first games tonight, you would think that we had the two hour bus ride and not Radford,” said Tyree.
Covington trailed for most of the third set in a nip-and-tuck affair before Laramie McCallister and Burke Staunton opened up some breathing room from behind the server’s stripe as Clarke tightened the screws defensively to claim the third set 27-25.
“We just didn’t go away,” said Tyree. “We were picking up things in that third set that we hadn’t been.”
The fourth set was all Covington.
McCallister and Taylor Ginger were able to open up a 17-13 lead that the Cougars rode all the way to a 25-18 win.
But Covington couldn’t take the momentum of a raucous Cougar Den into the fifth set as the Bobcats quickly put an end to the rally in just two possessions.
“I think we just got tight,” said Tyree. “We had trouble receiving the serve. It was a lack of communication.”
Difficulties in passing and receiving hampered the Cougars Monday, as did the slow start that has become typical of Covington in recent games.
“Tonight I didn’t think we passed well and I didn’t think we received the serve well,” said Tyree. “We started slow and we just can’t do that against good teams. Eventually that is going to catch up with us.
“Radford’s good,” Tyree admitted. “They’re in our conference. We go there next Monday and I’m sure we’ll see them again somewhere down the road.”
Sa’Mone Moore added eight kills and 15 digs to the Cougars’ statistics. Dakota Botkin tallied six kills and seven blocks, Ginger had four kills and five digs and Mackenzie Madison added a kill.
Earlier in the night, Radford took the jayvee game 25-20 and 26-24 while Covington’s eight graders won 25-11, 25-19.
Covington vs. East Mont
The Cougars bounced back on Tuesday to move to 6-2 on the season with a straight set win over Eastern Montgomery 25-19, 25-17, 25-23.
“We played very sluggish tonight,” said Tyree.
Clarke led the winners with nine kills and five blocks, Moore had six blocks and four digs, while Botkin added four kills and three blocks.
Covington now preps for a home match against Glenvar on Thursday.
The Cougars won in five at Glenvar last week.
“I’m hoping that we will regroup at practice and get back on our game Thursday against Glenvar,” added the Cougar coach.
Covington’s junior varsity won in three sets 25-14, 17-25, 15-13.
