Ryle records win over Dominant Five Program

In the deep 9th Region, the Ryle Raiders have been the most consistent team right there to break through the wall formed by two of the state's Dominant Five in the Notre Dame Pandas and St. Henry Crusaders that have won 45 of the 46 state championships since the beginning in 1979.   Ryle took St. Henry to five games in the region semifinals last year before falling, 3-2 (25-15, 15-25, 25-14, 22-25, 15-10). The Raiders faced another one on St. Henry's court on Wednesday, but did not let this opportunity slip away in a 3-2 (21-25, 25-21, 25-23, 7-25, 15-8) victory. That snapped a five-game winning streak in the series for the Crusaders dating back to Oct. 5, 2021. Ryle also won that game by a 3-2 (3-25, 25-22, 25-20, 10-25, 15-9) score.   Ryle (15-10 overall) won the game with more aggressive play at the net. Freshman [player_tooltip player_id='731690' first='Layna' last='Wilkinson'] and senior [player_tooltip player_id='212347' first='Morgan' last='Heater'] led thee way there with junior [player_tooltip player_id='781286' first='Bridget' last='Burns'] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='712121' first='Ashley' last='Towner'] taking some big swings. The Raiders put three setters on the court at times with Heater, [player_tooltip player_id='767630' first='Morgan' last='Gehring'] and freshman Clare Holtzapfel. Senior [player_tooltip player_id='486910' first='Ria' last='Furuta'] and junior [player_tooltip player_id='334217' first='Francesca' last='Hansel'] among others once again made a number of good first touches.   "I think this group of girls has done a good job. We've had these battles before where we've had to come back, whether we're down nine in a set," Ryle veteran head coach Tasha Lovins said. "They have faith and they just keep coming back, coming back. To come back after that fourth set was great. The fifth set is 0-0, 2-2. Let's take it one point at a time and let's get the win, and I think they did a great job staying composed and pulling off the win."   St. Henry sophomore setter [player_tooltip player_id='612108' first='Madelyn' last='Keipert'] had a nice all-around game to get a number of teammates involved. [player_tooltip player_id='828219' first='Emily' last='Helmers'], [player_tooltip player_id='451098' first='Madi' last='Demler'], [player_tooltip player_id='709517' first='Violet' last='Main'], even [player_tooltip player_id='805561' first='Gianna' last='Butler'] and [player_tooltip player_id='727147' first='Molly' last='Blackburn'] put great power into balls with libero [player_tooltip player_id='610406' first='Kenadi' last='Sieg'] digging up a number of tough hits.   St. Henry (19-11) came out swinging hard to go up 9-2 in the first set. The Raiders did chip away at the lead once they found an offensive rhythm whittling the lead down to 20-16. The Crusaders led 23-21 before putting it away on a Ryle net violation and Keipert block.   Ryle started off the second set stronger going up 9-1 with Burns leading the way. However, the Crusaders came back to make a game of it. Heater landed a kill on a second touch to give Ryle a 21-19 advantage. After a St. Henry timeout, Hansel landed an ace. A Burns ace gave Ryle a 24-20 advantage. Following a Main kill, Gehring found Heater for the kill to end that set.   St. Henry led for a good part of the third set. That lead stretched to 19-12 before Ryle made a run scoring six in a row off two Wilkinson blocks and two more kills to trim the St. Henry lead to 20-19. Gehring landed a cross then Burns sent a sizzler to the back middle to tie the game at 21. Tied at 22, Wilkinson landed a block and tip kill to make it 24-22 Raiders. After a Main kill, Towner landed a kill to give Ryle that third set.   St. Henry dominated the fourth set scoring 10 unanswered early to go up 13-3. Butler then landed two aces as the Crusaders rattled off six more to go up 20-4. A Ryle antennae hit tied the game 2-2.   The Crusaders led early in the fifth set 3-1 following a Main slide kill. However, Heater had a kill and Furuta an ace to tie it at three. Wilkinson gave the Raiders the lead for good at 6-5 with a kill. Heater and Burns kills made it 8-5 before Heater had another kill to put the Raiders up 11-6. Ryle led 13-8 before Holtzapfel surprised everyone in the gym including her teammates with a setover to make it 14-8. The Raiders won the game on the next play when St. Henry hit one far out of bounds.   