Daviess County volleyball has grabbed two straight district and regional titles, with Head Coach Tyla Bailey spearheading the program’s revitalization.
Bailey made her way to Daviess County High School after graduating from Murray State (Bachelors) and Georgetown College (Masters), before beginning her coaching career with the Lady Panthers.
“I joined as an assistant coach in 2016, after accepting the Physical Education job at DC,” Bailey said. “This was my first teaching and coaching job out of college.”
After serving as an assistant coach for a few years Bailey was presented with the opportunity to become the head coach for the program, something she was absolutely ecstatic about.
“I was excited and honored to be named head coach of DC volleyball and was up for the challenge,” Bailey said. “I knew I had a lot of work ahead of me (and still have a long way to go) to get the program where I want it.”
The Lady Panthers had struggled to find success for years, with 2015 being their last winning season when Bailey took over the program.
They finished 11-24 in the 2017-18 season and then Bailey helped improve Daviess County’s record each year when at the helm.
In her first season in 2018 the Lady Panthers improved to 13-14, before taking a major leap to 19-10 and being eliminated by Apollo in the first round of district play.
To make this jump, Bailey had to build a sense of camaraderie and a common goal amongst the program and its players. The key to that winning formula—confidence.
“I wanted to instill a winning culture and mindset,” Bailey said. “Upon accepting the position, we felt intimidated by solid teams and struggled to even compete, so it was important for us to feel capable and confident in our abilities. Setting the expectation that we have what it takes and working together to achieve our goals has made us successful.”
The success grew for Daviess County in 2020 as they earned the title of 9th District Champions and 3rd Region Champions before they fell to Assumption in the first round of state and finished with a 14-4 record.
Bailey said that the feeling of winning region and going to state for the first time in program history in 2020 holds a special place in her heart when it comes to the many moments she’s had since joining the Lady Panthers program.
Flash forward to 2021, Daviess County was dominant all season long, finishing with a 22-10 record en route to its second straight district and region titles before falling in the first round of the state tournament to Bowling Green.
Bailey said the combination of great leadership from her coaching staff and each player understanding where they fit within the team and playing as one is what has led to high levels of success over the past few years.
“It takes everyone knowing their role and achieving the expectation that has been set,” Bailey said. “I have an awesome coaching staff and a great group of girls who work hard each and every day to achieve team and individual goals.”
For Daviess County’s success in her fourth year as head coach, she was named 2021 Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association Region 3 Coach of the Year for her efforts.
“It means a lot to be named Region 3 Coach of the Year,” Bailey said. “I am grateful to have a wonderful coaching staff (Meredith McCrady and Nate Martin) and an outstanding group of girls to work with each day. We won district for only the second time in school history and went on to win DCHS’s first regional title.”
The future remains bright for Bailey and company as they will return all but one player for the 2022 season.
Bailey intends to continue to lead the program in a positive direction, as they hope to continue their winning ways and see continued improvement in all facets of life.
“My ultimate goal is to see growth both on and off the court and use the sport of volleyball as a tool to help and inspire others,” Bailey said.
