Three top-10 volleyball teams compete in Lexington district tournaments this week

Lexington’s high school volleyball district tournaments tip off Monday night, and they feature three of the state’s top 10 teams.

Henry Clay, ranked fourth in the state, is the top seed in the 42nd District and expected to walk away with its seventh straight district title. The Blue Devils have lost to tight matches to Assumption, Sacred Heart and Mercy — all state title favorites — in recent weeks and boast one of the most-talented rosters ever assembled by a public school.

Sayre won a school-record 24 games this season and brings a four-game winning streak into this year’s tournament. While oddsmakers would make Sayre a definitive longshot in the first round against Henry Clay, the Spartans have a had a banner year in their fourth season sponsoring a program. Several of their eight seniors were among the members who played for Sayre’s first team, which went winless in 2013.

Bryan Station won 28 games in the regular season, a program record. The Defenders ended a six-year losing streak to city teams by defeating Lexington Christian last week and swept Scott County, their first-round opponent, earlier this season.

In the 43rd District, Lexington Catholic and Lexington Christian will square off Monday to decide who gets to play No. 6 Tates Creek in the semifinals. Creek went 27-7 in the regular season, the only in-state loss coming at Henry Clay.

Lexington Catholic had its first 20-win season since 2009. LCA enters having lost its last five, one of which was a home match versus LexCath.

On the opposite side of the bracket, No. 8 Paul Laurence Dunbar and Lafayette meet for a berth to the finals and the 11th Region tournament. The Generals haven’t advanced from the district level since 2011; that was the same year Dunbar last missed a regional tournament.

This story was originally published October 16, 2016 at 2:02 PM with the headline "Three top-10 volleyball teams compete in Lexington district tournaments this week."