The first regular season poll from the Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association was released on Wednesday and as expected, the 9th Region showed its strength in it.
Notre Dame, St. Henry and Ryle are all in the top 10, the Pandas coming in at No. 3, Crusaders at No. 4 and Raiders No. 10.
Notre Dame is coming off a weekend where they made waves nationally, finishing in third place at the Nike Tournament of Champions in Florida where they went 3-1 that included a victory over No. 2 Sacred Heart and earned them a top 25 ranking nationally on MaxPreps.com at No. 24. The Pandas are 9-1 to start the season and have another matchup with Sacred Heart on Thursday at Notre Dame. They’ll face St. Henry on Saturday in the Playing For a Purpose game at Boone County at 7 p.m.
St. Henry is off to a solid start despite graduating six seniors from last year’s team. The Crusaders are 12-1 and fresh off a 9th Region All “A” championship with a win over Newport Central Catholic on Wednesday night. They’ll look to win an eighth All “A” state title the weekend of Sept. 20-21 in Elizabethtown. Pool play takes place on the 20th, a single-elimination tournament to follow on the 21st.
Ryle is 4-0 to begin the year, including 2-0 in district play with wins over Boone County and Conner. They face a tough three-game stretch ahead with Great Crossing on Thursday and a tri-match with North Oldham and West Jessamine on Saturday. All three teams are ranked in the top 25.
Highlands also appeared in the top 25, coming in at No. 24. The Bluebirds were ranked 14th in the preseason poll, but dropped 10 spots after a 2-2 start to the season. Highlands returns to action on Thursday at Dixie Heights.
Simon Kenton out of the 8th Region is ranked No. 22 after not appearing in the preseason poll. The Pioneers are off to a 9-0 start to the season and have taken down reigning 8th Region champion Oldham County and 8th Region semifinalist North Oldham. They have a district matchup with Williamstown on Thursday before heading to Henry County on Saturday for the Heroes Tournament in which they’ll face Gallatin County, Henry County and Collins in pool play.
Here is the complete top 25 below:
