14th Region Preview: Setter questions answered for favorites
In this article:
The Letcher County Central Cougars and Wolfe County Wolves came into the preseason as region favorites. Not only that, they had question marks at the setter positions.
Up in Campton, that question was how soon senior
Abby Noble
Abby
Noble
5'8" | S
Wolfe County | 2026
State
KY
would return from a torn Anterior Cruciated Ligament injury for the Wolves (11-19 last year). Her mother Lori confirmed she is back and ready to go just more than a week ago. She has a number of sound hitters to set starting with her twin sister
Naoma Noble
Naoma
Noble
5'11" | OH
Wolfe County | 2026
State
KY
on the outside.
Abby Noble
Abby
Noble
5'8" | S
Wolfe County | 2026
State
KY
can also set up junior outside hitter
Madison Deshon
Madison
Deshon
5'9" | OH
Wolfe County | 2027
State
KY
, junior middle/outside hitter
Emily Stephens
Emily
Stephens
5'7" | MB/OH
Wolfe County | 2027
State
KY
, senior outside hitter
Bella Brumback
Bella
Brumback
OH
Wolfe County | 2026
KY
, senior setter Raylee Land and eighth grader
Madeline Howard
Madeline
Howard
5'7" | OH/S
Wolfe County | 2030
KY
. Junior libero
Grace Ponce
Grace
Ponce
5'6" | DS/L
Wolfe County | 2027
State
KY
, sophomore defensive specialist
Shylah Moore
Shylah
Moore
5'7" | DS/L
Wolfe County | 2028
State
KY
and junior defensive specialist Lauren Moore are responsible for sound first touches.
Head coach Ben White said while people return from injuries, a number of players stepped forward and it has done nothing but make the team stronger and a lot more dangerous as more players jump into the rotation. White added a number of them had strong off-seasons.
Wolfe County starts the season Aug. 18 at home against Powell County.
Taylor VanHoose is in her second season guiding tradition-rich Letcher County Central (21-16). Only two seniors graduated, but one happened to be senior setter Amelia Lucas, leaving the Cougars with question marks there.
VanHoose and staff toyed with a 6-2 formation in the summer leagues in June and will employ that with junior Kelsi Holbrook and eighth grader Chloe Wright as the setters. That leaves the versatile junior outside/middle blocker
Hanna Eldridge
Hanna
Eldridge
5'9" | OH/MB
Letcher County Central | 2027
State
KY
to take more swings along with junior outside/middle blocker
Calissa Lowe
Calissa
Lowe
5'10" | MB/OH
Letcher County Central | 2027
State
KY
and sophomore outside hitter
Evany Pack
Evany
Pack
5'10" | OH
Letcher County Central | 2028
State
KY
.
Two more impact hitters could be sophomores
Tiara Bailey
Tiara
Bailey
5'7" | MB
Knott County Central | 2028
KY
and Zoey McCullum, who transferred in after playing for the Knott County Central junior varsity last year. VanHoose said McCullum's had a lot thrown at her but has picked things up quickly giving the staff something to look forward to in terms of growth.
Things start in the backcourt with highly-talented eighth grader
Piper Adams
Piper
Adams
5'5" | DS/L
Letcher County Central | 2030
KY
returning after starting every game last year along with sophomore defensive specialist Addy Blevins. VanHoose said it's like having two liberos in the back row with those two. VanHoose also said Blevins is a strong server.
Letcher County Central travels to Pike County Central on Monday to start the season.
53rd District
Knott County Central (31-10)
The Patriots made history last fall winning the first region crown in program history and becoming just the second team in the 14th Region since the split from eight to 16 regions in 2003 to win a first round tournament game with a home win over Ashland. The Patriots graduated four seniors from the team including middle blocker Faith Pollard, who finished the season with 499 kills. Pollard is playing at the University of the Cumberlands.
The Patriots can not be counted out in terms of the region with the return of senior outside hitter
Taylor Baker
Taylor
Baker
5'9" | OH
Knott County Central | 2026
State
KY
, who topped out at 50 on a swing speed test, averaging between 47 and 48 miles per hour. Senior outside hitter Ava Waddell is another returning starter. The 6-3
Samara Bailey
Samara
Bailey
6'3" | MB
Knott County Central | 2026
State
KY
gives the Patriots an option in the middle. Freshman Kynley Baker also gives the Patriots good options at outside hitter/defensive specialist.
