‘We’re in it to win it.’ Bryan Station, Dunbar among 11th Region volleyball favorites.
When the first serve gets struck in the 11th Region volleyball tournament next week, four Lexington schools will have a solid chance to take home the championship and its bid to state.
All four were ranked in the final regular-season poll by the Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association — No. 9 Bryan Station, No. 13 Paul Laurence Dunbar, No. 18 Frederick Douglass and No. 22 Tates Creek. They will look to spoil the party for semifinals and finals host No. 11 Great Crossing and the other qualifiers — Franklin County, Madison Central and Madison Southern.
“I think that just goes to show you the quality of volleyball in Lexington — how much we love the sport here, how much we push our athletes to be the best that they can be,” said Frederick Douglass Coach Kate Topley.
Perhaps no team will enter the regional hotter than 42nd District champion Bryan Station (24-4). The Defenders have won seven straight and have beaten a slew of top 25 teams this season.
“This is our year. That’s what we’ve been saying all year.” Bryan Station senior libero Olivia Bennett said. “We’re ranked ninth. We’re ready to go into this region tournament. We’re in it to win it.”
But Tates Creek (23-9), Dunbar (25-9) and Douglass (21-11) have already solved Coach Hilary McKenzie’s squad once. Whoever wins it all will have endured a battle.
“We’re just digging into the heart and soul of it all now and putting everything out on the court,” McKenzie said.
Dunbar is the only team besides Henry Clay to have won the region tournament in the last decade. Coach Jenni Morgan has led the Bulldogs to state five times in her coaching career. They captured the 43rd District title over Tates Creek on Wednesday.
“You’ve tried to make that (regular season) schedule as hard as possible so that they’re used to being in pressure situations and they’re not panicked when it’s a big game and there’s lots of fans — it’s something that they’re used to and that they’re prepared for,” Morgan said.
Station ends title drought
The Defenders made history Wednesday night when they defeated Frederick Douglass in four sets, 25-23, 25-21, 12-25, 25-23, to claim the school’s first district volleyball championship since 2011.
“I can’t even put it into words, I’ve had such amazing girls over the years,” said Bryan Station’s McKenzie, who took over the program in 2016 and has rebuilt it in the shadow of the phenomenal success of district rival Henry Clay which had won every district title since the league’s last reconfiguration in 2012. “I think this will mean so much to the alumni, the girls that have paved this way for all of us since we’ve turned the program around. It means everything to finally put us on the map.”
Before the Blue Devils dropped into its district, Station won six district titles from 2003 to 2011, including four in a previous configuration of the 42nd. It won the 41st in 2003 and the 44th in 2011.
“We have a really good group of girls, especially our (senior) class, it’s a very large group — so I knew as we continued to grow and as everybody continued to improve … that by this time we could get a district championship,” Bryan Station senior setter Izabella Carter said.
Carter began playing varsity as an eighth-grader. This is her class’s second straight trip to regionals and, of course, its first as a champion.
At the outset Wednesday, it looked as if Bryan Station would make quick work of Douglass by taking the first two sets. The first set included a rally from down 20-23 on Carter’s serve to win 25-23. After losing the second set, the Broncos settled down and began to show how they beat the Defenders earlier in the season. Douglass ran away with the third, 25-12, to get back in the match.
“I was very nervous, I have to admit it. But as a leader, you just have to pull your team together,” Bennett said.
Douglass’s momentum carried over into the fourth set, until the Defenders snatched it back. Showing the resolve they gave a glimpse of in Set 1, Bryan Station rallied twice in the final frame — overcoming a deficit of 6-11 to tie it at 14 and then rallying again from down 15-19 to storm to the 25-23 clincher.
“I think our group, we’re very calm, cool, collected. We never really get rattled … ,” Carter said. “I am having a blast. I’m so excited. And we’re not done, yet.”
Dunbar back on top
Paul Laurence Dunbar reclaimed the 43rd District title after ceding it to rival Tates Creek last season. Wednesday, the Bulldogs topped Creek in four sets, 25-20, 21-25, 25-20, 25-16.
“I think we’re playing well, so far and we’re just going to keep getting better and better,” said senior Ila Smith after Dunbar clinched its region tournament berth with a sweep of Lafayette in the district semis. “I think halfway through the season, we finally started settling in. … We’re doing great, right now.”
Over the last decade, only Dunbar and Tates Creek have hoisted the 43rd’s trophy with the Bulldogs getting the better of the series, 6-4. Morgan has led Dunbar to the region crown and state tournament five times, the last in 2018.
“It’s a lot of pressure that we as coaches put on them because we have a lot of expectations for our program,” Morgan said. “But they’ve really stepped up and battled through a lot, not just on the court but also due to the pandemic as well.”
While Tates Creek has lost to Dunbar three times now, the Commodores have taken a set off the Bulldogs each match. They’ve also beaten Great Crossing and some others in the region field. Despite some ups and downs, Coach Morgan Contino likes how her team is playing and likes its chances.
“This team is ready. We’re excited,” Contino said. “We’re just going to play Creek volleyball, whoever our opponent is, we’re going to respect them and we’re going to play our game.”
11th Region Tournament
Monday’s quarterfinals
Hosted by each district champion
6 p.m: Tates Creek (23-9) at Great Crossing (24-7).
6 p.m: Frederick Douglass (21-11) at Madison Central (21-12).
6 p.m: Madison Southern (18-8) at Paul Laurence Dunbar (25-9).
6 p.m: Franklin County (18-16) at Bryan Station (24-4).
Wednesday’s semifinals
At Great Crossing
6 p.m.: Tates Creek-Great Crossing winner vs. Frederick Douglass-Madison Central winner
8 p.m.: Madison Southern-Paul Laurence Dunbar winner vs. Franklin County-Bryan Station winner
Thursday’s finals
At Great Crossing
7 p.m.: Championship match
This story was originally published October 21, 2021 at 12:57 PM.