Ryle hits the road again at Dixie Heights on Thursday. St. Henry does not play again until Tuesday on the road at Ursuline (Ohio) in Blue Ash.    Furuta (pictured) won the game's most valuable player honors for a great reason. St. Henry attacks with balance from many different angles. Furuta stood her ground on a number of those balls and used a great platform to keep them alive. She dug up several hard Main crosses that led to key Ryle points. Furuta said she tries to clear her head when she's on the court, noting players often mess up trying to overthink. She said her mindset is read, track, track, trying to keep plays alive.     Heater had another solid game for the Raiders. She put her teammates in good position to finish plays on one play, then pounded one to the ground on the next. Her versatility came in handy once again for Ryle. Heater also has a good platform to make crisp passes. Heater did not let mistakes get to her. She often bettered balls on the next play. Heater said the team reset the minds after the fourth set and brought energy in that fifth set to pull off the win.     Wilkinson set the tone with her aggressive play at the net for Ryle. She has a quick wrist snap to send balls screaming to the ground and forms sound double blocks. Wilkinson often gets touches on balls so her teammates can make simpler passes. Wilkinson mixes in soft shots with those hard crosses and line shots. Wilkinson makes good in-air adjustments to keep defenders guessing. Wilkinson said focusing on what she can control helps her play her best to help out the Raiders, noting teammates are watching her to see how things get done.     The lefty gives opponents something extra to consider with her unique hitting angles. Burns has good size and uses her vertical jump to hit balls over and around blockers. Burns made quick adjustments after blocked balls trying to send them to different parts of the court. Her crosses made a big difference in the Ryle win. Burns also keeps opponents out of system with a powerful jump serve. Burns said she tries to hit her shots, noting power and fundamentals make more of a difference than size.     Keipert dazzles in more ways than one for the Crusaders. The lefty makes plays all over the court using her genes and athleticism. She has great precision on her sets allowing teammates to put great power into balls. Keipert made some diving saves in the loss and some solid sets kept Ryle out of rhythm at times. She is not afraid to mix in hard and soft shots when St. Henry morphs into a modified 6-2 scheme.     Main combines her size and athleticism well to take solid shots in the front row. Main may be looking to send balls to back row, but pulls up at the last second and tips balls to open parts of the court. Main pounds out crosses that are hard to pick up. Main wins her fair share of jousts.     Blackburn has come a long way this season. She is a nice six-rotation player. She makes sound passes then quickly transitions to offense, taking fundamentally sound swings. Blackburn is becoming as dependable as anyone to make plays when the Crusaders need them.    Stat Leaders   Kills   [player_tooltip player_id='212347' first='Morgan' last='Heater'], Ryle - 14   [player_tooltip player_id='731690' first='Layna' last='Wilkinson'], Ryle - 13   [player_tooltip player_id='828219' first='Emily' last='Helmers'], St. Henry - 12   [player_tooltip player_id='709517' first='Violet' last='Main'], St. Henry - 11   [player_tooltip player_id='451098' first='Madi' last='Demler'], St. Henry - 10   Assists   [player_tooltip player_id='612108' first='Madelyn' last='Keipert'], St. Henry - 44   [player_tooltip player_id='767630' first='Morgan' last='Gehring'], Ryle - 19   Heater - 15   Digs   [player_tooltip player_id='486910' first='Ria' last='Furuta'], Ryle - 24   Keipert - 15   [player_tooltip player_id='610406' first='Kenadi' last='Sieg'], St. Henry - 12   Demler - 11   [player_tooltip player_id='805561' first='Gianna' last='Butler'], St. Henry - 10   [player_tooltip player_id='727147' first='Molly' last='Blackburn']. St. Henry - 10   Aces   [player_tooltip player_id='805561' first='Gianna' last='Butler'], St. Henry - 4   Keipert - 3   Furuta - 2   Blocks   Wilkinson - 8   Burns - 3   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.

In the deep 9th Region, the Ryle Raiders have been the most consistent team right there to break through the wall formed by two of the state's Dominant Five in the Notre Dame Pandas and St. Henry Crusaders that have won 45 of the 46 state championships since the beginning in 1979.