The de facto 37th District champion can pretty much slot their name into the state tournament.
Since the 37th district formed the way it is currently in 2012, the winner of the district has won the 10th Region in 10 of 11 seasons, Montgomery County the lone team to break the 37th District streak in 2021.
Bishop Brossart is the reigning champ, but expect another competitive balance between the three of Campbell County, Scott and the Mustangs while Calvary Christian looks for its first 10th Region tournament berth since the district was aligned the way it is currently.
Bishop Brossart (27-14 in 2022)
Danielle French takes over for Bree Velasquez, who stepped down after five seasons with the team.
French comes in from Pendleton County, where she coached the last three seasons and guided them to a 55-26 record.
Numbers are no issue with the program, French saying there’s 34 girls between varsity, JV and freshman. They return six seniors led by Maddie Kremer and Payton Parker. Kremer is a libero while Parker is a middle blocker.
“Maddie is in the back court and great setter hands as well. She’ll be counted on as a leader in the back row,” French said. “Payton’s height and ability to move the attack around will be a big factor in our offensive game this season.
Kremer led the team with 66 aces while Parker was second on the team in blocks with 59.
Junior Kate Neltner as an outside hitter and freshman setter Aubrey Rebholz will be key pieces to watch for the Mustangs this season. Neltner tallied 212 kills while Rebholz stepped in when senior Savannah Seiter was injured towards the end of the season and collected 332 assists as an eighth grader.
The goal is set squarely on a return trip to the state tournament, last season being the first trip to state in program history. The district championship was their first since 2003.
“We have a solid team and there is absolutely no reason why that goal can’t be accomplished,” French said.
French said an area for improvement is communication while their biggest strength is perseverance and a never give up mentality.
“We don’t have the luxury that these larger schools have, the luxury of the student pool that big schools have,” French said. “These girls just have raw talent and it is going to show on the court this season.”
The Mustangs open their season on Aug. 15 against Conner. They’ll look to defend their 10th Region All “A” title when they open up play in the tournament with Robertson County on Aug. 24. Big district matchups await on Sept. 20 with Scott, Oct. 3 versus Calvary Christian and Oct. 5 against Campbell County.
Campbell County (10-16 in 2022)
For the first time since 2015, you didn’t see the purple and yellow in the 10th Region tournament.
The Camels finished 10-16 last season and Mikah Freppon takes over the team as the fourth coach in four years.
Freppon inherits a team that graduated just two players and is highlighted by front line play from Emma Manser and Lexi Scharold while setter Ava Crowl and libero Ella Thorwarth will help set up the offensive attack. A lon McIntyre had a team-high 48 aces last season while Hope Hamilton and Pennie Stacey will also bolster the front line of attack.
Manser stands at 6-foot-1 and had a team-high 266 kills last year to go with 61 blocks and is committed to NCAA Division II Wheeling University in West Virginia. Scharold tallied 246 kills and 53 blocks and is verbally committed to Division II University of Minnesota-Crookston. Crowl had a team-high 440 assists to go with 238 digs and Thorwath led the team in digs with 362. Hamilton finished with 186 assists and 26 blocks in her freshman season.
“I think the biggest strength is understanding that our side is our side, having that calm mentality and just delivering that quick set to our hitters. They can put the ball down anywhere and just being smart with the hits,” Freppon said.
Senior defensive specialist Amelia Pangallo, junior defensive specialist Lola Haun and sophomore outside hitter Faith Whitford will provide depth as Lucy Trapp transferred to Ryle.
Freppon plans to instill an up-tempo style in which she feels the team has taken a liking to.
“They’re eager to learn and get that fast-pace down,” Freppon said. “They’re doing great with blocking and running different routes and things like that.”
Outside hitting is an area Freppon feels the team can improve and they’ll get a chance to show that improvement come Aug. 15 when they open up the season at Beechwood.
The Camels play in the September Slam at Scott Sept. 1-2, and start district play on Sept. 11 with Calvary Christian. They’ll also play in the Cake Classic at Highlands Sept. 15-16 with the big district games against Scott on Sept. 27 and Bishop Brossart on Oct. 5.
Scott (27-13 in 2022)
Since 2012, Scott has played for a 10th Region championship in nine of 11 seasons, winning five region titles in that span.
The Eagles will look for a return trip to the title tilt and have a solid core of returnees to get there. One senior, two or three juniors and four sophomores will make up the core of the team.
Milyn Minor is a three-year starter, Elise Manhardt is another returning starter while Brooklyn Helm, Brooke Balsley, Morgan Justice, Payton Grigsby and Ryann Grigsby will make up the key rotational players.
Minor is a six-rotation player, finishing second on the team in kills (389) and third in aces (67) in 2022. Manhardt is a defender and server, tallying a team-high 119 aces last season. Helm had 79 kills and 16 blocks to go with 81 digs, Balsley had 151 kills and 46 blocks, Justice and the Grigsby’s will be seeing a big increase in playing time with the Eagles graduating four starters from last season.
“We are small but mighty,” Eagles coach Andrea Sullivan said. “We have some young players who are hungry to earn a starting role.”
Early on, Sullivan is focusing on defensive schemes and blocking despite the lack of height the team possesses. They’ll hope to offset the height challenges with a strong service game and staying scrappy defensively.
“With losing four key starters, this team is looking to improve throughout the season, compete against some top teams with a tough schedule and learn how to play for one another,” Sullivan said.
Without a gym all summer due to construction at the school’s gymnasium, the team has had to find elsewhere to practice but that should be coming to an end soon with expected completion in mid-August. An auxiliary gym will also be available.
Scott opens up their season on Aug. 14 at Bracken County. They’ll play in the Dink Scott Memorial Tournament at Montgomery County Aug. 26-27, host the September Slam Sept. 1-2 and play in the Cake Classic at Highlands Sept. 15-16. Big district tilts with Bishop Brossart and Campbell County loom Sept. 20 and 27, respectively, with Calvary Christian to follow on Sept. 28.
Calvary Christian (15-13 in 2022)
If the Cougars were in any other district in the 10th Region, they’d be an annual fixture for the 10th Region tournament. But that’s life in the 37th as they try to build off yet another winning season.
Calvary Christian finished 15-13 in 2022, their fifth season over .500 in the last six. They return all eight players on the KHSAA roster from 2022’s squad led by senior captains Savannah Ryan and Ella Mulling. Ryan is the setter while Mulling is the libero. Ryan had 369 assists last season while Mulling had 495 digs.
Reagan Brummett is a middle hitter, coming off a 2022 season with 155 kills, tying outside hitter Anna Hickey for the most on the team.
“We are a small unit of players who need to know, trust and care about each other on and off the floor,” Cougars coach Becky Stelzer said. “I believe these girls are already doing that, which is exciting.”
Stelzer feels the team needs to improve on letting go of errors when they happen and need to be more consistent in hitting and more aggressive offensively.
“I think serving is a strength and our working as a team for each other, not for self will also be a strength,” Stelzer said.
The Cougars open the season on Aug. 21 against St. Patrick in the opening round of the 10th Region All “A” Classic. They’ll play in the Glacier Invitational at Bracken County on Sept. 9 with 37th District contests against Campbell County (Sept. 11), Scott (Sept. 28) and Bishop Brossart (Oct. 3) to try and improve their district seeding.