Neighboring Bradford didn't come to town to be friends as they made Covington work for a victory.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2006 – COVINGTON
The Covington defeated rival Bradford 3 games to 0 in the home opener for the Lady Buccs. The scores were 25-18, 25-20 and 25-11.

Bradford jumped out to a 9-5 lead and appeared to have Covington flustered with its hustling defense.

"Bradford came to play," said Covington coach Stephanie Robinson. "And we didn't match their intensity."

After a sideout by Covington, freshman Alyssa Angle served seven straight points to spark the Lady Buccs toward a 25-18 win.

"Alyssa stepped up and gave us some momentum," Robinson said. "We were struggling with our serves and it says a lot about the confidence Alyssa has as a freshman to get us going."

Once again, Bradford started strong in the second game as it built a 6-3 lead.

Covington tied the game at 12-12 before eventually pulling away for a 25-20 win.

The Lady Buccs then dominated the third and final game as Laynie Fulks served 11 straight points, including 5 aces, for a 25-11 win.

"I was just trying to get things going," said Fulks in regards to her serving. "We were sluggish all night and I was just trying to give our team a boost."

Although improving to 3-0 and 2-0 in the Cross County Conference, the Lady Buccs were not satisfied in their performance.

"We didn't play as well as we can," continued Fulks. "We came out slow and never got into a groove. We didn't communicate well on the floor and play like we are capable of."

Leading the way for Covington was Alex Christian with 11 kills, Michelle Barhorst with 10 kills and Laynie Fulks with 7 aces. Holly Tobias had three blocks.