By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
District rivals Scott and Campbell County will meet again in the 10th Region volleyball championship final and it promises to be a close battle based on the two previous matches between the teams.
In the region semifinals on Wednesday, Scott swept Bracken County, 3-0, and Campbell County followed suit with a 3-0 win over Harrison County to set up their rematch for the region title at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Harrison County.
Campbell County has a 2-1 record against Scott this season and the last two matches went five sets. In the 37th District final, Scott won the fifth-set tiebreaker, 15-13, after losing a 15-12 tiebreaker to the Camels on Sept. 27.
This is the 10th time in the last 12 years that Scott has reached the 10th Region final under coach Andrea Sullivan. The Eagles have a 4-3 record against Campbell County in seven of their previous title games.
Two Scott sophomores reached career milestones in their team’s semifinal victory. Milyn Minor recorded the 1,000th kill of her three-year varsity career and first-year starter Ryann Grigsby got her 1,000th assist.
Minor was named 10th Region Player of the Year by the Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association after finishing the regular season with 384 kills. She now has more than 450 kills for the Eagles, who have a 24-15 record.
Campbell County got off to a 9-10 start this season under new head coach Mikah Freppon and will take an 18-13 record into the region final.
The Camels’ leading scorers in two previous matches against Scott were seniors Lexi Sharold and Emma Manser. They entered the region tournament with a combined total of 587 kills this season.
Simon Kenton came from behind to beat North Oldham, 3-2, in the semifinals of the 8th Region tournament on Wednesday. The Pioneers (30-7) lost the first two sets, 25-21, 25-16, and then tied the match with winning scores of 25-15 and 25-22.
North Oldham pulled ahead, 13-11, in the tiebreaker, but Simon Kenton rallied once again and won it, 15-13, on a kill at the net by freshman middle hitter Jenna Kitchen.
Simon Kenton will face Oldham County in the region final at 7 p.m. Thursday at Eminence High School. This is the third time in four years that the Pioneers have made it to the title match. They lost to North Oldham in 2020 and Oldham County in 2021.