St. Henry continued to have their way in the 34th District Tournament winning for a third straight year and the 11th time in 12 seasons with a sound 3-0 (25-13, 25-12, 25-10) win on the road against Dixie Heights.
St. Henry had 49 kills, 55 digs, 41 assists, six aces and six blocks in the win. Tournament MVP Alivia Skidmore showed her all-around game with 16 kills and 14 digs with Elizabeth Tabeling and Lizzie Casey digging up 10 balls each. Casey also served a team-high three aces.
“This is the time of year where you hope your team is able to put everything together and they did just that,” said Maureen Kaiser, St. Henry head coach. “They controlled the ball and made minimal errors. They played with some enthusiasm and fire about themselves. You have to build off each moment and enjoy the ride.”
Anna Guard had 13 kills for the Crusaders (29-8) and two blocks with Madi Demler adding 10 kills and one block. Junior Corrine Blackburn had six kills and a team-high three blocks.
“I feel like the last couple of weeks have been a turning point for us,” Blackburn said. “We’ve not only been able to start off strong, but finish strong. I definitely saw that through our district games and our games the last couple weeks.”
Dixie Heights (11-15) finished with 15 kills, 32 digs, 13 assists, three aces and two blocks overall. Christen Tarter had 13 digs with Maggie Best putting down eight kills to go with five digs and two aces. Maddie Kelly recorded 13 assists.
St. Henry will take on Conner, Newport Central Catholic or the loser of Beechwood and Notre Dame in the 9th Region quarterfinals to be played Sunday at Cooper. Dixie Heights returns to the region tournament for the eighth straight year and will face Highlands, Ryle or the winner of Notre Dame and Beechwood.