15th Region Season in Review: Shelby Valley made historical run

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Shelby Valley entered the season with high expectations after a historic run the previous year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>All the Kats did was set the bar higher finishing a school record 34-6 with a second straight 59th District championship, another All "A" 15th Region crown and the first 15th Region title in program history. It did not end there. Shelby Valley made it to the championship game of the Bronze Flight in the All "A" State Tournament then knocked off visiting Knott County Central, 3-1 (25-19, 27-25, 22-25, 25-13) in the first round of the state tournament before losing to state power Assumption in the state quarterfinals. Shelby Valley did lead some in the third set against the Rockets.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The scary thing for the rest of the region is everyone is returning for Shelby Valley next season starting with the one, two combo of junior all-around standout [player_tooltip player_id='535230' first='Miley' last='Riddle'] and sophomore middle blocker [player_tooltip player_id='741700' first='Sahnia' last='Linton'] along with sophomore setter [player_tooltip player_id='612248' first='Talynn' last='Johnson']. [player_tooltip player_id='899540' first='Lindsay' last='Baldwin'] also gave the Kats some good all-around play with Isabella Gravely looking to take more steps next season. [player_tooltip player_id='740604' first='Makaya' last='Price'], [player_tooltip player_id='535231' first='Ryleigh' last='Perry'] and [player_tooltip player_id='800657' first='Aaron' last='Elkins'] led Shelby Valley on the defensive end.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Paintsville (28-11) fell short of the goal of repeating as region champions, but did win another 57th District championship. Junior [player_tooltip player_id='253875' first='Kylie' last='Kinner'] put together another solid season with [player_tooltip player_id='816699' first='Mallory' last='May'] and [player_tooltip player_id='742476' first='Annabelle' last='Blankenship'] giving the team balance. [player_tooltip player_id='882232' first='Ella' last='Wells'] and [player_tooltip player_id='890171' first='Addison' last='Helton'] split the setting duties. [player_tooltip player_id='898049' first='Kendall' last='Short'] gave the Tigers a boost in the libero role with [player_tooltip player_id='911404' first='McKinley' last='Ramey'] and Bentley Smith helping Paintsville form a solid defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Drew Lafferty took over at Floyd Central (16-13) and led the Jaguars to a ninth straight 58th District crown. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='781570' first='Chloe' last='Howard'] and Rylee Daniels had big years offensively off nice sets from senior Lydia Wallace. The Jaguars also received a big boost from all-around standout junior [player_tooltip player_id='535222' first='Caidence' last='Lafferty']. Senior Miley Thornsberry and sophomore Katie Stumbo gave the Jaguars sound play on defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Betsy Layne (20-17) made it to the region semifinals behind another amazing season from junior outside hitter [player_tooltip player_id='483608' first='Jayden' last='Jarrell']. [player_tooltip player_id='781442' first='Harlyn' last='Slone'] also brought some nice all-around play with [player_tooltip player_id='911407' first='Aubrey' last='Williams'] turning into a sound player at the net. [player_tooltip player_id='781567' first='Jania' last='Isom'] set things up well for them. The defensive leaders were [player_tooltip player_id='782439' first='Miley' last='Burchett'], Kylie Samons and Laiken Keathley leading the way defensively.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Johnson Central (19-15) finished four games above .500. After losing to Paintsville in the 57th District title game, the Eagles drew Shelby Valley in the region quarterfinals and saw their season come to an end. Johnson Central returns four of the top five kills leaders in [player_tooltip player_id='603814' first='Chloe' last='Reed'], [player_tooltip player_id='762073' first='Macie' last='Clark'], [player_tooltip player_id='911408' first='Mia' last='Estep'] and [player_tooltip player_id='837159' first='Reese' last='Day']. [player_tooltip player_id='781727' first='Hannah' last='Lakes'] is also back after contributing in many ways along with freshmen setter [player_tooltip player_id='894234' first='Madi' last='Conn']. [player_tooltip player_id='479280' first='Carrigan' last='Ratliff'] is graduating following an outstanding year at the libero spot. Sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='781733' first='Leah' last='Hall'] is also back after a good season at defensive specialist.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Notable Players</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["899540"],"_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-6927e8087aa01"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Baldwin (pictured) came through with big kills and blocks for Shelby Valley in the region championship game. She has the qualities to turn into a sound hitter her final two years for the Kats, which will open things up more for [player_tooltip player_id='535230' first='Miley' last='Riddle'] and [player_tooltip player_id='741700' first='Sahnia' last='Linton']. Baldwin takes nice swings in the front row and gets her hands on a lot of balls defensively. That slows balls down for defensive specialists. Baldwin had 90 kills and 39 blocks for Shelby Valley this past fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["911404"],"_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-6927e8087aa9f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Ramey is turning into a solid defensive specialist for the Tigers. She makes a lot of dimes on first contacts, allowing Paintsville to get in system and take powerful swings. Ramey does dive after balls, but manages to stay under control on top of making the simple passes. Ramey had 133 digs for Paintsville this past fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["535222"],"_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-6927e8087ab23"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Lafferty is a versatile player for the Jaguars. She makes crisp passes to get Floyd Central into a good offensive flow, but also wound up being a big part of the offense at outside hitter for the Jaguars. Lafferty's positive presence rubs off on her teammates. She's always encouraging them on the court.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["911407"],"_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-6927e8087ab98"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Williams opens things up for her teammates with sound swings from the opposite and middle hitter positions. Williams led the team in blocking, often making things less difficult to track down balls. Williams had 123 kills and 78 blocks for the Cats this past fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["911408"],"_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-6927e8087ac08"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Estep gave the Eagles a nice outside presence this past fall. She hits hard crosses on go routes and does not hesitate to use her off (left) hand to tap balls to the near lines and throw off defenders. Estep is also valuable on defense for the Eagles. Estep had 135 kills and 220 digs for Johnson Central this past fall. She makes the simple passes running forward quickly on softer hit balls.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Note from the Writer</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for nearly two years 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.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->