Dunbar and Douglass aim to validate top seeds as district volleyball tourneys begin
Paul Laurence Dunbar has assumed its familiar position as the 43rd District’s top seed and one of the top teams in the 11th Region as high school volleyball enters postseason play, but there’s a new No. 1 over in the 42nd District this year with Frederick Douglass taking on the role of legitimate contender.
The Broncos (20-10) swept their district rivals, including No. 14 Bryan Station, and have beaten the likes of No. 9 Male and No. 12 Great Crossing — foes ranked ahead of them in the most recent Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association poll where Douglass was rated No. 18 on Oct. 5.
The top seed in the 42nd had been under lock and key by Henry Clay for more than a decade, but with the Blue Devils (6-29) firmly in a rebuilding year, Douglass pounced.
“It’s huge. We’ve been wanting to do this since our first year in the program,” senior Carlee Smith said after Douglass completed the regular season district sweep with a win over Sayre last week. “To finally start doing it is exciting. … We just have to stay focused on the main goal, which is to go to state. We want to go. We’re determined to win.”
The district tournament moves quickly with play-in games Monday, semifinals Tuesday and finals Wednesday at two sites in Lexington before the 11th Region tournament’s first serve next week. District champs and runners-up make the eight-team regional.
Bryan Station poses Douglass’ biggest challenge. But the Defenders must take down Scott County (17-11) on Tuesday to get a possible rematch. Douglass has a bye into the semifinals and will await the winner of Monday’s Sayre-Henry Clay match. Douglass beat both in straight sets earlier in the season. The Defenders, who fell 3-1 to Douglass on Oct. 5, have a trio of players — Olivia Bennett, Izabella Carter and Mia Saenz — committed to play college ball.
Over in the 43rd District, No. 11 Dunbar (22-9) rates as the favorite having gone unbeaten in both district (5-0) and region regular-season play (12-0). Five of Dunbar’s nine losses have come to top-15 teams. The other four have come in out-of-state tournaments.
But Dunbar’s players know getting the school’s first region title since 2018 won’t be easy. The Bulldogs have dropped sets in six different matches to region rivals, including twice to No. 21 Tates Creek and once to Lexington Catholic, and one of those will make the district finals where Dunbar hopes to be.
“When you get in those close situations, you just have to be more intentional — have the mentality that no ball is dropping,” said Dunbar’s Ava Jackson, after a Sept. 16 win over Bryan Station. “You have to hustle for everything.”
Jackson and Delaney Gash are tops among Lexington schools with 309 and 303 kills, respectively, at last count. Delaney’s sister, senior Campbell Gash, leads everyone locally in assists with a whopping 818 and was recently honored by the team for setting up more than 2,000 assists for her career.
Lexington Catholic (25-9) is having one of its best seasons in years under Coach Ashley Federle and won the inaugural Kentucky 2A State Tournament earlier this season. They also swept their district semifinals opponent, Tates Creek, on Oct. 4. Senior Lucy Wedding leads the team in kills this season with 280 and has more than 1,000 for her career.
But everyone knows the postseason changes things. The pressure brings new challenges and new opportunities where regular-season losses can turn into postseason motivation.
Douglass senior Kendall Davis sees no reason her team won’t thrive in that.
“I just think if we go out and we play the best we can and we play as a team — we’re very determined,” Davis said. “Anything can happen. It’s been a crazy year, so far.”
42nd District Tournament
At Henry Clay
Monday’s play-in game
Sayre (27-7) vs. Henry Clay (6-29), 6 p.m.
Tuesday’s semifinals
Bryan Station (22-4) vs. Scott County (17-11), 6 p.m.
Frederick Douglass (20-10) vs. Sayre-Henry Clay winner, 8 p.m.
Wednesday’s finals
Championship, 6 p.m.
43rd District Tournament
At Tates Creek
Monday’s play-in game
Lafayette (14-18) vs. Lexington Christian (10-18), 6 p.m.
Tuesday’s semifinals
Lexington Catholic (25-9) vs. Tates Creek (21-8), 5:30 p.m.
Paul Laurence Dunbar (22-9) vs. Lafayette-LCA winner, 8 p.m.
Wednesday’s finals
Championship, 6 p.m.
Volleyball top 25
The latest (Oct. 5) top 25 poll from the Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association. First place votes in parenthesis. City teams in bold.
1. Sacred Heart (10)
2. Assumption (7)
3. Notre Dame
4. Mercy
5. St. Henry
6. Ryle
7. West Jessamine
8. Elizabethtown
9. Male
10. Central Hardin
11. Paul Laurence Dunbar
12. Great Crossing
13. Cooper
14. Bryan Station
15. Bowling Green
16. McCracken County
17. Manual
18. Frederick Douglass
19. Greenwood
20. Holy Cross (Louisville)
21. Tates Creek
22. Holy Cross (Covington)
23. North Oldham
24. Bethlehem
25. Presentation
This story was originally published October 17, 2021 at 3:28 PM.
