As the regular season hits its final stretch, programs in Northern Kentucky are getting recognized statewide.
In the most recent Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association poll, six Northern Kentucky teams found themselves in the latest KVCA statewide poll.
Notre Dame was the highest-ranked team among the six, coming in at No. 2 with three first-place votes behind No. 1 Assumption. St. Henry moved up one spot to No. 6, Ryle moved up two spots to No. 11, Simon Kenton up three spots to No. 17, Conner up one spot to No. 20 and Holy Cross coming in at No. 24 after not being ranked in the previous poll.
Volleyball district tournaments are set to begin the week of Oct. 16, with region tournaments following the week of Oct. 23. The first round of the state tournament begins on Oct. 30.
Northern Kentucky owns the last three volleyball state championships, Notre Dame winning in 2020 and 2022, St. Henry taking home the crown in 2021.
In girls soccer, the latest Kentucky High School Girls Soccer Coaches Association poll has seven teams from Northern Kentucky in it, four of them from the 9th Region.
Notre Dame comes in at No. 3, Lexington Catholic at No. 1 and Sacred Heart at No. 2. Highlands is ranked fifth, Conner at No. 11, Dixie Heights No. 15, Bishop Brossart No. 17, Walton-Verona and Campbell County in a three-way tie at No. 24.
Notre Dame and Highlands met for the second time on Monday, resulting in a 1-1 tie. The Bluebirds won the first meeting, 4-1 on Sept. 14 at the Lady Knights Challenge Cup at Lexington Catholic. Highlands sports a 8-0-1 record in region play, trying to win back-to-back region titles.
Conner is also undefeated in region play at 7-0-1, the tie coming to Beechwood while they haven’t faced Highlands or Notre Dame. Dixie Heights is 7-3 in region play, the three losses to Highlands, Notre Dame and Conner.
Bishop Brossart and Campbell County will be the favorites to come out of the 10th Region, the Mustangs lone loss to the Camels on Sept. 13, Campbell County’s lone loss to Scott on Aug. 30. The Camels and Eagles will meet on Oct. 2 with the season on the line in the 37th District tournament semifinals.
Walton-Verona is looking for their first district championship since 2011, when they were members of the 23rd District. The Bearcats are trying to unseat Simon Kenton, who has won 11 straight 32nd District titles. The two met on Sept. 20, a 4-3 Pioneers victory, rallying from a 3-1 halftime deficit.
District soccer tournaments begin on Sunday when the 33rd District tournament gets underway. Region tournaments follow starting on the week of Oct. 9 with the first round of the state tournament beginning Oct. 16.
In the latest Northern Kentucky High School Boys Soccer Coaches Association bi-weekly poll, Ryle holds the top spot with all 13 votes from members.
The Raiders are 14-2-1 on the season and 9-0 in 9th Region play, looking to repeat as region champs. Following Ryle was Covington Catholic at No. 2, the Colonels losing a 1-0 battle to Ryle on Aug. 24.
From there the top 10 in order is Newport Central Catholic, Highlands, Bishop Brossart, Conner, Dixie Heights, Campbell County, Cooper and Simon Kenton.
Among those receiving votes were Beechwood, Grant County and Holy Cross.
Newport Central Catholic and Highlands will meet on Tuesday to settle the 36th District champion. The Thoroughbreds knocked off the Bluebirds, 3-2 in a shootout on Sept. 12, snapping a 14-game losing streak to their district rival. Bishop Brossart and Campbell County are two of the favorites to come out of the 10th Region, along with George Rogers Clark. Simon Kenton is gunning for a third straight 32nd District title.