Neers Win 5th in a Row; Down Dixie

Safe to say Jill Schmiade has been the biggest supporter of SK Volleyball over the last several years.  Tonight, she presented the seniors with some awesome SK Superwoman to the 7th Power Senior Shirts.  Thanks Jill!

The Lady Neers wrapped up their KCSD tour tonight with a trip to Dixie for a match with the Colonels.  A very nice sized crowd turned out for the weeknight match that saw the Frosh and JV teams get things going in the right direction as they both posted wins.

The varsity team came out in the first set looking flat.  The Neers fell behind by a score of 7-1 but the girls would come start chipping at the Colonel lead and assume their first lead of the night at 10-9.  The set would stay close for the remainder of the match, although the SK bunch never panicked, even when falling behind by two late in the set.  SK would regain their newly found composure and pull out the 25-22 win.  The Neers would carry that mo into the second set, as confidence of the team soared allowing them to cruise to a 25-13 lead.  SK would jump out to a 10 point lead in the third set, before dropping their guard a bit, but still won by feeling fairly comfortable with a 25-19 win.  The Neers have now won 5 matches in a row and continue to improve match after match.  

Key stats for the match: 
Haley Robinson- 10 kills
Rachael Figgins-6 kills- 2 blocks
Ellie Smith- 6 kills - 2 aces
Sarah Sergent- 33 assists- 6 digs
Amarah Nicholson- 5 kills- 3 blocks
Kelsey Shamadlee- 8 digs

My C'mon Man for the night.  Using printed sheets of paper to sing the school fight song?  C'mon Man!

Peas and Carrots

Haley with a nice kill in the first set.  

Super Seven Seniors

Team celebrating #13's Strong kill.  Nope, I didn't get it.  

Admiring the cool guy at the scoring table.  

Got this up up and away kill in the first set.  

Keeping the troops focused. 

FINALLY!!! They stepped on it.

The last time the Neers played Boone County, during the September Slam Tournament at Scott, they let a match get away from them as they squandered a 14-7 lead and lost the tie breaker set by a score of 15-17.  The Lady Neers went up tonight by a score of 14-8 and buckled down to not let history repeat itself as they finished the match off in convincing fashion.  The scores for the night were 25-14, 23-25, 20-25, 25-21 and 15-8. 

SK did what they hadn’t all year- they stepped on their opponent and didn’t let them off the mat after they got a good lead.  SK also showed some nice fight after being down 2 games to 1 to come back and win the final two sets for the exciting match win.  Ellie Smith pulled out a very strong 5^th set by logging 6 of her 12 kills on the night in that set.  SK was without the services of Amarah Nicholson tonight but Anna Cully stepped in and had a strong match with 10 kills and 8 blocks.  Other notable stats included Haley Robinson with 12 kills and 3 blocks, Sarah Sergent with 51 assists and Carson Elliott with 12 digs playing the libero spot.  

SK was also without the services of their student cheering section tonight as the football team got double booked with a late practice.  Their absence was very apparent as the gym took on an eerie silence at times.  C’mon Man! (that’s for Coach M, right Grant?) 

The Lady Neers wrapped up a week of 3-0 play as they beat Walton Verona in the Dig for Depew Memorial on Tuesday and Lloyd on Wednesday.  SK only has one match next week as they travel to Dixie on Tuesday.  Homecoming festivities will dominate the remainder of the week. 

 

Great job tonight girls; I've been waiting for your AH-HA moment....I think this was it.

Throwback Thursday Pic....Lloyd's trainer and former Pioneer, Rachel Kloentrup
 

Wow! Thank you Simon Kenton Community

Wow!  Drum roll please…..we have tallied the results of the t-shirt sales, bake sales, silent  auction, pumpkin sales, art donation, art auction (I don’t have an auctioneer license so we surely violated some Redbook rule) and donations from those who attended last night.  The grand total was nearly $2,700 that will be donated to the Simon Kenton Special Education Department  in memory of Brittany Depew!  Absolutely amazing!!!!  Thanks again everyone who participated in so many ways.

Thank you Tricia Mann for your help coordinating efforts at SK!

Dig for Depew Memorial Celbrates Brittany and SK Special Ed

Oh what a night!  What occurred at SK tonight is exactly why I’m daggone proud to be a part of the Southern Kenton County/Independence Community, a SK Alumnus and a parent of a SK student and teacher.  The community, coming out and taking the time to remember Brittany Depew’s impact on the community while raising funds for SK Special Education, was a goose bump raising experience for everyone at the Joe tonight. 

