'We have high expectations': Notre Dame volleyball didn't rebuild. They reloaded

Notre Dame volleyball co-head coaches Leslie Litmer and Jenna Leistner have known each other since they were in kindergarten and first grade at St. Pius in Edgewood. They played together at Notre Dame and returned after college to work their way through the coaching ranks.

"We always imagined individually that we always wanted to play for Notre Dame and then once we got to Notre Dame, our goal was like, 'How awesome would it be to go back and be the coach there?'" Leistner said.

Litmer was a libero, Leistner a setter. They often connected on the court to transition their team from defense to offense. Now they're using their backgrounds to help the current group of Pandas.

They think of themselves as offensive and defensive coordinators, often splitting practice into two courts to work on certain aspects of the game. In the second year of their co-coaching tenure, the team has fully bought into the philosophy.

"We just have such a good balance that the girls just know what to expect," Leistner said.

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The players have good reason to believe in Litmer and Leistner as the Pandas are the defending state champions. The two were on staff in 2020 when Notre Dame broke a 26-year run of Louisville schools winning the state championship. Leistner called it "surreal" and an accomplishment that has helped Northern Kentucky volleyball gain more recognition.

Five seniors were the catalyst for the Pandas' 2022 state championship. Kayla Hostetler, Ava Jacobs, Jada Kramer, Sydney Nolan and Kamden Schrand combined for 953 digs, 492 kills, 134 aces, 103 assists and 51 blocks. Nolan and Schrand are in the starting lineups as freshmen at the University of North Carolina and the University of Louisville, respectively.

"Losing a senior class like that, not only their technique and volleyball skills, but they brought a lot to the game and on the court that you don't see as a spectator," Leistner said.

The Pandas have just as much talent on this roster. Julia Grace and Ava Tilden are committed to playing at Xavier University and Riley McCloskey recently committed to Memphis. All three are juniors. Tilden and McCloskey, along with sophomores Audrey Dyas and Lizzy Larkins, played on varsity as freshmen.

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"We just have an awesome team that all works together and communicates," senior hitter Ava Erpenbeck said.

After the 2022 state championship, Litmer and Leistner began to assess how this year's team could be the best squad possible. When asked about the team's identity, Leistner deferred to her players. In conversations with Erpenbeck and junior Lauren Ott, both continuously talked about how hard this team has worked in the offseason and preseason and the bond they have formed by raising each other's standards.

"Everyone comes in and gives 100 percent every single day and we expect that out of each other," Erpenbeck said.

That work ethic led to a 20-1 start to the season and comeback, five-set wins over Mercy McAuley, Sacred Heart and St. Ursula. The Pandas took second place in their bracket in both the Louisville Invitational Tournament and the Asics Challenge in Chicago.

While in Chicago, the Pandas played Mother McAuley and Marist, two teams that are in the top 15 of MaxPreps' national rankings, where Notre Dame is currently ranked 11th. Throw in an August contest against Mercy and three matches against 22-time state champion Assumption and the Pandas will surely be ready for the postseason.

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"We're really just working hard in practice knowing that our goal is to beat them every single time we play them," Lauren Ott said of the three Louisville schools.

Working hard. There's that identity again.

After losing so much talent from last year's team, outsiders may have doubted the Pandas' chances to repeat as region and state champions. But Notre Dame isn't thinking that far ahead, instead taking the season one game at a time.

"We're really in the moment. We have high expectations for this season," Jenna Leistner said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Two head coaches, 1 senior lead Notre Dame volleyball to title defense