By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Four college volleyball teams in Kentucky will compete in the first round of the NCAA Division I playoffs and three of them have Northern Kentucky players on the roster.
One of the top seeds in the 64-team bracket is Louisville. The 25-5 Cardinals have Notre Dame graduate Kamden Schrand as one of their defensive specialists. The sophomore has 63 digs and 22 service aces in 91 sets going into a first-round match against Chicago State at 7 p.m. Friday at the Yum Center in Louisville.
Two first-round matches on Thursday at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington are Western Kentucky vs. Minnesota at 4:30 p.m. and No. 3 seed Kentucky vs. Cleveland State at 7:30 p.m.
Western Kentucky (19-6) has used St. Henry graduates Abby Schaefer and Alivia Skidmore quite extensively this season. Schaefer has a team-high 266 digs as a junior defensive specialist and Skidmore ranks second in kills (226) as a freshman outside hitter for the Hilltoppers.
Morehead State (18-14) will play top-ranked Pitt at 7 p.m. Friday in Pittsburgh. Dixie Heights graduate Irene Wogenstahl is one of the leading hitters on the Morehead State team with 266 kills and a .295 attack percentage. The 6-foot-1 grad student also has 104 blocks on the defensive end.
The other Northern Kentucky player in the NCAA tournament is Holy Cross graduate Julia Hunt, who was named Ms. Kentucky Volleyball last year.
As a freshman middle blocker for the University of Washington, Hunt leads the Huskies in attack percentage (.325) and blocks (129) and ranks fourth in kills (187) this season.
Washington (19-11) will play Loyola Marymount in a first-round match at 7:30 p.m. (EST) Friday at Stanford University’s Maples Pavilion. Most of the NCAA tournament matches will be broadcast live on ESPN+.