Around the Commonwealth, Week 2: NDA, SHA meet in Florida

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Notre Dame Pandas and the Sacred Heart Valkyries met in the National Division third place game of the Tournament of Champions Southeast on Saturday and the Pandas won 2-1.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Pandas (9-1 overall) finished 5-1 overall in the 32-team division losing only to Carrollwood Day out of Tampa, Florida. The event took place at the Alachua County Sports and Event Center in Gainesville, Florida. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sacred Heart (15-2) lost to eventual champion Plant (Florida) before losing to Notre Dame. The two Dominant Five members face off again in Park Hills on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Early on, the Pandas have seen some different players step forward and add to the depth. The main ones have been sophomore hitter [player_tooltip player_id='484250' first='Teagan' last='Kondik'] (pictured) and freshman hitter [player_tooltip player_id='741504' first='Emma' last='Redlinger'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Sacred Heart has seen other players step forward to help out the power hitters. Senior defensive specialist Charlotte Moyer led the Valkyries with 84 digs going into the tournament and junior middle hitter Gracie Eybel was fifth with 30 kills to go with nine assisted and three solo blocks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Dominant Five Updates</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The defending state champion Assumption Rockets came out of the week undefeated at 4-0 after a win over Our Lady of Providence just across the river in Clarksville, Indiana. They've had a number of players step forward to add to the deeply talented team. In that game, the 5-11 outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='212398' first='Ella' last='Askin'] had seven kills. [player_tooltip player_id='172950' first='Emma' last='Barnett'] and [player_tooltip player_id='172951' first='Bailey' last='Blair'] led the way with nine and seven kills, respectively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Henry (10-1) won all three games this week. The Crusaders have seen the three freshmen in Violet Main, [player_tooltip player_id='610406' first='Kenadi' last='Sieg'] and [player_tooltip player_id='612108' first='Madelyn' last='Keipert'] step in to support the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='594619' first='Emily' last='Helmers'], [player_tooltip player_id='159389' first='Elizabeth' last='Casey'], [player_tooltip player_id='159378' first='Corrine' last='Blackburn'] and [player_tooltip player_id='451098' first='Madi' last='Demler'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mercy is 6-3 after the loss to Sacred Heart. The Jaguars though are showing a lot of promise with their depth. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='477137' first='Alyssa' last='Carter'] has teamed up with teammates at the net for 14 assisted blocks to go with 25 kills.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>9th Region Notes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Villa Madonna Vikings are off to a 10-0 start under the guidance of veteran head coach Sandi Kitchen. Eighth grader Ellie Breitling has emerged as a solid option for the Vikings with 85 kills good for second on the team behind the 98 from senior [player_tooltip player_id='210638' first='Maya' last='Kondik'].</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Henry and Beechwood meet in the All "A" Semifinals at 6 p.m. at the St. Henry Athletic Complex before Newport Central Catholic takes on Villa Madonna. NewCath ended an 11-game skid against Holy Cross (Covington) in the quarterfinals dating back to 2016 to make it to the semifinals. The region championship is Wednesday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>5th Region Notes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LaRue County (8-3) turned some heads this week knocking off Green County, Campbellsville then rallied down 2-0 to beat Marion County, 3-2 in another region game Thursday. The Hawks ended a 13-game losing streak against Green County that dated back to a 3-1 win on Sept. 27, 2018.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Junior [player_tooltip player_id='696289' first='Kinlee' last='McDowell'] has been on fire for the Hawks with 139 kills. McDowell pounded out 23 kills in the comeback win against Marion County. The Hawks have had balance behind eighth grade hitter Maci Singleton and sophomore Maxie Blakey, who have 95 and 73 kills, respectively. Senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='557445' first='Isabelle' last='Hayes'] is doing well reading hitters with 319 assists and senior Josie Garris has a team-high 153 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Taylor County (5-1) also had a big win this week knocking off Elizabethtown at home Wednesday, snapping a six-game losing streak in the series. The Cardinals last beat the Panthers during the regular season in 2015. [player_tooltip player_id='484299' first='Madelynn' last='Yates'] continued her tear with 15 kills. All-State setter [player_tooltip player_id='159348' first='Emily' last='Melton'] had 32 assists and Claire Coyle had 14 digs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>7th Region</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Christian Academy - Louisville Centurions are off to an 8-0 start that includes wins over Franklin County and Great Crossing. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='601632' first='Kayleigh' last='Rogers'] is on a tear with 84 kills and senior setter [player_tooltip player_id='753354' first='Ella' last='Baker'] has 191 assists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>8th Region Notes</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Walton-Verona Bearcats won a second straight All "A" 8th Region title knocking off Eminence in the title game. The big question mark for the Bearcats coming into the season was at setter. However, that is the specialty for head coach Katelyn Sallee, who was an all-Ohio Valley Conference setter at Morehead State. Sophomore Laken Fugate and eighth grader Olivia Simpkins have stepped into the role nicely.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Notable Performances</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"[player_tooltip player_id='741504' first='Emma' last='Redlinger']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32564","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Notre Dame","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='481203' first='Northern' last='Kentucky Volleyball Club']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d4e9d624b0a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Redlinger has given the Pandas a great option as an opposite hitter. She does a number of things with the back sets. She can hit soft shots off defenders and even go to the opposite line.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Gracie Eybel","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2026","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"5'10u0022","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32924","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"Sacred Heart","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"Kentucky Indiana Volleyball Academy","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d4e9d624bbc"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Eybel has given the Valkyries depth at the net. She forms solid blocks with her teammates. Eybel eyes defenses then makes the proper adjustments to hit balls away from defenders. Eybel can put soft roll shots to the back lines and sides. Eybel has a tough slide shot.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["212398"],"_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-66d4e9d624c0a"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Askin does a great job angling balls away from hitters, especially from the pin to the near opposite pin against double block attempts. She takes great approaches to the ball and puts a lot of power into balls for solid line drives. Askin can also take some power off balls if needed to place in between defenders in the back row.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":630711,"_player_evaluations_0_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"Violet Main","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"2028","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"null","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"32924","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"St. Henry","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"[program_tooltip program_id='481203' first='Northern' last='Kentucky Volleyball Club']","_player_evaluations_0_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_0_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_0_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-66d4e9d624c83"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Main is a naturally gifted athlete that will only continue to grow. She uses her length to time hitters and record big blocks at the net. Main then makes big plays at both the pins and middle for the Crusaders. Main slams balls to various places on the court and mixes in soft touches to keep defenses guessing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["696289"],"_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-66d4e9d624cfb"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">McDowell was a force blocking for the Hawks last year and has risen to a new level already surpassing last year's kill total. McDowell can put balls down from the middle and outsides consistently adjusting to set balls. She made a big play in the comeback win over Marion County blocking a ball then quickly adjusting to send the overpass to the back line. She does a good job tipping balls to the middle. She sends a nice cutter shot across the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block -->