Junior
Avery Sluss
Avery
Sluss
5'2" | DS/L
Knott County Central | 2027
State
KY
has stepped into the libero role and junior
Zoe Miller
Zoe
Miller
5'9" | S
Knott County Central | 2027
State
KY
is back at setter. Head coach Shae Cornett said junior
Lily Blair
Lily
Blair
5'6" | S/RS
Knott County Central | 2027
State
KY
and senior
Avery Conley
Avery
Conley
S
Knott County Central | 2026
State
KY
have filled the other setter spot well. Cornett said she also expects freshman Kaylee King and eighth grader Rylee Craft to receive quality minutes.
Cornett said the Patriots have been speeding up the block and getting more hands on balls. She said the Patriots got good practice with that at the Bluegrass State Games the first weekend in August.
Knott County Central plays at Leslie County to start the season Aug. 19.
Jenkins (13-12)
The Cavaliers managed to get above .500 last season. They suffered some graduation losses, but do return junior middle blocker Abigail Lilly and senior setter Peyton Wilder. Junior libero Kirstin Cantrell is also back after leading the Cavaliers in digs last season.
Jenkins hosts Prestonsburg on Aug. 19 to start the season.
June Buchanan (4-25)
The Crusaders struggled last year, but do return senior setter Addison Clark and sophomore hitter Zoey Moore.
The Crusaders start the season Aug. 18 at Harlan.
Cordia (0-14)
Since returning in 2021, the Lions own just one win. It came in 2021 as a Coronavirus 2019 forfeit against June Buchanan. New head coach Brittany Walker welcomes back last year's digs leaders in seniors Haylee-Drew Blank and Chasity Turner.
Cordia plays Jackson City to start the season Aug. 28.
54th District
Leslie County (19-15)
Alex Washburn takes over the program that won the 54th District championship last year and made it to the region semifinals after Brian Hubbard took Leslie County's head football coaching job.
The Eagles graduated four seniors, but do return their two kills leaders from last year in senior outside hitter
Royce Osborne
Royce
Osborne
OH/MB
Leslie County | 2026
State
KY
and junior outside hitter
Jaelyn Johnson
Jaelyn
Johnson
5'7" | OH
Leslie County | 2027
State
KY
in addition to senior setter/right side hitter
Sarah Osborne
Sarah
Osborne
OH
Leslie County | 2026
KY
. Junior defensive specialist Tatum Begley also returns. Washburn also said to look out for freshman middle blocker Peyton Hochstetler this year.
Washburn said establishing team unity and sound chemistry is the first priority, setting goals to stay motivated and have a good balance between fun and hard work. Washburn added making sure the players have fun memories is important on and off the court because it helps establish a good team culture needed for success.
Leslie County hosts Knott County Central to start the season.
Perry County Central (16-15)
Emily Neace takes over a program that has some good young talent in freshman outside hitter
Annie Asher
Annie
Asher
5'10" | OH
Knott County Central | 2029
KY
and middle blocker
Sophia Asher
Sophia
Asher
5'11" | MB
PCC | 2029
KY
. Senior
Lylah Sullivan
Lylah
Sullivan
S/OH
Perry County Central | 2026
KY
is back to set them up quarterbacking the offense.
The Commodores open the season Monday at Jackson County.
Hazard (16-16)
The Bulldogs also have a new head coach after promoting assistant Max Mitchell to the role. Mitchell hopes to guide the Bulldogs back to the region tournament after they missed it last year.
A lot of their stat leaders are back as seniors this year. That starts with senior libero Kloe Fugate and senior setter/defensive specialists Mallory Mitchell and Adyson Jent. Senior outside hitter Savannah Combs led Hazard in kills last year. Junior outside hitter/middle blocker Rachel Allen and junior middle blocker Rianna Warren are also back after good seasons last year.
Hazard hosts Floyd Central to start the season Monday.
Buckhorn (6-25)
The Wildcats won three games in the Williamsburg Invitational early in the season, but won just twice after that. New head coach Brittany Walker welcomes back last year's two digs leaders in seniors Hadley-Drew Blank and Chasity Turner.
Buckhorn travels to Owsley County on Monday.

55th District
Breathitt County (18-11)
The Cats beat Wolfe County early in the season, but could not take either of the next two including the district championship. Debbie Spencer takes over hoping to guide the Cats to their first district championship since 2021 and first region crown since 2018.
Breathitt County had just one senior on the roster last year. Senior setter
Audrynn Hamilton
Audrynn
Hamilton
5'7" | S
Breathitt County | 2026
State
KY
is back along with junior defensive specialists
Raelan Back
Raelan
Back
5'6" | DS/L/S
Breathitt County | 2029
KY
and
Alexis Pelfrey
Alexis
Pelfrey
5'5" | DS/L
Breathitt County | 2027
State
KY
(pictured above).
