Prep Sports Report: Large crowd expected for volleyball match between two of state’s top teams

By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter

The annual fundraising match between the St. Henry and Notre Dame volleyball teams always draws a big crowd and the storylines leading up to this year’s showdown could attract even more fans.

The “Playing for a Purpose” varsity match is set for 7 p.m. Saturday at Boone County High School with proceeds going to local groups that fund breast cancer research, support and awareness. Tickets priced at $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens are available online.

In the latest Kentucky high school volleyball coaches poll, Notre Dame (9-1) remained No. 3 and St. Henry (12-1) jumped five spots to No. 4. But that’s not the only reason their upcoming match is so alluring.

On Tuesday, Notre Dame was ranked No. 24 in the MaxPreps national high school volleyball rankings. The Pandas made that list after placing third out of 84 teams at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Florida with a 5-1 record.

On Wednesday, St. Henry won the 9th Region All “A” Classic tournament with a 25-22, 25-21 decision over Newport Central Catholic in the title match.

Notre Dame has four seniors and two juniors who played on last year’s state runner-up team and the 2022 state championship team. Four of those players — Ava Tilden, Julia Grace, Riley McCloskey and Audrey Dyas — have already made commitments with NCAA Division I teams.

St. Henry has a much younger team that includes three freshmen starters. One of the senior veterans is middle blocker Corrine Blackburn, who was named most valuable player on the 9th Region All “A” Classic all-tournament team.

The Crusaders most versatile player is junior Madi Demler, who is an outside hitter on the front row and setter on the back row. She had team-high totals of 69 kills and 120 assists after the team’s first 11 matches.

St. Henry golf team among top contenders
in All “A'” Classic boys state tournament

The St. Henry boys golf team returns to the All “A” Classic state tournament on Friday with the same lineup that placed second by one stroke in last year’s small-school event.

The Crusaders are one of 16 region champion teams in the 18-hole tournament to be played at Gibson Bay Golf Course in Richmond. The field also includes teams from Walton-Verona and Brossart.

Last year, Kentucky Country Day took the boys team title with a 311 total that was one stroke better than St. Henry’s 312. The five returning golfers in the Crusaders’  lineup are seniors Ben and Will Carter and Will Hammond, junior Jake Montgomery and freshman Parker Isaacs.

In the latest Kentucky high school golf rankings, St. Henry is No. 6 and none of the other All :”A” Classic state tournament qualifiers are among the top 15 teams. The highest ranked individuals in the field are Pikeville senior Cam Roberts and Will Carter, who also plays on the St. Henry boys soccer team that qualified for that All “A” Classic state tournament in that sport.

The All “A” Classic girls state golf tournament will be played Saturday at Gibson Bay Golf Course in Richmond. That field includes St. Henry and Brossart, who placed fourth and sixth in last year’s 10-team tournament.

Conner girls soccer team remains unbeaten
without giving up a goal in first 10 matches

The Conner girls soccer team remained undefeated and unscored upon this season with a 1-0 win over Beechwood on Wednesday in Fort Mitchell.

The Cougars (9-0-1) are the only team in the state that hasn’t given up a goal, according to statistics posted on the khsaa.org website . Senior goalkeeper Ally Welch has posted nine complete game shutouts and shared one with teammate Cara Fay.

In the win over Beechwood (7-1-1), Welch had four saves to raise her season total to 32. Conner’s goal was scored by senior Ava Schier off an assist by freshman Ella Folke. Nine players have scored one goal or more during their impressive start.

Conner posted double-digit win totals in each of the last three seasons under head coach Michael Hughes. The Cougars could reach that mark again Saturday when they go for their 10th win in a home game against Newport Central Catholic (2-6-1).

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