Covington stayed in the hunt in the CCC with a three-game sweep over National Trail.

September 19, 2006 – COVINGTON
"It wasn't spectacular, but steady," is how Covington head coach Stephanie Robinson described Tuesday's 3 games to 0 win over National Trail. "It's a win and we'll take it."

Covington, who never trailed the entire match, won by the scores of 25-12, 25-18 and 25-13 to improve to 9-2 on the season and 5-1 in Cross County Conference play.

"We pretty much controlled the match with our serving and defense," said Robinson. "When we had the opportunity, we did a nice job hitting the ball."

The first game was close in the early stages as Covington held a slim 8-7 lead.

"We didn't come out with any emotion," Robinson described. "I called a timeout to get the girls focused."

Refocused, Alex Christian served six straight points to give the Lady Buccs some momentum.

A pair of aces by Alyssa Angle and and three more by Michelle Barhorst allowed Covington to take the first game, 25-12.

National Trail picked up its intensity in the second game, while Covington fell victim to mental errors. The result was a much closer game with the Lady Buccs coming out on top, 25-18.

"We didn't help ourselves in the second game," Robinson said. "We hit a few balls into the net and shanked some passes. Fortunately we continued to serve well and that carried us through."

With victory in sight, Covington turned up the pressure and dominated the third game for a 25-13 win. Only five Covington players served in the final game as it never completed a rotation before the contest ended.

"Ashley Angle served very well in the third game," continued Robinson. "We also did a better job with serve receive and got into our offense much better. We finished strong and that's what you like to see."

As a team, Covington recorded 23 aces on the night with Michelle Barhorst and Meredith Tobias leading the way with six aces each. Alex Christian and Ashley Angle each had four aces as well.

"That (23 aces) is outstanding," Robinson said. "We only had three serving errors, which is good considering how aggressive we serve. We kept them off balance all night with our serves."

Alex Christian recorded 14 kills, while Michelle Barhorst contributed with 10 kills. Meredith Tobias recorded 29 assists.

Covington looks to keep its momentum going as it travels to Miami East on Thursday.