My cervix never rises during ovulation it only changes from hard to soft. is this normal?

Yes: This is a normal change. The cervix does not have to rise during ovulation.

Yes.: It is very difficult and subjective to know whether your cervix rises during ovulation. Being able to tell it's soft is pretty good insight by itself. I wouldn't stress over this. If you are tracking discharge and basal body temp you have plenty of information to tell if you are ovulating.