Senior
Brielle Halsey
Brielle
Halsey
5'9" | OH
Breathitt County | 2026
State
KY
returns after leading the Cats in kills last year. Junior
Charlie Stacy
Charlie
Stacy
5'10" | MB/OH
Breathitt County | 2027
State
KY
gives the Cats power in the middle and pins with sophomore
Destiny Hensley
Destiny
Hensley
5'8" | RS/MB
BC | 2028
KY
taking swings from the outside and right side. Sophomore
Brinsley Neace
Brinsley
Neace
5'7" | MB
Breathitt County | 2028
State
KY
hopes to make an impact in the middle and freshman
Emily Bird
Emily
Bird
5'5" | OH/DS/L
Breathitt County | 2029
KY
hopes to contribute from the outside. Spencer also said to watch out for senior Chloe Hayes.
Spencer said keys to success will be building on the foundation of consistent communication on and off the court, trusting teammates and having strong mental toughness. Spencer also listed still having fun playing the game as another key.
Breathitt County hosts Jackson City on Monday.
Jackson City (14-16)
The Tigers improved by five wins from 2023 last year. Senior libero Karigan Turner is back after recording 367 digs and 82 aces last year.
Jackson City travels to Breathitt County on Monday.
56th District
Powell County (24-10)
The Pirates won the 56th District Tournament for the eighth year in a row, but could not take advantage of hosting the region tournament, losing in the first round to Letcher County Central.
Senior libero
Kylee Howard
Kylee
Howard
5'0" | DS/L
Powell County | 2026
State
KY
is back after a solid season on first touches. Senior middle blocker
Haley Neal
Haley
Neal
5'10" | MB
Powell County | 2026
State
KY
and sophomore
Raelynn Turner
Raelynn
Turner
5'8" | MB/OH
Estill County | 2028
State
KY
at middle/outside hitter come back after nice seasons controlling the net. Head coach Jazmen Thorpe also said to watch out for senior defensive specialist Gracie Pelfrey. Thorpe said the Pirates need to keep a competitive mindset and push personal preferences to the side for the sake of the team to be successful this year.
Powell County travels to Paintsville on Monday to start the season.
Estill County (16-16)
The Engineers welcome in Rebecca Pack as the new head coach. She can build around senior libero
Laycee Puckett
Laycee
Puckett
DS/L
Estill County | 2026
KY
and sophomore middle blocker
Sydney Riddell
Sydney
Riddell
5'7" | MB
Estill County | 2028
State
KY
along with junior setter Maddie Cole.
Estill County opens the season at Morgan County on Monday.
Lee County (15-18)
The Kats graduated their top two hitters, but do return sophomore libero Hollie Chrisman Hollie Chrisman 5'4" | DS/L Lee County | 2028 State KY . Both junior setters in Willow Tipton and Natalie Price also come back.
The Kats host Hazard on Tuesday to start the season.
Owsley County (4-24)
The Owls struggled last year winning consecutive games once last year.
Owsley County hosts Buckhorn on Monday to start the season.
Record in State Tournament Since 2003 when state tournament split from eight to 16 regions: 2-22
Most Region Crowns since 2003: Letcher County Central with 14.
Players to Watch
This evaluation is available to subscribers.
Is this you, Abby? Unlock your evaluation to everyone by subscribing
Highlights
Addy Blevins
Addy Blevins
This evaluation is available to subscribers.
Is this you, Addy? Unlock your evaluation to everyone by subscribing
Kynley Baker
Kynley Baker
This evaluation is available to subscribers.
Is this you, Kynley? Unlock your evaluation to everyone by subscribing
Johnson makes good first touches then quickly transitions to offense. She's worked to improve her accuracy with her hitting. She takes good swings. Johnson does not take sending free balls across the net lightly.
Highlights
Gracie Pelfrey
Gracie Pelfrey
This evaluation is available to subscribers.
Is this you, Gracie? Unlock your evaluation to everyone by subscribing
Note from the Writer
Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for one year and a half and has enjoyed getting to know the volleyball scenes in both Kentucky and Ohio. If you liked the story, please copy and paste to X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. You may also follow us at @prepdigkentucky or @prepdigoh on Instagram in addition to @PrepDigKy or @PrepDigOH on X. If you feel someone in Kentucky or Ohio needs coverage or even have feedback on the Kentucky rankings, please email Mike at pnmikeg@yahoo.com. You may also follow him on X @GMCgrah or Instagram @g.michaelgraham. Subscriptions give you access to exclusive content. For a 30% discount, enter code graham30 at checkout.
Access all of Prep Dig
Continue reading this article and every scouting report.