Beechwood volleyball earns back-to-back Ninth Region All 'A' titles

The 2025 Beechwood Tigers made history by winning the school's second All "A" Ninth Region volleyball title and first state title, not losing a set along the way.

The 2026 volleyball squad has already taken things a step further, defeating St. Henry 23-25, 25-12, 25-18 to claim back-to-back regional titles.

Beechwood had the home-court advantage as the tournament host, but "The Den" was packed on Aug. 27 as the No. 6 Crusaders took on the No. 13 Tigers.

"Last year, St. Henry wasn't in (the tournament), so it seemed like maybe it was a little easier. They made it tough for us. We earned it. I'm proud of our resolve. We're coming together, we still have work to do and still trying to get some pieces formed, but it felt really good," Beechwood head coach Matt Long said.

Youth at the service line: Both teams had an exceptional night at the service line, but it was the Tigers who used it to their advantage early and often. Beechwood served up 14 total aces with just four errors. While the Tigers dropped the first set, freshman Kennedy Sturgeon set the tone for the night, giving them a 5-1 lead early.

In fact, Sturgeon, freshman Emma Harris and eighth grader Payce Adams combined for 11 aces.

"They've done so amazing. For us to kind of have the same team since freshman year and for them to step into these big roles in positions that we really needed, they've been doing amazing. The sportsmanship and the kind of (people) they are, I'm so thankful to have them on our team," senior and tournament MVP Isabel O'Brien said.

Learning from the first set: After St. Henry dug out of an early deficit, neither team led by more then three points in a back-and-forth first set. Thanks to efforts from Violet Main, Stella Flick, Molly Blackburn, Kayleigh McCormack and Ashley Hammond, the Crusaders prevailed by just two points.

In between the first two sets, Long reminded his team to play one point at a time and to rebound with a positive mentality. The Tigers took that to heart, making a statement in the second set to send the match to a deciding third.

"When you get the lead like that, obviously you want to keep it. Again, St. Henry's good. They found some of our holes and took advantage of them. I feel like we did fix those problems halfway through that match. Our resolve and mentality not to let anything get past us too far," Long said.

Beechwood got out to a 15-9 lead in the third set, prompting St. Henry coach Maureen Kaiser to burn a timeout. Led by defensive stars Kenadi Sieg, Audrey Pieczonka, Kali McCane and Ashlyn Summers, the Crusaders rallied to within a point at 18-17. The Tigers responded with a 7-1 run, with Macy Armstrong's final kill cementing the win as students, who coordinated a "white out," stormed the floor.

Attacking out of the middle: For the second straight year, seniors lead the Tigers.

O'Brien is an invaluable six-rotation player who currently leads the team in kills and aces. Skylr Estep is a setter extraordinaire who also came up with several key blocks in the championship. She realized that when Beechwood's pin hitters weren't finding success against the Crusaders' defense, it was time to go to Armstrong and Rachel Lewandowski in the middle. The two seniors combined for 19 kills and three blocks.

"I tell my setter, 'If they're ready, set them the ball' because we know that (O'Brien) is going to get her touches, but we want to make sure that we are in a system that we're getting the ball to our middle," Long said.

The Tigers return to regular-season action on Aug. 29 to take on No. 7 Lexington Catholic, followed by matches with Walton-Verona, Holy Cross, Boone County and Scott.

The All "A" state tournament is Sept. 18 and 19 at the Owensboro Sportscenter. There will be three matches of pool play on the first day; Beechwood will be in a pool with the champions from Regions 1, 8 and 11. The top two teams in each pool will advance to an eight-team bracket on the second day that will determine the state champion.

Beechwood has to feel good about its chances. Not only is it the defending champion, the Ninth Region champion has finished as either the state champion or runner-up in all but two years since the tournament began in 2009.

"It's exciting. The song says it. It's cool to be a champion every once in a while," Long said as Queen's "We are the Champions" played in the background.

Zarah Wilson, Ludlow; Blakely Bennett, Villa Madonna; Axie Jimenez, Dayton; Kalyn McFarland, Newport; Paizley Singleton, Bellevue; Kolbey Kohrs, Newport Central Catholic; Jordyn Reckers, Newport Central Catholic; Lucy Lenihan, Holy Cross; Maya Hayden, Holy Cross; Kenadi Sieg, St. Henry; Violet Main, St. Henry; Madelyn Keipert, St. Henry; Macy Armstrong, Beechwood; Rachel Lewandowski, Beechwood; Skylr Estep, Beechwood; Isabel O'Brien (MVP), Beechwood

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Beechwood volleyball earns back-to-back Ninth Region All 'A' titles