Beechwood, St. Henry, and Notre Dame will each return at least one all-state volleyball player when the 2026 Kentucky high school season opens Monday, August 17.
Four players from the three Northern Kentucky programs earned Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association all-state recognition last season, according to the NKyTribune's regional volleyball preview published Saturday, July 25.
Beechwood outside hitter Isabel O'Brien and St. Henry libero Kenadi Sieg were named KVCA second-team all-state. Beechwood setter Skylar Estep and Notre Dame outside hitter Teagan Kondik earned honorable mention. All four are returning seniors.
Sieg and Kondik will both play at the University of Cincinnati. O'Brien was recruited by Bellarmine University in Louisville. Estep will compete at the University of Virginia-Wise, an NCAA Division II program.
Beechwood builds on record-breaking 2025
The Tigers have particular reason for optimism. Beechwood finished the 2025 season 33-6, the most wins in program history, according to school board records from November 2025. The team won its first-ever Kentucky All "A" State Championship, claimed the NKAC Division 2 title, and reached the 9th Region semifinal for the first time since 2017.
Beechwood was ranked as high as No. 4 in the state during the 2025 campaign.
Coach Matt Long was named KVCA Girls Region 9 Coach of the Year. O'Brien was also selected to the 9th Region All-Tournament Team alongside teammate Maggie Dawson.
With O'Brien and Estep both returning, Long's squad enters 2026 with two all-state players back in the lineup.
Crusaders and Pandas return all-state seniors
St. Henry gets back Sieg, a second-team all-state libero headed to Cincinnati. Notre Dame returns Kondik, an honorable mention outside hitter who also committed to UC. Both programs will lean on their decorated seniors in a 9th Region field that includes a loaded Beechwood roster and a Brossart team the NKyTribune identified as a serious 10th Region title contender.
Opening-week opponents for Beechwood, St. Henry, and Notre Dame have not yet been published in available schedules. The season opens Monday, August 17.
