Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The George Rogers Clark Lady Cardinals’ volleyball team has developed into a formidable force within the 10th Region in just three seasons. 

While the team lost some strong talent after last season – namely Walsh University athlete Kelsey McKeehan – the defending 40th District Champions have much to help lead the pack. 

“We have probably the biggest group of upperclassmen that we have [had] since I’ve been here,” said head coach Kainan Hudson, noting that 14 of the team’s 17 players are juniors and seniors. “We have a lot of leadership.” 

Just as well, Hudson adds that the team has plenty of depth. 

“We have kids that are ready to step up in roles,” he said. 

A key list of players in various positions will highlight the Cards. 

Senior Grace Abney and junior multi-sport athlete Teigh Yeast return as outside hitters.  

Senior Rileigh Reed and sophomore Laeah Dean will play middle blocker, with junior Anna Cooper and freshman Rori Cooper – no relation – ready to play setter. 

The team can play aggressively from the back row thanks to senior right-side hitter Ava Mardis – a Midway University commit – and junior Serenity Elman. 

While freshman Mia Pendley of last year’s squad has transferred to Dunbar High School, the team welcomes high-caliber transfers of its own: senior right-side hitter Amyah Maxwell and junior defensive specialist Kinlee Keltner, formerly of Madison Central. 

Among its regular-season schedule, which began with a win over Robertson County on August 22 and ends on October 18 with a matchup against Sayre – who finished 28-8 last year in the highly competitive 11th Region – the team looks set to take on some top-notch teams throughout Kentucky. 

Such teams include Frederick Douglass and Great Crossing – each ranked in the state’s preseason Top 25. 

As the year continues, Hudson looks to see progression while keeping the team’s goals in mind. 

“Our hopes are always the same. We want to be very competitive in every match we play,” he said. “We want to continue to show our excellence within our district and have [a] very great season within that. We want to put ourselves in a great position at the [year’s] end to make a good run in our region tournament.” 

While maintaining a standard of excellence can undoubtedly be challenging, Hudson is confident in his team’s ability to move forward. 

“I think we’ve got the experience now to continuously do that,” he said. “We’ve got some freshman and sophomores coming up now [and] that’s going to [create] a very bright future.”