Can St. Xavier get back to the Ohio High School Athletic Association boys volleyball state tournament in Division I? Which Cincinnati team can strike in Division II after McNicholas’ back-to-back titles? Does Ryle return the pieces for another regional title run?
Those questions and more will be answered throughout the season and into the OHSAA and Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s tournaments. Kentucky’s postseason begins on May 4 with Ohio’s postseason following two weeks later on May 18.
Here are some storylines to follow for the 2026 boys volleyball season in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.
How much production did McNicholas graduate last year?
The McNicholas Rockets have been to the state tournament in all three seasons of OHSAA sanctioning, including the last two seasons where the Rockets won the Division II state championship.
From that first appearance in 2023 to last year, the members of the 2025 class dominated the McNicholas roster. Just how much did that class run the program?
According to McNicholas’ season stats from 2025, the Rockets had 1,141 kills as a team. Of those kills, 995 came from now graduated seniors. Of the 146 remaining kills, 116 came from Aydan Williams who was a junior last year. Of the 1,054 assists the team had in 2025, all but 10 came from now graduated players.
Having to reload after a successful class is not unusual for a high school team, but replacing a class that ran the program for three years (winning two state titles) is.
Can Loveland take over for McNicholas in Division II?
If the McNicholas Rockets need to reload this season, who has the best chance to take over in Division II?
Historically the answer would be another Greater Catholic League-Coed team like Alter, Fenwick or Badin. In the Region 8 tournament last season, however, it was Loveland that was the last team standing before McNicholas.
Loveland, which started the 2026 campaign 3-0, including sweeps of both Mason and Fenwick on March 14, went 19-7 last year and stood toe-to-toe against the Rockets in both meetings.
The Tigers graduated two standouts in Colton Baker (473 assists, 143 kills, 142 digs, 35 blocks) and Carter Lucas (237 kills, 216 digs, 23 blocks), but have some returners with big numbers who can step up.
Gavin McWaters was a freshman last year when he led the team with 243 kills as well as his 89 digs, 35 blocks and 28 aces. Senior Andrew Dostal had 311 assists last season. Landon Balmos-Ruddock, a sophomore last year, had a team-high 222 digs.
Clay Bebout (184 kills, 78 blocks) and Ty Stokes (180 digs, 81 kills) keep the production moving for an experienced team in 2026.
St. Xavier returns Division I Player of the Year Joe Taggart
Volleyball, of course, is a team game. But having Joe Taggart, the reigning Division I Player of the Year and Ohio State commit, back as a senior can make life a lot easier for the St. Xavier Bombers.
As a sophomore and a junior, Taggart had almost 650 kills, over 220 digs and over 60 blocks for the Bombers who went 50-4 in that stretch, winning two GCL-South titles, two regional crowns and the 2024 Division I state championship.
The Bombers opened their season in 2026 by hitting the road to KHSAA champion Louisville St. Xavier. The Bombers fell in straight sets, but Taggart had 19 kills to just five errors on 41 attacks with a service ace and six digs. Nearly half of St. Xavier’s 86 attacks were fed to Taggart with 24 more going to freshman Ben Ferris who had nine kills of his own.
Cincinnati Hills League adds boys volleyball as league sport
In another sign boys volleyball is growing as a sport across the region, the Cincinnati Hills League now considers it a league sport with a championship and All-CHL recognition.
Madeira added boys volleyball, joining Taylor, Indian Hill, Wyoming and Finneytown in the league.
No CHL winner was named last year, but Taylor was the leader of the four that offered the sport last season, going 17-9 with two wins each over Finneytown, Indian Hill and Wyoming.
Madeira plays its first game on March 19, hosting Taylor to begin its program’s journey.
Does Ryle lead again in Northern Kentucky?
Last season, in the inaugural season of boys volleyball sanctioned by the KHSAA, the Ryle Raiders went 22-4, won the Sixth Region championship and reached the state tournament.
This season, with new head coach Heather Kidd, the Raiders could prove to be the regional frontrunners again, thanks to all-state standouts Ryota Kondo and Andrew Stropko returning for their junior and sophomore seasons.
Boone County, Calvary Christian, Dayton, Scott, Simon Kenton and Walton-Verona have also fielded boys volleyball teams in Northern Kentucky. Covington Catholic announced in February that it would have a varsity team for next season.
So far in 2026, Ryle has played one game, falling in four sets to Louisville Trinity. Simon Kenton has started 4-0 and Calvary Christian has stormed out to a 9-0 record.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Storylines for the 2026 boys volleyball season in Cincinnati, NKY
Reporting by Alex Harrison, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
