By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
Louisville Assumption extended its winning streak in volleyball state championship matches against Notre Dame with a 3-0 sweep on Saturday at George Rogers Clark.
The two teams have faced off in the title match 10 times with Assumption winning the last nine. This is the third time in the last four years the Rockets have won the season finale between the perennial powers.
Notre Dame defeated Assumption in the 2022 state semifinals and went on to take the title. In last year’s final, the Rockets needed a fifth-set tiebreaker to get past the Pandas.
But the set scores in Saturday’s sweep were 25-21, 25-17, 25-14.
Assumption used an effective block to stymie Notre Dame’s hitting attack. The Rockets had a 45-26 advantage in kills, limiting the Pandas to a .027 attack percentage.
Notre Dame’s leading hitters were senior outside hitter Teagan Kondik and junior middle hitter Makayla Roose with eight kills each. Both of them scored 10.5 points in three sets.
Assumption junior outside hitter Brooke Codey had 16 kills and received the most valuable player award. Notre Dame’s selections to the state all-tournament team were Kondik, Roose and senior setter Ellie Osterkamp.
In the semifinals on Saturday, Kondik had 21 kills and three service aces during Notre Dame’s 3-1 win over Whitley County. In three state tournament matches, the University of Cincinnati recruit netted 44 kills and ended her senior season with a 483 total.
St. Henry football team notches first playoff victory
St. Henry posted its first victory in a football playoff game on Friday when junior Lucas Pate rushed for 106 yards and two touchdowns during a 25-22 win at West Carter.
This is St. Henry’s second season of varsity football. The team lost to Breathitt County, 54-0, in its Class 2A playoff debut last season.
Pate also became the first single season 1,000-yard rusher in the history of the St. Henry program. He has 125 carries for 1,088 yards and 17 touchdowns going into a second round playoff game at Beechwood on Friday.
Beechwood is the top-ranked Class 2A team in the state media poll. The Tigers whipped St. Henry, 62-0, in a regular season district seeding game on Oct. 9.
Other playoff games between local teams on Friday’s schedule are Brossart at Newport Central Catholic and Newport vs. Holy Cross at Thomas More, both in Class 1A.
Ryle grad playing linebacker on Indiana football team
Ryle graduate Jacob Savage has played in nine games at linebacker for the 8-1 Indiana University football team that’s ranked No. 5 in the latest Football Bowl Subdivision coaches poll.
The 6-foot, 225-pound freshman has made 25 tackles (15 unassisted, 10 assisted) for the Hoosiers. In the last three games, he made four tackles against Minnesota, seven against Michigan and five against Ohio State.
Indiana, the defending FBS national champion, will play Southern California in a nationally televised Big 10 Conference game at 3:30 p.m. Saturday on CBS.
After his senior season at Ryle, Savage received the Paul Hornung Award as the top high school football player in Kentucky. He finished his career with a team-record 511 tackles. He also netted 3,584 all-purpose yards as a running back and scored 65 touchdowns.