Ava Tilden took the season’s final swing sending it screaming to the open back row on the other side. That set off a big celebration as the Notre Dame Pandas (34-5 overall) won their 10th Kentucky High School Athletic Association volleyball tournament crown with a 3-0 (25-22, 25-11, 25-16) win over the Lexington Dunbar Bulldogs […]
Author Archives: G. Michael Graham
Mike Graham covers sports for LINK nky
Posted inVolleyball
Notre Dame volleyball advances to state semifinals
Notre Dame took care of Whitley County on Thursday night to advance to the state volleyball tournament semifinals. The Pandas (32-5) downed Whitley County 3-0 (25-6, 25-5, 25-12). Now the Pandas turn their attention to Louisville Assumption (34-7) whom NDA will face in its third trip to the semifinals in four years, including 2020 when […]
Posted inVolleyball
Lifelong friends, teammates land on state’s biggest stage coaching different teams
They are best friends from childhood and graduated together from Notre Dame Academy in 2009, and now both have helped lead local volleyball teams to the Kentucky state tournament this year. Notre Dame Associate Head Coach Jenna Leistner and Pandas have a 31-5 record and 9th Region crown this season. They play in Thursday’s second-round […]
Posted inVolleyball
Campbell County grad turns Paintsville volleyball into region power
One look from the sidelines Monday showed how much the growth of the volleyball program has meant to the Paintsville Tigers community. The stands were mostly filled as the Tigers took on the Notre Dame Pandas in the first round of the state volleyball tournament. Dawn Sparks-Kinner is a huge reason for putting Paintsville volleyball […]
Posted inVolleyball
State volleyball tournament: Notre Dame advances, Brossart falls in first round
Editor’s Note: Ashland Daily Independent sports reporter Matthew Sparks contributed to this report. Fair or not, the Notre Dame Pandas (31-5 overall) and Bishop Brossart Mustangs (27-14) volleyball teams hit the road for the first round of the state tournament looking to control what they could. Here are the results: Notre Dame 3, Paintsville 0 […]
Posted inCollege
NKU sports round-up: Norse volleyball owns second place in Horizon standings
The Northern Kentucky University volleyball team took sole control of second place in the Horizon League standings with the first road sweep in Wisconsin since joining the conference. The Norse (13-11) are 11-2 in Horizon League action and only trail Wright State’s unblemished 13-0 mark. NKU has eight straight wins. “This was a big weekend,” […]
Posted inVolleyball
Brossart, Notre Dame volleyball hit road for state first round games
This marks the third year in a row regional winners have played host to the Kentucky High School Athletic Association volleyball tournament first-round games. It is a way to measure a team’s strength of schedule based on its record, opponent records and the records of opponents’ opponents. But it has not been without controversy. The […]
Posted inCross Country
NKY dominates state cross country: Beechwood girls, St. Henry & Conner boys win titles
The second day of the Kentucky High School Athletic Association state cross country state championships saw Northern Kentucky teams and individual runners venture to the Bourbon County Cross Country course and bring home championships. The Beechwood Tigers won the Class 1A girls race bringing home the school’s first state championship with 65 points, beating defending […]
Posted inFootball
Beechwood closes out regular season beating NewCath, 26-9
The former district rivals entered the game at Covington Catholic’s Wooten Field with impressive 8-1 records and looking to enter the playoffs on a high note. They both ran variations of the ground-and-pound spread offenses looking to take time off the clock. The Beechwood Tigers ran it better than the Newport Central Catholic Thoroughbreds, outgaining […]
Posted inFootball
Friday NKY football round-up: Simon Kenton gives Woodford first loss; Brossart rolls again
The final week of regular season football in Northern Kentucky is in the books. The playoffs are up next. Here is how it all played out on Friday night: For our game story from Covington Catholic’s win over Ryle, click here. For our game story of Beechwood’s win over Newport Central Catholic, click here. For […]
