SPIKING FOR GLORY: 12th Region Volleyball Tournament begins Monday

The 12th Region Volleyball Tournament, although largely dominated by the West Jessamine Colts in recent years with five straight titles, is set to kick off Monday evening from West Jessamine, and is set to be a thriller with multiple teams coming into the tournament being battled-tested and sporting very strong records.

Boyle County

The Lady Rebels, winners of the 45th District, are tied for the best record in the region coming into the tournament at 28-9, and with very good reason. Aside from losses to Christian Academy-Louisville and Marion County, the rest of the Rebels losses came from before Sept. 15, with Boyle winning 22 of their past 24 matches. Boyle features a pair of strong outside hitters in junior Charlie Grubs (368 kills) and senior Kendra Christopher (364 kills), with Grubbs also having 90 service aces for the season as well. They also have a strong presence at the net in sophomore Maleeah Smith, who has totaled 59 blocks this season, and a great setter in senior Gracee Teague (907 assists).

Garrard County

The Lady Lions come into the tournament as runners-up of the 45th District with a 12-18 record, but did push Boyle County to a five-set match earlier in the season. Senior McKenzie Martin leads the team with 258 kills and 59 blocks, but also watch out for junior outside hitter Madilyn Combs (204 kills). On the right day, this team could potentially pull an upset.

West Jessamine

The hosts of the tournament, the 46th District champions and the five-time defending regional champions, the Colts, despite only having the sixth-best RPI in the region, should once again be a favorite this year. West has a record of 21-16 along with a shocking loss to East Jessamine, but has taken on some of the best in the state and has had wins against quality teams like Trinity (Whitesville), Pulaski, Southwestern, Corbin and Trinity Christian (twice). Sophomore Ashlyn Crutcher leads the team with 288 kills, but there is talent all around this roster such as senior Anna Boikov (249 kills), junior Tori Daleng (204 kills and 82 blocks) and senior Callaway Marsh (126 kills and 1,011 assists).

Trinity Christian

Making the regional tournament for the second time in their brief time in the KHSAA, the Titans were runners-up once again in the 46th District. They have a respectable record of 19-10 heading into the tournament, with solid wins against Bishop Brossart, Woodford County, Harrison County and Wayne County this season, although they are just 7-5 against regional competition. The main two players to watch out for are a pair of freshmen in Amelia Stanton (272 kills and 72 blocks) and Elizabeth Battaile (264 kills).

Pulaski County

The Lady Maroons, champions of the 47th District, come into the region tournament with all the confidence in the world after not dropping a single set in their district tournament and having one of the best regional records in the 12th at 16-3 (overall record at 24-11). They have strong wins this year over Southwestern, Russell County, Wayne County (twice), Harlan County, Somerset Christian, Trinity Christian and Adair County. This is a heavily senior-laden team and the Maroons have the ability to get kills from numerous spots on the floor. Some of the best players include Ava King (256 kills and 70 blocks), Ella Lancaster (208 kills and 49 blocks) and Olivia Travis (69 kills, 18 blocks, 496 assists, 315 digs and 82 service aces), and they also have a strong senior libero in Brooklyn York (509 digs).

Casey County

Returning to the region tournament for the first time since 2016, the runners-up of the 47th District Lady Rebels have an 18-14 record this season and had a minor upset of Rockcastle County to get into the 12th Region Tournament. Casey has an 8-10 record against regional competition, but has some solid pieces in junior Elizabeth Forbes (123 kills), senior Kate Barnes (101 kills and 79 blocks), junior Amy Lee (100 kills) and junior Aslan Wethington (65 kills and 72 blocks).

Southwestern

The winners of the 48th District and owners of the best RPI in the 12th Region, the Warriors are looking to make it back to the regional championship game with a 28-9 record and a whirlwind season to this point. Southwestern is 11-3 against regional competition and come into the tournament with a 23-4 record since the start of September. They rely heavily on a great senior class, including Adison Black (410 kills and 43 blocks), Chloe Mabe (255 kills), Halle Norvell (247 kills, 54 blocks, 930 assists, 297 digs and 83 service aces) and Megan Loudermilk (205 kills).

Somerset Christian

The Lady Cougars are a program on the rise and are looking to make back-to-back appearances in the regional title game, this time as the runner-up in the 48th District. This is a very young team that still may be a year or two away from taking that next vaunted step, but make no mistake, with a 24-9 record (11-3 against regional competition) and wins against Trinity Christian, Bishop Brossart, Southwestern, Community Christian (Paducah), Raceland, Adair County and Wayne County (twice), this is a legit team right now. Some of their best players include Sara Tucker (427 kills), Sophia Barnett (333 kills and 339 digs) and Caroline Mounce (844 assists), with the Cougars also featuring one of the best liberos in the region in Reagan Childers (634 digs)

The bracket was drawn on Friday afternoon, with games starting on Monday evening, and here is the breakdown!

Game 1: Boyle County vs Trinity Christian (Monday at 6:30 p.m.)

These two teams played earlier this month, with Boyle coming out on top in a five-set thriller 3-2. Boyle has a 2-1 series advantage against the Titans in recent years.

Game 2: Pulaski County vs Somerset Christian (Monday at 8:15 p.m.)

A game between two crosstown rivals, the two teams played earlier this season with the Lady Maroons looking strong in a 3-1 victory. Dating back to 2020, Pulaski has a 3-2 record against Somerset Christian.

Game 3: Southwestern vs Garrard County (Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.)

These two teams did not play during the regular season, but the Warriors hold a 10-2 record against the Lady Lions dating back to 2001 per the KHSAA.

Game 4: West Jessamine vs Casey County (Tuesday at 8:15 p.m.)

These two teams also did not play in the regular season. The Colts hold a 4-2 record against the Lady Rebels dating back to 2002 per the KHSAA.

Semifinals: Wednesday starting at 6:30 p.m.

Finals: Thursday at 7 p.m.

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