By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
The Notre Dame volleyball team was one point away from a long-awaited victory over Louisville Assumption in the state championship final on Saturday at George Rogers Clark High School.
The Pandas took a 14-12 lead on a kill by junior Teagan Kondick in a third-set tiebreaker, but Assumption tied the score and went on to win the final set, 17-15, to take the state title for the third consecutive year.
It was ninth time the two perennial powers faced each other in the championship final. Notre Dame won the first meeting in 1989. Assumption won the next eight played over the last four decades.
None of their title matches had gone to a tiebreaker until Saturday when Notre Dame took a 12-7 lead in the fifth set with six of its points coming on attack errors by Assumption.
But the Valkyries rallied to tie the score, 14-14, and got their final three points on attack errors by the Pandas.
Officials awarded the final point to Assumption after a discussion that ruled it a hitting error by Notre Dame.
Assumption (40-4) and Notre Dame (32-8) made it to the championship final with 3-0 wins over the first three opponents they faced in the bracket. The final scores in the title match were 19-25, 25-22, 25-19, 20-25, 17-15.
After Assumption opened up a 16-12 lead in the first set, Notre Dame coaches called a time out that changed the momentum. The Pandas scored six straight points to take an 18-16 lead and then closed the set with a 7-3 run.
The Valkyries did not let leads slip away in the next two sets. But Notre Dame shook off those setbacks and led the fourth set from start to finish behind five kills by senior Audrey Dyas and four by Kondick to force the tiebreaker.
Kondick finished the match with a team-high 17 kills, followed by Dyas with 13, Grace Portwood with 11 and Katie Zwick with 10. Kondick and Dyas were named to the state all-tournament team along with Dara Jackson, who had 33 defensive digs in the final.
The Pandas now have a 10-14 record in state championship matches with eight of the loses coming to Assumption. They made a run at this year’s title under new head coaches Madison Salkowski and Hannah Colvin.
Assumption now has 25-1 record in state finals under legendary coach Ron Kordes with the lone loss coming to Notre Dame.
NOTRE DAME VS. ASSUMPTION STATE VOLLEYBALL FINALS
2025 — Assumption 3, Notre Dame 2
2023 — Assumption 3, Notre Dame 1
2013 — Assumption 3, Notre Dame 0
2007 — Assumption 2, Notre Dame 0
2002 — Assumption 2, Notre Dame 0
2000 — Assumption 2, Notre Dame 0
1998 — Assumption 2, Notre Dame 0
1996 — Assumption 2, Notre Dame 1
1989 — Notre Dame 2, Assumption 1