By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
After the summer break flew by, it is hard to fathom that it is time for the high school fall sports season to show up on everyone’s radar. The local golf teams have already begun to tee it up and the Southern Hills Athletic Conference, under the direction of new commission Rob Meade, will kick off the 2026 volleyball season with the annual preview night.
This year’s SHAC Volleyball Previews will be played on Friday, August 7, hosted by Ripley High School. The format will be two matches played to 21 without the normal rules of having to win by two points. The match ups were determined by a poll of the conference’s volleyball coaches, conducted by C103 Radio.
The preview matches begin at 5 p.m. as the host Lady Jays will battle the Whiteoak Lady Wildcats. The times for the ensuing matches are rolling, depending on the length of the previous match ups. After the Ripley-Whiteoak match up, the rest of the evening in order will see:
• Eastern Brown vs. Manchester
• West Union vs. Peebles
• Lynchburg vs. Fayetteville
• North Adams vs. Fairfield
North Adams and Fairfield were chosen by the coached to be the favorites to win the big and small school division titles for the 2026 season. Coach Katie Ragan and her Lady Devils will be looking for a fourth consecutive gold ball trophy for going unbeaten in conference play.
Admission for the preview (which include all five matches) will be $7 for adults and $5 for students. No conference passes will be accepted at the preview.