Is the Ryle High School volleyball team one of the best in the country?
The Raiders earned the right to make such a bold claim Saturday after defeating nationally-ranked Louisville Assumption. They defeated the Rockets in straight sets, 2-0, on their home floor at the Louisville Invitational Volleyball Tournament. Ryle, the eighth seed, defeated top-seeded Assumption, 26-24, 25-21, in bracket play.
“It’s still kind of surreal,” Ryle coach Tasha Lovins said. “It’s a memory my players and I will never forget.”
Lucy Trapp, verbally committed to the Thomas More University volleyball team, led the Raiders with eight kills against Assumption. Karsyn Griffin, verbally committed to the North Alabama beach volleyball team, added six kills. Morgan Heater, receiving college offers, led with 12 assists while Ria Furuta paced the team with 21 digs.
The Raiders remained unbeaten at 11-0 with the victory. Assumption fell to 13-1 and had its 25-match winning streak snapped. Ryle went 2-0 on Friday with pool-play wins over Louisville Male and Cleveland (TN).
The Raiders finished fourth at the event with a 3-2 mark, losing to Sacred Heart and Ursula Academy (OH). Their overall record this season is now 13-2. Trapp and Furuta made it onto the all-tournament team.
Defending state champion Assumption, now 15-1, is second in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Super 25 national rankings. The Rockets are No. 1 in the Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association poll with 29 first-place votes. Ryle is 10th statewide.
Those rankings could change in the next KVCA poll after Ryle slayed the beast. It’s thought that no Kentucky public-school volleyball team has beaten Assumption in at least 22 years.
The AVCA isn’t the only poll service viewing Assumption as a top-10 team nationally. The Rockets are 10th in the SBLive National Top 25 . They have wins this season over Louisville rivals Sacred Heart and Mercy. Sacred Heart, this year’s LIVT champion, is second in Kentucky. Mercy is fifth.
Though Ryle lost to Sacred Heart at the LIVT, nothing could dampen the Raiders’ enthusiasm. They defied all the assumptions and beat Assumption.
“I keep reliving the moment,” coach Lovins said.
The Raiders, 9th Region tournament semifinalists last season, are in action next on Thursday at home against Dixie Heights. The match starts at 7:30 p.m.
Ryle has won four straight 33rd District championships and 10 of the last 14. Lovins is pursuing career win No. 600. Each time the Raiders win, they extend her program record.