Spartans reach state semifinals as first-year program
Published 11:52 pm Friday, May 16, 2025
South Warren junior Reed Roebuck (12) reacts as the Spartans win 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) over the West Jessamine Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren sophomore Logan Cato (10) spikes the ball past West Jessamine senior Gavin Wilson (12) and junior Max Miller (15) in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren sophomore Logan Cato (10) bumps the ball in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the West Jessamine Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren junior Clay Willis (13) spikes the ball over West Jessamine senior Gavin Wilson (12) in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren senior Thad Hall (15) serves the ball in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the West Jessamine Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren junior Reed Roebuck (12) bumps the ball in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the West Jessamine Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren senior Thad Hall (15) and sophomore Avery Brooks (11) jump to block a spike by West Jessamine senior Josh Stowe (8) in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren sophomore Wah Say (3) lines up to bump the ball in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the West Jessamine Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren junior Reed Roebuck (12) bumps the ball in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the West Jessamine Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren senior Connor Baer (14) spikes the ball in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the West Jessamine Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren senior Connor Baer (14) celebrates after scoring a point in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the West Jessamine Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren junior Reed Roebuck (12) serves the ball in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the West Jessamine Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren sophomore Wah Say (3) bumps the ball in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the West Jessamine Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren junior Bryan Nyugen (6) sets the ball for senior Thad Hall (15) in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the West Jessamine Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren senior Thad Hall (15) and sophomore Avery Brooks (11) jump to block a spike by West Jessamine senior Josh Stowe (8) in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren senior Thad Hall (15) bumps the ball in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the West Jessamine Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren junior Clay Willis (13) spikes the ball past West Jessamine senior Preston Patterson (13) and junior Max Miller (15) in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren junior Bryan Nyugen (6) serves the ball in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the West Jessamine Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren senior Connor Baer (14) bumps the ball in the Spartans’ 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) win over the West Jessamine Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
The South Warren Spartans won 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) over the West Jessamine Colts in the KHSAA Boys’ Volleyball State quarterfinals on Friday, May 16, 2025, at South Warren High School. South Warren advances to the state semifinals. GRACE MCDOWELL / DAILY NEWS
South Warren’s boys’ volleyball team continues to make its first season last.
The Spartans extended their inaugural campaign on Friday night with a 3-1 (26-24, 25-23, 16-25, 25-23) victory against visiting West Jessamine in the KHSAA state tournament quarterfinals.
The first-year program moves on to the state semifinals to face Lexington’s Henry Clay High School on Tuesday at George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester.
“I never thought we’d be here,” South Warren senior Thad Hall said after the win. “First-year team, some kids had never played volleyball in their life before and now we’re one of the top four teams in the state. It’s crazy.”
South Warren (14-3) had to refocus after play was stopped with the Spartans ahead 2-0 for a tornado warning — players and coaches for both teams spent the next 40 minutes in the locker rooms, while spectators went to the school’s band rooms/tornado shelters.
That could have been a momentum breaker, and for a while it seemed to be just that as West Jessamine (16-8) took the third set after leading 13-9 before the weather delay.
The Colts pushed out to a quick 4-1 lead in the fourth set and were up 13-9 when Spartans coach Erika Wenger called a timeout to refocus her team.
“Sometimes they just need a little break,” Wenger said. “They need a little chitchat, then they’re ready to go.”
Connor Baer’s kill from the right side started South’s rally, a 9-2 surge that pushed the Spartans from trailing the entire set to a 18-15 lead after Hall’s ace.
The Colts fought back with a four-point service run by Max Miller — including two aces — to reclaim the lead.
The Spartans’ Logan Cato answered right back with a pair of aces, then a West Jessamine passing error had South Warren and a kill by Baer had South Warren at match point.
West Jessamine fended off defeat with a Preston Patterson dink, followed by three straight South Warren hitting errors that trimmed the lead to 24-23.
The last hitting error belonged to the Colts, as Spartans libero Wah Say reacted to a return shot and pulled away after correctly judging it would be out of bounds.
“We decided if we can’t win the game on a big kill, we’ve just got to be smart, place the ball in the right spot — we did that and won,” Hall said. “It’s all about the placement in volleyball. It’s not how hard you hit it. You’ve got to place the ball in the right spot and it ended up working.”
The first set featured four lead changes as the unfamiliar opponents settled into the match. The Spartans held a slim advantage through much of the opening set before the Colt retook the lead at 22-21. A dink by Clay Willis pushed South ahead again at 24-23, but a lifting penalty knotted the score again. West Jessamine then lost a point on a service error and Baer (team-high 12 kills) closed out the set with a kill to the back corner.
The Colts sprinted to a 7-2 lead in the second set, but the Spartans tracked them down. In another tight set, South Warren proved better late — a hitting error by the Colts broke a 23-all tie, then Baer closed out the set with his only ace of the night.
West Jessamine, the Region 2 champions, regrouped with an impressive third-set win. That momentum seemed to carry over to the fourth set at first, but the Spartans stayed close and struck once more in the pivotal moment to claim the win.
“I am just speechless,” Wenger said. “I am so thrilled. I said on Wednesday that this team never gives up and that’s something they proved again tonight, that they will never give up at any point.”
Hall finished with seven kills and six blocks, Willis tallied six kills and a pair of blocks and Cato had four kills and four aces.
Now it’s on to the state semifinals for the Spartans.
“We’ve got to play some really good teams,” Hall said. “Might not win it all — teams like St. X have had a good team for 15 years. I don’t know how we’re going to compete against them. We’re going to try our best and see how far we can get.”
