Dixie Heights (4-3 overall) won a thrilling 9th Region volleyball game against the visiting Highlands Bluebirds (2-3) by the slimmest 3-2 (19-25, 25-19, 7-25, 25-22, 15-13) score. Dixie has won its last four games after dropping the first three to solid 9th Region opponents.
“We made some adjustments throughout the game,” said Julie Kelly, Dixie Heights head coach. “We had diversity on offense. We were able to spread the ball out a bit because our back row did such a good job passing.”
Up 14-13 in the final game, freshman setter Riley Byrne served a hard one that Highlands hit back toward the net unplayable for the game-winning ace. Byrne finished with 31 assists and 10 digs.
Dixie finished with 68 digs, 10 aces, 42 assists and 45 kills. The team’s lone senior in Maia Long had 19 kills and 16 digs. Junior Maggie Best had 16 kills and 13 digs. Junior Christen Tarter had 13 digs and nine assists. Junior Celia Wallace had four aces with sophomore Hannah Wilson tallying 12 digs.
“It was a really tough game,” Best said. “But I’m glad we pulled through working as a team. Pulling a team together early in the season was rough. But we’re figuring it out. I’m really happy with our team. We’re a good group of girls. We work together really well.”
Highlands finished with 57 digs, 33 kills, 15 blocks, 41 assists and six aces. Junior Annie Ellison finished with 18 digs to lead the Bluebirds and senior Bailey Houston had 11 kills. Sophomore Sydney Schomaker had five blocks with senior Emma Daly blocking two. Sophomore Ella Cox had 22 assists with senior Kenzi Vennefron making 19. Houston and junior Brynn Draper had three aces each.
Highlands plays twice in the September Slam at Scott on Friday. The Bluebirds take on host Scott (9-1) at 5 p.m. then Boone County (3-7) at 8 p.m.
Volleyball
Bishop Brossart 2, Villa Madonna 0
The Lady ‘Stangs (7-3) handed the Vikings (10-1) their first loss of the season by 25-21, 25-19 scores.
Bishop Brossart had 25 kills, three blocks, 22 assists, 44 digs and six aces in the win. Junior Kayla Hesse had eight kills with sophomore Corrine Blackburn tallying six to go with three blocks. Eighth grade setter Aubrey Rebholz had 20 assists with sophomore Kate Neltner recording nine digs and four aces. Junior Maddie Kremer and senior Ava Thomas dug up 14 and 10 balls respectively.
Bishop Brossart travels to Bellevue (2-7) on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. game. Villa Madonna takes on Dayton (3-7) on the same day at 7:30 p.m. in the All A 9th Region semifinals at Newport.
Other Volleyball Scores:
Cooper 3 (25-16, 25-14, 25-11), Boone County 0
Newport 3 (25-19, 25-13, 25-11), Covington Latin 0
Beechwood 2 (21-25, 25-17, 25-16), Grant County 1
Lloyd Memorial 2 (25-17, 25-17), Holmes 0
Ryle 3 (25-14, 27-25, 25-18), Simon Kenton 0
Boys soccer
Dixie Heights 7, Simon Kenton 4
The Colonels (7-1) outscored the Pioneers (5-5), 4-0 in the second on their way to a non-region win. Dixie Heights has beaten both Kenton County School District rivals having knocked off Scott on Aug. 12.
“It was definitely a good win,” said Trey Crone, Dixie Heights head coach. “Simon Kenton is a good team. They’ve been playing well. But our guys came to fight. They played well. They made some mistakes to let (the Pioneers) back in the game. But we bounced back making some good adjustments in the second half. The guys worked their (tails) off and we got the goals we needed to come back to win.”
Senior Bennett Gerak led Dixie Heights with two goals and four assists. Gerak has 10 goals and 13 assists this year.
Reed Brixey scored two goals for the Colonels with senior Ryder Kennedy, sophomore Aiden Sanders and junior Will Rechtin scoring the other goals. Senior Noah Koenig added an assist. Sanders put Dixie up 6-4 in the later part of the second half.
“Right after that goal, the momentum shifted and we had the crowd, energy and everything,” Sanders said. “It was a great moment.”
Dixie used two goalkeepers in the win in senior Braden Blackburn and Brady Meyer. Blackburn made one save.
Dixie outshot Simon Kenton, 22-7. Freshman goalkeeper Miles Mullen made six saves and junior goalkeeper Owen Thoerner made two.
Senior midfielder Ayden Theobald had two goals with junior forward Dominick Dornbusch recording one goal and one assist. Junior Draven Dean had the other Pioneer goal and sophomore midfielder Chris Price had an assist.
Dixie Heights takes on Montgomery County (5-5) on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. Simon Kenton travels to Grant County (6-0-1) at 7:30 p.m.
Beechwood 1, Holy Cross 0
The Tigers (5-4) downed the host Indians (4-4) in a crucial 35th District game. Junior Frank German scored the goal for Beechwood with senior Max Dean making the assist.
Beechwood travels to Roger Bacon (Ohio) on Saturday for an 11 a.m. game. Holy Cross plays host to St. Henry (2-6) on Tuesday at 5:15 p.m.
Highlands 2, Kentucky Country Day 0
The Bluebirds (3-3-2) snapped a four-game winless streak with a home win over the Bearcats (4-2-1). Senior Colin Pieper and Jack Lavin had the goals with junior midfielders Tyler Whitney and Adarsh Khullar recording the assists.
Highlands plays host to Henry Clay (5-3-2) on Saturday at 6 p.m.
Other Boys Soccer Scores:
Grant County 2, Campbell County 1
Cooper 7, Boone County 0
Covington Catholic 3, St. Henry 2
Newport Central Catholic 1, Conner 1
Pendleton County 3, Villa Madonna 0
Walton-Verona 5, Holmes 0
Girls soccer
Dixie Heights 10, Villa Madonna 0
The Colonels (4-4-2) moved back into the win column snapping a five-game winless slide dominating the Vikings (6-4). Senior Reese Smith and Ashtyn Ivey had two goals and one assist each. Sophomore Abby Parsons had one goal and two assists with senior Julia Reidmiller tallying one goal and one assist.
Dixie Heights faces Assumption (8-0-1) in the first round of the annual Lexington Catholic Challenge Cup on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Villa Madonna plays host to St. Patrick (0-3-1) on Friday at 5:15 p.m.
Other Girls Soccer Score:
Paris 4, Ludlow 2
