dallaslaredo

I'm going to guess Villari

So at least 4 returning starters, maybe more. I have them at #2 in my pre-season picks for a reason... they are gonna be a tough team to beat with a lot of Senior leadership and experience.

I count 9 players. How many of them actually started/played?

Freshmen starting Varsity? Is that a good thing or bad thing for SHDHS?

"Highlands Raiders" has a certain ring to it. Sounds active and brave. "Ryle Bluebirds" sounds like ..meh. Nothing goes with Bluebirds. alliteration makes it slightly better. Boone County Bluebirds Bellevue Bluebirds Bishop Brossart Bluebirds (triple B for short) Beechwood Bluebirds.

I think Ryle is an enigma. There's something not right across the board in all sports. They are a large school, have first class facilities and gear, churn out DI athletes, and frankly I'm betting the household income level per student is way above other schools. But none of that is translating to athletic success. In the "money" sports of football and boys basketball, neither has made any real noise since the 2010 season. On a broader scale including all sports, there's no sustained success across the board. I feel like Ryle has the athletes and the tools to get it done, but for some reason can't.

That the weather will completely wreck havoc with the schedule, teams, players, coaches, and fans.

It's a secret. No one's actually ever seen the real school. Just the facade they built to throw people off. You have internet access to post this message, but apparently don't have it to perform a search for "Notre Dame, Pandas" now it kind of makes me wonder why u r asking..

It would be like if you could combine Alabama Football and UK and Duke Basketball. In 34 years of NCAA women's volleyball... Penn State - 7 Nat'l Championships, 3 runners-up. Champs 6 of last 8 years. Stanford - 6 Nat'l Championships, 8 runners-up. Lost Champ to PSU in '07 & "08. Notre Dame's Heidi Thelen at PSU.

What happens if I touch your stuff?

I'm light. Just axin cause I see it a lot. You're next on the list, Winger.

Since the Highlands mascot (bluebird) has both a male and female species, I would say Highlands already has a gender neutral mascot and the need to add "Lady" is redundant, especially in the softball world, where it's assumed we are speaking of the girls' team at the school. Are Highlands faithful growing tired of "Bluebirds" as their mascot and looking to make a change? Are the girl's teams trying to build their own identity apart from their male counterparts? Title IX assures that women's collegiate teams have the same opportunities as their men's counterparts. If the school was telling Highlands' girl's teams that they can NOT be called the Bluebirds, then that could be a title IX issue, if title IX existed at the HS level. I disagree that most mascots are masculine. Any animal mascot is going to have a female of the species- Eagles, Panthers, Bulldogs, Cougars, Camels, Wildcats, etc. Even a Thoroughbred can be female. To me, don't see the need to put "Lady" in front of it in a female only sport. Can make the case for basketball to ease confusion.

Since when are Highlands girls' teams called the "Ladybirds"? Is this an official change? Is "Bluebirds" no longer politically correct? Isn't "Bluebirds" gender neutral?

Conner coach Kristin Koors about her team in the Enquirer "They deserve a bigger stage, and a state appearance." Assuming that's an accurate quote, I find it curious. I've always felt teams deserve nothing and should earn what they get. Who doesn't want a bigger stage and a State appearance? Just my 2 bucks.

I don't buy this at all. The best players at any girl's sport - soccer, basketball, softball, volleyball - are all playing it year 'round, using the same body parts over and over. Everyone would be injured all the time in every sport if it was due to repetition.

I don't know if there are any surprise players out there. With the club season flowing right into the High School season, everyone pretty much knows what to expect. The headline in the Enquirer at the end of last year was "Bluebirds volleyball built to last" which is curious since they haven't had a winning season in 4 years, and haven't won their own District in 11 years. Someone obviously expects big things from Highlands this year, so I'd look there for an impact player that's under the radar. Where do the top Highlands players play their club ball?

No one from Region 8, 9, or 10. But I think HHS has to be the favorite for Region 9 Champ.

Shouldn't this have been posted in the AAU/Club/Select/Travel Sports section of BGP?

Check the thread title

I think team performance has to come into play at some point. CC lost the District 10-0, and CC went 0-7 against the final top 10 coaches poll. So maybe the coaches got it right.

Can coaches only vote for players in the same "division" as their own team? If yes, I noticed Campbell County didn't play Notre Dame, or Dixie Heights, or Simon Kenton...hard for coaches to vote for your girls when they don't see them. Maybe drop Ludlow, Beechwood, and Holmes...what are those games getting you?

My predictions.. 1. Notre Dame. Should win 9th going away and remain perfect against all NKY teams. 2. St. Henry. Lots of talent, lots of Seniors, and experienced coach. Should win All-A going away if they decide to play in it. 3. Ryle. Shelves not bare but lost some key talent. Another team with lots of Seniors. 4. Cooper. Didn't lose much, young team. If they can replace setter, then maybe pull some upsets.... 5. Scott. Should win 10th going away, but 10th is no 9th. 6. NCC. There's talent there, and new coach will maximize it. Big hole to fill at middle. 7. Boone Co. This team pulled some surprising upsets last year and most everyone returns. 8. Highlands. Senior filled team, now or never time for Highlands. Team hasn't finished above .500 since 2010 when they were still in Region 10. 9. Dixie Heights. Lost a ton of Seniors, but still should make it out of District. 10. Beechwood. I think BW is really young and has potential but not much experience. 9th Region Final 8 - ND, Ryle, St.Henry, NCC, Highlands, Cooper, Beechwood, Dixie Heights. Same 8 teams as previous 2 seasons.

NCC at NDA? Conner at Highlands? Boone Co at NCC? NDA at Highlands? If you went to only 1 game all week, which one would you want to see?

It's true - Volleyball is the most popular sport in the Commonwealth for girls. Volleyball named top girls' high school team sport in Kentucky Boys have football, girls have volleyball. Every other sport has a boys/girls team, or something very similar (softball/baseball). Volleyball is the only sport that is uniquely a girls' sport in KY, and frankly doesn't get overshadowed by the boys' team counterpart - cause there isn't one.

I'm still vague on what you are saying.. you said Mercy will "be there in the end" and Mercy is a "championship contender". Since "the end" is the Championship match, are you saying Mercy will make it to the final match and finish 1st or 2nd? "Championship contender" can mean almost anything. Are we talking final 2, 4, 8, 16?