The Lady Bucc seniors were recognized at "Senior Night" and performed at a high level with a three-game sweep of Tri-Village.

October 5, 2006 – COVINGTON
Thursday night at Covington High School was a special night for the six seniors who have played volleyball together since the seventh grade.

The seniors and their parents were honored prior to the conference match-up with Tri-Village. All six girls then started the game and never left the floor in a 3 games to 0 win.

"These girls deserve a night for them," said Covington coach Stephanie Robinson. "Each one of them has meant so much to this program over the last four years. They have no idea how much they mean to me. I coached them in J.O. when they were in jr. high and they were freshman in my first year as varsity coach. There was no way I was pulling them off the floor tonight."

Robinson didn't have to as the seniors' performance was stellar in defeating Tri-Village by the scores of 25-20, 25-11 and 25-18.

"It was nice to see the girls have fun," Robinson said. "All of the underclassman were very supportive of the seniors and the parents in the stands were cheering as well. I think the girls enjoyed every minute."

Each one of the seniors had an impact on the outcome, most notably Michelle Barhorst. The middle hitter recorded 14 kills, 6 aces and 6 blocks.

"Michelle was awesome tonight," Robinson complemented. "She not only hit the ball well, but she was diving all over the floor."

Alex Christian had her typical solid night with 15 kills, 3 aces and 4 blocks. Plus, she showcased her defensive skills with some impressive digs.

"That's Al (Alex)," said Robinson in regards to her statistics. "She does things on the court that gives your team a lift and gets the crowd into it. She's a difference maker and she has been for four years now."

LauriKate Bayman recorded 10 kills, 6 aces and 3 blocks.

"Ten kills and six aces are impressive, but that doesn't tell the whole story," said Robinson. "In my mind, LauriKate's serve receive and defense stood out tonight."

Dishing out all of the assists was Meredith Tobias with 42 on the night. She also recorded 10 digs to go along with one kill.

"Meredith spread the ball around really well tonight," described Robinson. "She does such a great job managing the offense that sometimes her defense is overlooked. She always hustles and it showed tonight."

Laynie Fulks had a night to remember by recording her first varsity kill as front row player. She also recorded 5 digs.

"Laynie is a defensive specialist, so this is the first time she has ever hit in the front row at the varsity level," smiled Robinson. "The look on her face when she made that kill was priceless."

Ashley Angle recorded 2 kills, 2 blocks and 11 digs.

"Ashley is the ultimate team player," Robinson said. "She does whatever is asked of her and I hope the younger kids follow here example. It was nice to see Ashley play well and have so much fun tonight."

With the victory, Covington improves to 14-5 on the season and 8-2 in conference play. The Lady Buccs travel to Jackson Center on Saturday at 10:00 am.