Volleyball is a game of rotation, relentless energy, and keeping the ball alive at all costs. It’s a dynamic that former local prep and college player Tara Leen knows by heart.
“I love the sport,” said Leen, the recently appointed head coach of the Covington Catholic High School boys volleyball team. “It’s a beautiful game.”
To Leen, the strategy is simple: set up the perfect play, execute under pressure, and drive the ball home. That’s exactly what she plans to do as she steps up to make history as the volleyball team’s first coach.
“The challenge is exciting,” Leen said. “We want to start this off right and set the bar high. We need to be prepared, play well, and win.”
It all starts in 2027. And it’s all in-house. Leen, a Simon Kenton graduate, has been at Covington Catholic for eight years. She serves as CovCath’s Director of Advancement, which puts the entire volleyball program under one roof.
“Tara will do a fantastic job,” said CovCath athletic director Tony Bacigalupo. “And the fact she is in the building full-time every day is a major plus in getting a new program started.”
There are no players yet. There is no official roster, but there is already a volleyball legacy at CovCath.
“Starting a volleyball program was something the boys at school really wanted. They were driving this. It’s because of them that we’re going to have one,” Leen said. “A lot of them graduated. It’s too bad they won’t be able to play, but they made sure those coming in after them will be able to. We have a list of kids. There’s a lot of excitement about that.”
There’s also a lot of excitement about Leen. Her phone blew up when word got out that she’s the first volleyball coach at CovCath. “I’ve heard from so many people since the announcement,” she said. “I love this community. We’re a competitive community. We love to win.”
By this time next year, the coach hopes to be talking about the Ws and noting areas of improvement. In the meantime, she’s getting to work on the schedule. CovCath tryouts are in February. The 2027 slate starts in March. Regional tournaments are in May, with the state event later that month. It will mark the third season for boys volleyball as a Kentucky High School Athletic Association-sanctioned sport.
Local teams compete in the 6th Region. It’s a group that includes Ryle, Simon Kenton, Walton-Verona, Scott, Calvary Christian, and Boone County. Ryle is the defending champion and won a match at the state tournament. Simon Kenton and Walton-Verona will be returning regional semifinalists next spring. Those squads are early obstacles for CovCath. Ryle and Simon Kenton are big schools, so the Colonels have their work cut out for them.
“I wake up thinking about it every day,” Leen said. “We’re literally starting from ground zero and that’s fine. I’m from Morning View. My background is in the country, and we take a lot of pride in working hard. I’ll put the work in and do what I can to make it the best.”
Toughness will be a calling card.
“We’ll be tough. I was a big tomboy growing up. I had two brothers and cousins. They and my environment helped toughen me up,” the coach said. “And you know what? We’re going to play a tough schedule. We’re going to get our players ready to play the best as fast as possible.”
Leen loves the runway the CovCath administration is providing. It helps her ramp up to the historic first season. “I have a lot of time to prepare,” she said. “That’s big to have that much time to get it ready.”
It’s not only her first high school head coaching assignment, but it’s also one of her first while coaching boys. Leen’s background has been primarily with girls, with her coaching career spanning the club and recreational levels. She played volleyball at Simon Kenton for four years, helping the Pioneers reach the state tournament. She also had a productive season at Northern Kentucky University in 1999 when the Norse made the NCAA Division II national semifinals. After that, she focused her attention on academics, later continuing to play and coach at the rec and sand volleyball levels.
“Going from girls to boys is not a big change from a coaching standpoint,” Leen said. “But from a technique perspective, it’s different because there’s more strength involved, and we will have all that.”
CovCath AD Bacigalupo said Leen is the right person to start the program. “Tara’s enthusiasm, competitiveness, knowledge, and experience both as a player and a coach make her the perfect leader,” he said.
Just as she’s hoping to mold her players into the best versions of themselves, Leen has been shaped by other coaches. Dianna Neises was a guiding force at Simon Kenton when Leen was known as Tara Bach. Gretchen Stephenson and Jen Woolf coached her club teams, and Mary Biermann was her coach at NKU.
“I was blessed to have so many great coaches,” Leen said. “They were tough women and they really knew the game, and they cared about their players.”
The creation of the CovCath volleyball coaching position comes with fortuitous timing for the 45-year-old Leen. All three of her children have now graduated from high school.
“It’s a big spotlight, but it’s the right time in my life,” she said. “We’re empty nesters. My youngest, Ellie, just graduated from Notre Dame Academy, and my other daughter, Anna, is a 2022 grad. My son Owen was at Covington Catholic and played football and baseball. The whole thing has been blessed by my husband.”
Leen joins two other female coaches at the all-boys school, continuing a tradition of open-mindedness at CovCath. “We have had multiple female head coaches in swimming and diving, including current head swimming coach Ashley Smith and current head diving coach Emma Lehmkuhl,” Bacigalupo said.
Volleyball is the 17th KHSAA-sanctioned sport at CovCath. The school is entering its 85th season of interscholastic sports and 93rd with an athletic department. It’s part of a rapid expansion under principal Bob Rowe. CovCath has added eight sports in a 12-year span, nearly doubling the school’s historical total. The basketball team became the school’s first interscholastic athletics program back in 1935.
The addition of volleyball follows the creation of indoor track and field, eSports, and lacrosse teams in 2023 and 2024. CovCath was Kentucky’s indoor track and field boys state champion each of its first three years.
With some of that recent history, Leen feels like it’s all out there for the taking for the volleyball team. It gives her chills thinking about the CovCath Crazies getting behind her squad with a spirit that will not die.
“Can’t wait,” she said. “It’s going to be so much fun.”
