COVINGTON – Russia is always a very stiff challenge and the Covington Lady Buccs were up for the challenge and defeated the Raiders in three sets, 25-18, 25-19 and 25-23.

“It was a good win on a Saturday morning,” said Covington coach Stephanie Robinson. “It was a great team effort because everyone contributed in a huge way.”

Covington gained momentum in the opening set when Ramse Vanderhorst served five straight points to put the Lady Buccs up 21-15. This led to a 25-18 victory and Covington maintained the momentum in the second set by jumping on top 18-11.

Russia battled back to cut the deficit to 22-17, which forced Covington to call a timeout. The Lady Buccs closed out the second set with the 25-19 victory.

“We served aggressively, which kept Russia out of system,” Robinson. “We were able to capitalize on the free balls coming back over the net.”

The third set was a back-and-forth battle. Covington was behind 17-15 and Nell Rogers was able to serve five straight points to give the Lady Buccs a 20-17 lead. Russia fought back to close the gap to 23-22, but Covington was able to make the plays needed to close out the match with a 25-23 win.

“The girls fought hard for the win,” Robinson. “We responded every time Russia made some runs.”

The victory pushes Covington’s record to 6-2 on the season as this is the Lady Buccs’ sixth straight win after starting the season 0-2.

Another tough challenge for Covington is on Tuesday at Lehman.