Around the Commonwealth Week 1: Melton hits 3000 career assists

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor County senior all-state setter [player_tooltip player_id='159348' first='Emily' last='Melton'] is a big reason why the Cardinals are off to a 3-0 start including a 3-1 home win over 22nd-ranked West Jessamine on Wednesday. Melton surpassed 3,000 assists for her career in the season-opening win at Bardstown to start the season Tuesday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Melton, who just committed to Eastern Kentucky University, has 97 assists on the season with plenty of help from her teammates. Senior libero Claire Coyle leads the Cardinals with 43 digs with [player_tooltip player_id='484299' first='Madelynn' last='Yates'] and [player_tooltip player_id='521229' first='Harper' last='Johnson'] leading Taylor County with 40 and 37 kills respectively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Kentucky Teams do well at Showdown at the Sunsphere at the Knoxville Convention Center in Tennessee</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Two of Kentucky's Dominant Five took the top two spots in the 72-team tournament. Sacred Heart went a perfect 8-0 in the tournament to improve to 9-0 on the season, beating St. Henry (7-1 overall) in the title game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Overall, 10 Kentucky teams played in the tournament. A third member of the Dominant Five in Mercy (5-2) tied for fifth going 4-2 in the tournament. Paul Laurence Dunbar (5-2) also had a strong showing going 5-1 to tie for fifth and North Oldham (6-1) finished 4-1 tying for ninth.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":609553,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/BishopBrossart.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-609553" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Photo: Bishop Brossart volleyball</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Brossart Claims 14th All "A" 10th Region Championship</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Mustangs have dominated this tournament winning it a sixth year in a row and for the 14th time in 15 years, beating Robertson County, then Paris in the region title game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bishop Brossart (3-2) won three in a row to claim the title after starting the season with two losses. Sophomore setter [player_tooltip player_id='484451' first='Aubrey' last='Rebholz'] has gone over 100 assists on the season with 113 and senior [player_tooltip player_id='159379' first='Kate' last='Neltner'] continues to lead recording team-highs of 44 digs and 43 kills. Sophomore 6-2 middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id='515259' first='Callie' last='Ritter'] is showing strong play not only at the net, but in different spots on the court. Ritter has 27 kills, three solo blocks, six assisted blocks, 12 digs and 15 aces.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Paris and first-year head coach Steven Abner are off to a 4-2 start despite the loss. The Hounds are in their third season as a program and have one more win this year than the previous two combined. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='603211' first='Molly' last='Mason'] leads the way there with 58 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":609560,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img src="https://prepdig.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2024/08/SomersetChristianAllAChamps.jpg?w=1024" alt="" class="wp-image-609560" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">Somerser Christian</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Somerset Christian Claims Fifth Straight All "A" 12th Region Crown</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Cougars have only been a Kentucky High School Athletic Association member since 2020, but have won this tournament all five years in that short time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Somerset Christian (3-1) beat Somerset in the title game, 2-0. Sophia Barnett led the way with 13 kills and [player_tooltip player_id='535194' first='Sara' last='Tucker'] had eight. [player_tooltip player_id='846737' first='Caroline' last='Mounce'] has stepped in at setter and recorded 23 assists with [player_tooltip player_id='535263' first='Reagan' last='Childers'] tallying a team-high 27 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Bourbon County wins Fleming County Tournament</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Colonels are off to a sizzling start going 4-0 to win the Fleming County Tournament on Saturday. They are 5-1 overall opening the season with a win over East Jessamine and a loss to Madison Central.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bourbon County is receiving contributions from a number of players. This includes [player_tooltip player_id='586544' first='Rylee' last='Barnes'] and [player_tooltip player_id='588579' first='Maci' last='Brown'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Central Hardin wins Apollo Tournament</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A number of teams ventured west to Owensboro to play in the big tournament. The defending 5th Region champion Central Hardin Bruins left with a 6-0 start to the season winning the crown.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["159351"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66cbf6a3c95dc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Sacred Heart exemplifies what it means to run a fast-paced attack and Powell is one of many weapons on this team. Powell tries to see where defender are setting up and packs a lot of power into the balls. She does a good job adjusting to off-target passes. Powell does a good job angling balls off blockers and can even use her size to go around them to far corners and lines.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["159378"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66cbf6a3c9640"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Blackburn has turned into a force at the net using her size to double up with teammates on blocks and force opponents to think, which sometimes leads to balls hitting the net. She has a good follow-through and a tough slide shot. Blackburn smacks it hard to the line and does a great job redirecting overpassed balls to the floor.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["484451"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":609559,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66cbf6a3c9683"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Brossart head coach Danielle French said a focus this season would be on knowing who to set and where to place balls and Rebholz has done a better job of that so far this season. The Mustangs have the size and experience to have a formidable offensive attack when the initial first contact and sets are good. Rebholz is also trying to help in other areas. She has 113 assists to go with 25 digs on the season.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["269862"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66cbfba03135f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Jones is doing a good job tracking down balls then making nice passes to the setter to set up the Bourbon County offense. She will dive down and dig balls up with one arm if needed. She can move quickly to her side to make those passes.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->