Kaitlin Murray and Megan Leggett, two of Brittany’s best friends, did an awesome job of sharing from the heart what SK meant to Brittany and what Brittany meant to the SK Community.   While Brittany Depew became a national media darling, she was first our queen and her legacy and spirit were celebrated tonight at our school.  I’ll never forget the Dig For Depew event last year and Brittany grabbing ahold of Kaitlin’s arm while Kaitlin told Brittany’s story.  Truly just a special moment that you’ll never forget if you were there. 

Since the event was meant to raise funds for SK Special Ed students, the students from the SK Adaptive Guard delivered a performance to the crowd that I can’t find the words for.  It just made me feel good to get to share in the night and watch the joy on their faces of getting to perform for the crowd.  The Guard  performed a routine with their flags that brought the house down. 

I can’t say enough about the student body’s support of the game.  Lead cheerleaders Chris Hicks, Grant Vercheak and Kyle Heflin for leading a huge contingent of SK students in cheering for their team.  They showed how it is done with their stellar performance tonight that earned them the Novacare 7^th Man Award and a lovely Novacare/SK T-shirt. 

Thank you to so many who helped this night be a special one.  First, Karen and Andy Murray of Murray Promotions for a nice donation to the t-shirt cause, Kaitlin and Megan for your inspiring words, the SK Special Ed Department for delivering an amazing performance honoring Brittany, SK Volleyball program for selling t-shirts and getting the support out for tonight, all of the volleyball parents who donated to the baskets and provided baked goods, SK Football and Cheerleaders for also donating baskets, the committee of Tricia Mann, Mary Jo Schmiade and Mischelle Figgins and the Boosters who helped pull everything together, and everyone who donated in some way.  Finally and most importantly, we thank Brittany’s family who supported this celebration tonight. 

That arm lock that Brittany put on Kaitlin and Brittany’s tears of pure joy is a memory that our community needs to make sure goes on for a very long time.  Brittany was celebrated tonight, her student buddies delivered an awesome performance and we raised money that will allow these students to participate on field trips etc. that they would not have likely been able to enjoy.   

Thanks SK Community, you are the best!

Pictures of tonight’s event can be seen here:  https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10202989954482300.1073741916.1007423308&type=1&l=684e165d72

Brittany, you were celebrated tonight.

Well Done Buddy!
 

Awesome job by two friends

Some of Brittany's Team

Solid Effort

NDA "Cans" Neers

The MASH Neers headed to Park Hills tonight for a match-up with defending state runner-up Notre Dame.  The Frosh took the second set from the Pandas but went down in three with all three sets being well contested.  The JV team looked good at times but just couldn’t seem to get the big point that they needed to get over the hump.   

After a nice ceremony that recognized the NDA teachers, the varsity girls took to the floor.  The girls looked strong early but NDA took over and cruised to a first set victory by a final of   25-11 .  The banged up would Neers would take another hit as MH Amarah Nicholson went down with an ankle sprain late in the set.  The senior's injury would cause Coach Atwood to jumble her line-up once again.  NDA would jump out to a huge lead but the Neers did not quit.  The shuffled line-up started to work as the girls got comfortable and got confidence.  SK won several points in a row prompting an NDA timeout.  SK finished strong and did not give up and walked off the court feeling good with their efforts, going down by a final of 25-17.   Kahlee Fuener had 3 kills, Rachael Figgins posted 2 kills and 3 blocks, Sarah Sergent had 10 assists and Carson Elliott tallied 4 digs and 3 aces. 

 

SK has three games next week:

• SK hosts Walton on Tuesday.  The team will host the Dig for Depew Memorial featuring fund raising activities to benefit the SK Special Education Department.  If you've been thinking about coming to an SK game, this is the one to make.
• Travel to Lloyd on Wednesday- start times TBA.
• Match in Flo-town with resurgent Boone County. 

See what I mean by the headline?  I don't care where you come from; that's funny right there.  Yes, that's a ball caddy, she is not playing some type of game show race.   



Schmee getting in a little snooze prior to her AP Chem test today.



Feen with a Jordan like hit in the first set.


Rach and Ellie doing a little dance to "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"


Celebrating some good stuff in the second set.

Neers Downed by Eagles

The Lady Neers couldn’t overcome injury, illness and a hungry Scott Eagle team tonight as the team went down in straight sets on the road by scores of 25-19, 25-21 and 25-18.  The jumbled line-up looked very strong at times but the ability to finish plagued the team as it has so many times this season. 

