By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
All the work Notre Dame’s volleyball players put into picking up the pace in their offensive attack enabled the Pandas to win their first 9th Region championship since 2016 and a return trip to the state tournament.
Notre Dame swept St. Henry, 25-16, 25-7, 25-19, in the regional final on Wednesday at Boone County High School behind strong performances by outside hitters Emma Grace and Anna Long, who had 17 and 15 kills, respectively.
Senior setter Grace Ward was able to get the ball outside so quickly that St. Henry had a hard time setting up blocks against those two juniors, who both have more than 350 kills this season.
“I would take a guess that they’re the best 1-2 left-side hitters in the state,” said Notre Dame coach Molly McDermott. “Other teams might have one hitter that’s better, but as a 1-2 combo I’ll take those two any day.”
Notre Dame (28-11) advances to next week’s state tournament at Louisville Valley High School and plays the 1st Region champion in an opening round match at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 8.
This was the 12th time in 16 years that Notre Dame and St. Henry squared off in the 9th Region championship match. St. Henry won tight, five-set battles against the Pandas the last two years, but the Crusaders never led by more than three points in any set on Wednesday.
“All their hitters are aggressive and we’re too inconsistent,” said St. Henry coach Maureen Kaiser. “We beat ourselves. I mean, they’re a very nice team, don’t get me wrong, but we’re very young. That’s how it’s been (for us) this season. It’s been a roller coaster all year.”
In the first set, back-to-back kills by Grace ignited a final 7-2 run that resulted in a 25-16 win for the Pandas. They got four of their final six points off unforced errors by St. Henry.
Notre Dame dominated the second set with 15 kills and no errors during a 15-7 decision. Grace and Long both had six kills and their team had an impressive .341 hitting percentage during that runaway win.
“I’d have to say it was teamwork and not just us (hitters),” Long said. “It all comes from the passes and sets before it gets to us. And our setter, her sets are amazing. We owe it all to her.”
Before the third set began, coach McDermott gathered the Notre Dame players around her and told them they couldn’t afford a letdown.
“The second set was nothing we expected,” McDermott said. “I knew (St. Henry’s players) were going to come out with some fire after that and we needed to finish it then because if they got any momentum they were going to take it and run with it.”
After St. Henry tied the score, 19-19, Notre Dame ran off six straight points to win the set and the match. Long delivered the game-ending kill and ended up being named the tournament’s most valuable player.
The other Notre Dame players selected to the all-tournament team were Grace and Ward, who had 39 assists in the championship match.
“This feels amazing,” Ward said amid her team’s victory celebration. “This is all I wanted my senior year. I’m ready to go to state and I’m ready to win. I feel very confident about our abilities at state. We’re all on top and have a lot of energy and ready to go.”
The other all-tournament nominees were Ellie Orchelle and Abby Schaefer of St. Henry, Kaitlyn Luebbers of Cooper, Casey Dunn of Highlands, Torie Houston of Holy Cross, Maia Long of Dixie Heights, Madison McCloskey of NewCath and Lilly Trump of Ryle.
VOLLEYBALL REGIONAL TOURNAMENT
10th Region at Harrison County
Thursday
Championship: Campbell County vs. Scott, 6:30 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER STATE TOURNAMENT
at Lexington Bryan Station
Thursday
Ashland Blazer vs. Greenwood, 6 p.m.
Highlands vs. Louisville Sacred Heart, 8 p.m.
Saturday
Championship game, 8 p.m.
CROSS COUNTRY STATE MEET
Saturday at Kentucky Horse Park
9:30 a.m. — Class 1A girls (Brossart, Villa Madonna, St. Henry, Walton-Verona)
10:15 a.m. — Class 1A boys (St. Henry, Beechwood, Brossart, Villa Madona, Walton-Verona)
11:30 a.m. — Class 2A girls (Scott, Highlands)
12:15 p.m. — Class 2A boys (Highlands, Scott)
1:30 p.m. — Class 3A girls (Ryle, Campbell County, Conner, Cooper, Notre Dame)
2:15 p.m. — Class 3A boys (Conner, Covington Catholic, Ryle, Campbell County, Simon Kenton)