[nky]

Region 9
Where: St. Henry High School, Erlanger.

Schedule: Oct. 16 - Ryle (26-7) vs. Newport Central Catholic (10-19), 6 p.m.; Notre Dame Academy (30-7) vs. Villa Madonna (18-8), 7:30 p.m. Oct. 17 - Highlands (14-22) vs. Cooper (18-22), 6 p.m.; Holy Cross (22-6) at St. Henry (29-8), 7:30 p.m. Oct. 18 - Ryle-NewCath winner vs. Notre Dame-Villa Madonna winner, 6 p.m., Highlands-Cooper winner vs. St. Henry-Holy Cross winner, 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20 - Championship, 7 p.m. Ryle-NewCath/Notre Dame-Villa Madonna winner vs. Highlands-Cooper/St. Henry-Holy Cross winner.
What To Expect: A battle-royale in next Saturday's Ninth Region Tournament volleyball final between state-ranked powers Notre Dame Academy and St. Henry is a strong possibility, with the winner having a chance to claim a state title. But, first things first. The Pandas and Crusaders have to get past a gauntlet of challengers, including state-ranked Ryle and Holy Cross, before they can meet.
The defending regional champion Pandas lost in four sets to St. Henry in September's Playing for a Purpose showcase for their lone regional loss, yet they are ranked second in the statewide coaches' poll and St. Henry is fourth. Ryle is eighth; Holy Cross 16th. Notre Dame beat St. Henry in last year's final. St. Henry beat Notre Dame in the 2010 final.

Notre Dame, led by hitters Angel Taylor, Elly Ogle and Heidi Thelen, had a difficult time stopping the Crusaders' Abbey Bessler and Rachel Fortner in the first meeting. All five players have orally committed to NCAA Division I college programs.

http://nky.cincinnati.com/article/AB/201...RONTPAGE|s