Highlands girls soccer, volleyball teams take home wins |
| PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. Highlands senior Kayla Nehus (14) makes a pass while senior Karolyn Lukjan (3) watches. Nehus received a pass then passed it off before a substitute came in. Nehus has been out this season recovering from a torn left ACL. |
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| PHOTO: Allen Ramsey, DWCPhoto.com. The Highlands Ladybirds soccer team celebrated Senior Night with an 8-0 win over Bishop Brossart on Monday. Pictured with their families on the bottom row are Sydney Ossege (17), Kayla Nehus (14), Karolyn Lukjan (3), Claudia Hils (16), Shannon Eaton (00), Kiersten Clukey (15) and Annalee Brewer (2). |
Highlands improved to 15-14 overall and 7-7 in 9th Region action with the win. The Ladybirds have three home games left this season.
"We maintained control on serve and serve receive," said Katelyn Sallee, Highlands Head Coach. "It allowed us to be more aggressive offensively and keep them out of system."
Senior Lauren Epperson led Highlands with 18 kills and 12 digs and senior Hannah Harris added 10 kills. Seniors Emma Delagrange and Emma Little added 13 digs each.
"I think we all mesh well together," Epperson said. "I feel this year everyone is pretty equal with what we do and does their job. That helps us work as a team together."
Highlands takes on Covington Holy Cross on Tuesday. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
Soccer, Girls:
Highlands 8, Bishop Brossart 0:
The Ladybirds (16-2-1 overall) concluded the regular season with a convincing win over the county rival Lady Mustangs (7-7-1) on Senior Night. The team honored its seven seniors in Shannon Eaton, Kayla Nehus, Kiersten Clukey, Annalee Brewer, Karolyn Lukjan, Sydney Ossege and Claudia Hils before the game.
"I was happy to see our seniors play such a good game for Senior Night," said Brian Wiefering, Highlands Head Coach. "I will never forget these seniors. They are a talented and fantastic group of ladies on and off the field."
Nehus had not played the entire season after tearing her left Anterior Cruciated Ligament on the first day of try-outs. Nehus received a pass on the opening kick then made a pass before a substitute came in.
But Nehus is not the Highlands player to battle an ACL injury this year. Junior defender Isabella Thomas tore her right ACL and Meniscus in the first 15 minutes of the Ladybirds' season-opening 2-0 victory at eventual All "A" State champion Owensboro Catholic on Aug. 20. Thomas is hoping to return her senior year. Like Nehus, Thomas is still trying to support the team in other ways.
"I just try to stay positive," Thomas said. "I know that the team is progressing and they're getting better as the days go on. I just cheer them on and hope for the best."
Highlands has outscored opponents, 71-7 on the season. The Ladybirds had not win 16 games in a season since the 2008 state runner-up squad posted an 18-4-4 mark. The Ladybirds scored 69 goals last year, but had not scored 70-plus in a season since the 2004 team put up 79.
This marked the 15th shut-out of the season for Highlands. Eaton recorded the complete game with four saves. Highlands had 19 shots on goal compared to six shots including four on goal for Bishop Brossart.
Clukey, sophomore Gwen Gorman and junior Molly Wiefering led the Highlands scoring with a goal and assist for three points each. That marked the fourth goal and sixth goal of the season for Clukey. the fifth goal and second assist for Gorman and the third goal and eighth assist for Molly Wiefering. The other goal-scorers for Highlands were freshman Maria Wiefering (seventh), Lukjan (first), freshman Tatum Price (first), Hils (fifth) and Ossege (eighth). Others with assists were sophomore Lindsey Meyer (fourth), freshman Ali Gessner (eighth) and sophomore Hannah Hartman (first).
"The team was doing a much better job of finding passing options before receiving the ball allowing for better decisions," Coach Wiefering said. "Teammates were moving to space much better to become passing options for their teammate who was about to receive the ball. It allowed for a better build-up helping us find more gaps in their defense once we got into our attacking third and girls were doing a good job finishing."
Highlands opens post-season play on Monday against winless Bellevue (0-9) at 7 p.m. in the 36th District semi-finals at Tower Park.
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