By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Losing 11 matches during the regular season did not sit well with Notre Dame’s volleyball team. The Pandas plan to restore their status during the playoffs and took the first step Thursday with a 25-22, 25-18, 25-14 win over Beechwood in the 35th District final at Holmes.
Two weeks ago, Beechwood got its first-ever victory against Notre Dame in a wild five-set match. But the Pandas played much better in the second meeting between the two teams that were ranked among the top five in the latest state coaches poll.
“The first time there were a lot of lineup changes happening and a lot of outside things affecting us,” said Notre Dame senior Teagan Kondik. “This time we came in with fire. We had a lot of positive energy just to come out and get our revenge on Beechwood.”
Kondik played a major role in the victory. The 6-foot-1 senior finished with a team-high 14 kills, 13 defensive digs and three block assists.
The Pandas also got 12 kills from Makayla Roose and nine from Emma Redlinger, who are both juniors.
“I think we played together a lot better,” Notre Dame coach Madison Salkowski said of her team’s performance in the rematch. “What we’ve been enforcing these last few weeks is digging deep and finding that fight mentality. They played with a lot of heart tonight and really had that determination we’ve been looking for all season.”
Beechwood led 16-11 and 20-17 in the first set with seniors Isabel O’Brien and Macy Armstrong doing most of the Tigers’ scoring. But the Pandas came out on top with kills by Redlinger getting two of their last three points.
Notre Dame took a 6-0 lead in the second set and Beechwood used a 6-0 run to tie it 15-15. Once again, the Pandas pulled away at the end with kills by Roose getting two of their last three points.
In the third set, Notre Dame closed out the match with a 14-3 scoring run. Most of the Pandas’ points during that surge came on kills and block assists by Kondik and Roose, who was named most valuable player on the all-tournament team.
“We practiced really hard these last couple weeks with lots of blocking reps, lots of defensive reps and just giving it our all in practice,” Kondik said.
The 35th District all-tournament team included Kondik, Redlinger, Armstrong, O’Brien, Lacy Hunt of Holy Cross and Jaida Barnes of Holmes.
Notre Dame and Beechwood advance to next week’s 9th Region volleyball tournament at Dayton High School. A draw to determine the bracket is scheduled for Friday.
In other district finals played Thursday, Conner defeated Ryle, 3-2, in the 33rd and Brossart swept Calvary Christian, 3-0, in the 37th.