Notre Dame swept Beechwood 25-22, 25-18, 25-14 on Thursday, Oct. 22, to claim the 35th District volleyball championship at Holmes High School.
The Pandas avenged a five-set loss to the Tigers on Oct. 10, when Beechwood posted its first-ever victory over Notre Dame. Beechwood entered that regular-season meeting ranked No. 4 in the state coaches poll.
Notre Dame, the four-time defending 9th Region champion, played a different match the second time around. Senior Teagan Kondik led the way with 14 kills, 13 defensive digs and three block assists. Junior Makayla Roose added 12 kills and was named the tournament's most valuable player. Junior Emma Redlinger chipped in nine kills.
"This time we came in with fire," Kondik told the NKyTribune. "We had a lot of positive energy just to come out and get our revenge on Beechwood."
Beechwood held leads of 16-11 and 20-17 in the first set, with seniors Isabel O'Brien and Macy Armstrong doing most of the scoring. Notre Dame rallied to close the set on kills by Redlinger. The Pandas jumped ahead 6-0 in the second set. Beechwood clawed back to tie it 15-15, but Notre Dame again pulled away late behind Roose.
The third set was decisive. Notre Dame closed the match on a 14-3 run, with Kondik and Roose combining for kills and block assists down the stretch.
Notre Dame coach Madison Salkowski said her team played together better in the rematch after weeks of emphasizing a tougher mentality in practice, according to the NKyTribune.
The 35th District all-tournament team included Kondik, Redlinger, Armstrong, O'Brien, Lacy Hunt of Holy Cross and Jaida Barnes of Holmes.
Both teams advance to next week’s 9th Region volleyball tournament at Dayton High School. A draw to determine the bracket was scheduled for Friday, Oct. 23, according to the NKyTribune.
In other area district finals, Link NKY reported Newport Central Catholic defeated Highlands 3-2 in the 36th District championship. St. Henry swept Dixie Heights 3-0 in the 34th District final on Wednesday, Oct. 21.