Key stats for the night:  Haley Robinson with 6 kills, Amarah Nicholson with 5 kills and 7 blocks, Sarah Sergent with 22 assists and Carson Elliott wearing the libero jersey with 13 digs. 

I’m not sure what it is-whether the girls are too nice or they just tense up when the game gets down to crunch-time.  Whatever it is, I think I came up with the answer tonight.  Last Friday night at the football game, I was standing  just yards away from the SK defensive line as they had New Cath backed up deep into their own territory.  It was almost frightening at times as that line was not going to let New Cath get a single yard.  I heard crunching moaning as the Neer line pummelled the offensive line of New Cath.  The old sports cliché of stepping on their neck was about as accurate as it could be.  With that said, I ran into Coach Marksberry tonight at the UDF gas pumps.  I told him to send the D-line to a volleyball practice to teach them some of that killer instinct I saw the other night…he just chuckled.

Things ratchet up another level as the team travels to Park Hills to play the Pandas on Thursday night.   SK played NDA tough last year at the Joe. 

Neers Down Demons

Back to the Joe tonight for the 32^nd District Trifecta as SK wrapped up 3 games in a row against their 32^nd District foes.  Williamstown was on the schedule tonight as t0he Neers were once again without the services of seniors Ellie Smith and Schmee.  Ellie was under the weather and Schmee was banged up after her stunt action last night and will be out for a week or so.  You could see it in her face sitting on the bench that she wasn’t enjoying her unplanned time off. 

After putting together a couple of nights of play where the confidence was growing, the team came out in the first set against the Lady Demons and played….um, bad.  SK trailed by a score of 10-8 early in the first set.  They would start getting things together later in the set and would pull out the 25-18 win after nip and tuck action .  The Neers would settle down in the second and third sets and wallop the Demons by scores of 25-6 and 25-4 as Coach Atwood would get everyone involved in the match.

Stats from the night:
Haley Robinson  8 kills
Amarah Nicholson 7 Kills – 4 Blocks
Rachael Figgins  6 Kills – 3 blocks
MacKenzie Bard 15 assists
Emily Popham 6 aces
The schedule starts heating up next week as SK takes to the road in a couple of tough matches as they play cross county rival Scott on Tuesday followed by a match-up with the paNDAs on Thursday.  

Someone keeping things light on the bench.

Fig with a nice pass in the third set. 

Haley with another solid game in the middle. 

SK Bests Walton in Verona

The Lady Neers took to the road the last two nights for 32nd District action. The team got some confidence going last night following some tough games this past weekend at the Scott Summer Slam. SK bested Grant Count last night in straight sets 25-11, 25-16 and 25-8. The GPS took us to Verona tonight for the rubber floored confines of Walton Verona Elementary School as the high school is undergoing major renovations.

SK got off to a slow start and fell behind early. Problems would get compounded as Iron Woman Kelsey Schmiade went down with an early injury. Schmee would go get checked out at the hospital and early reports sound encouraging. Please keep our girl Schmee in your prayers. Line-up challenges would become even tougher as Ellie Smith was unable to play due to illness. SK was able to dominate WV off of their serve as the Lady Cats had trouble passing the service of Kenzie Bard, Biz Manser and Carson Elliott. Coach Atwood would call on the services of Kayla McDonald to don the yellow libero jersey. The sophomore did a nice job of answering the call. SK was able to get their offense going through their middles as Amarah Nicholson and Haley Robinson were able dominate at the net. SK goes on to win by a final scores of 25-9, 25-22 and 25-13.

Stats from Grant County

Haley Robinson  -  7 Kills, 3 aces

Rachael Figgins -  6 Kills

MacKenzie Bard -  17 assists – 3 aces

 

Stats from WV

Haley Robinson – 9 kills, 2 blocks

Amarah Nicholson – 7 kills,  3 blocks

Carson Elliott – 19 assists -  4 aces

MacKenzie Bard – 15 assists, 6 aces

Kayla  McDonald – 14 digs

 

A big shout out to the nice contingent of SK students who made the journey out tonight.  Thank you!

The win puts the Neers at 3-0 in District play. Williamstown will travel to the Joe on Thursday at a special game time of 6:30. Please remember, no candy sales during school hours.  :)

Bard celebrating a SK Block.

Get Well Soon Schmee!!!!