Notre Dame volleyball falls to Assumption in 4 sets in state championship

Notre Dame knew Assumption would be a tough opponent in the state final, as they always are. The Rockets and Pandas have now combined for 33 state titles, with Assumption claiming its 23rd after a four-set victory on Nov. 4, 2023.

"We had a game plan going into it and I felt like we made some really good adjustments, but I just felt that they did a really good job of keeping the ball off the floor," Notre Dame head coach Leslie Litmer said.

What makes Assumption so tough is their depth and height. Four starters are 5-foot-10 or taller. Libero Kristen Simon was named the Kentucky Volleyball Coaches Association Defensive Player of the Year.

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Just as the Pandas got off to fast starts in the semifinal against West Jessamine, Assumption gave Notre Dame a dose of its own medicine. The Rockets opened up leads of 13-8 and 12-5 in two separate sets.

After dropping the first set 25-19, Notre Dame fought back in the second set to tie the match. Ava Tilden contributed six kills and Ella Goetz added a kill and a block as the Pandas took the set, 26-24. Twelve Assumption errors helped pave the way for the victory.

"I think we had a hard time getting established with some momentum. Throughout the match, I felt like it was very much, you know, just a couple of calls here and there that I felt it was just kind of wearing on our girls a little bit. But then I felt like we were able to string a few there that were important at the very end," Litmer said.

Assumption came out in the third set and played like the lost set never happened. It was the only set they dropped in the tournament. At times it felt like there were seven or eight Rockets on the floor at a time as Assumption cruised to a 25-11 victory.

Emma Barnett, Emma Blair, Charlotte Moriarty and Chloe Smith all had nine or more kills in the championship match. That made Assumption especially difficult to defend, even when Notre Dame knew setter Emilee Fuller wouldn't try to dump the ball over the net.

"You just have people across the net that you have to pay attention to," Litmer said.

Despite falling to a 20-15 deficit in the fourth set, the Pandas found life as Ella Goetz had two kills and a block to bring Notre Dame within two at 22-20.

"I think in a lot of ways, we're often the underdog against a Louisville school, and so we just have to continue to, even though we're aggressive and we may beat them one out of three, two out of three times, we want to beat them every time," Litmer said.

But a comeback was not meant to be as the Rockets scored three straight points to win the set, 25-20, and the match, 3-1.

The Pandas' downfall was a combined 28 hitting and service errors. They were also called for 10 double-touch violations.

For Notre Dame, senior Ava Erpenbeck and juniors Julia Grace and Ava Tilden were named to the all-tournament team.

Ron Kordes has been the head coach at Assumption for 35 years. He said the rivalry with Notre Dame goes back to when the Pandas "kicked our ass" in his first season. This year's team, which brought the school its first gold trophy in four years, talked about it all year.

"They wanted it, and I'm so proud of it. I'm so happy that they got it," Kordes said.

When asked how he would celebrate his 23rd state title, Kordes needed few words.

"You see a beer or anything around here?" Kordes said.

Senior shoutout

Erpenbeck is the Pandas' lone senior. She was a member of the 2022 state championship team, and her role really intensified this season after the graduation of Sydney Nolan and Peyton Mast.

This season, Erpenbeck totaled 158 kills, 44 blocks, 32 digs and two assists.

"That's just something we talked about, is being able to celebrate the memories, and tonight is not what we wanted, but there were so many smiles and laughs and happy times along the way," Litmer said.

Pandas sweep West Jessamine in semifinal

The Notre Dame Pandas are back in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association state championship match after defeating West Jessamine in straight sets in the semifinal.

Fast starts were the key to each set. The Pandas grabbed a first-set lead of 11-6, a second-set margin of 8-1, and a 14-3 advantage in the final set. All three starts forced West Jessamine timeouts as the Colts struggled to crack Notre Dame's defense.

"We're definitely an energy-driven team this year, so we rely on the energy in the gym, but also on the energy a lot within each other. As a group, we're very close-knit, and I think that largely contributed to the leads we were jumping out at," Notre Dame head coach Litmer said.

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There was only one tie throughout the match, 2-2 in the third set. The closest West Jessamine got was a two-point deficit late in the second set. Thanks to 11 Panda errors and kills from Delia Long, Rebekah Buchkolz and Riley Snowden, the Colts forced Litmer to call her only timeout of the match.

Even when the going got tough, Notre Dame fed off the energy from its bench and student section to prevail by scores of 25-18, 25-12 and 25-13.

"I think that having the student section all the way out here is so good for us and it really hypes us up, and in the middle of rallies when it's super long, but then people are on the bench yelling, people on the court cheering. It just helps us ride through," junior Audrey Dyas said.

Errors are one area the Pandas will have to clean up when they face Assumption. The Rockets, like Notre Dame, are a top-25 team in MaxPreps.com's national rankings. Even though all eight service errors occurred in the first two sets, 12 of the Pandas' 15 hitting errors came in the second and third stanzas.

"There's things that we recognize that we still have to improve on, which now there's only one more match left, but things that we've tried to focus on," Litmer said.

Despite a bruised hand, Dyas led the way with seven kills of her 12 kills and a block as the Pandas dismantled the Colts in the final set.

"Our coaches were saying how they want me to get fed more, so our setters just did what they had to do," Dyas said.

The versatility of the front line is what makes the Pandas so dangerous. Ava Tilden had all eight of her kills in the first two sets. Grace Portwood, who tied Dyas for the team lead with 12 kills, spread her ammunition evenly throughout the sets.

"Our pass is good enough to utilize our middles or at least all three of our hitters where we're very balanced. If you look at our attempts, we were able to do that today," Litmer said.

Libero Julia Grace and setters Lauren Ott and Lizzy Larkins were the key behind the Pandas' front-line dominance. Grace dug 17 West Jessamine attacks while Ott and Larkins combined for 48 assists.

West Jessamine finishes with a record of 33-10 after winning the 12th Region tournament for the fifth straight year. Buchkolz led the Colts with eight kills, Callaway Marsh had 19 assists, and Snowden had a team-high 11 digs.

What's next for the Pandas?

Notre Dame is headed to its third state championship match in the last four years. Their opponent? The Assumption Rockets.

It will be their fourth match of the season after seeing them in Chicago and Louisville tournaments. Assumption leads that series 2-1. The Rockets, led by Ron Kordes, will be looking for their 23rd state title. Notre Dame will be playing for its 11th.

"Last time, they beat us at their gym, and I think that it's, like, revenge tour. We're just gonna come out there blazing and it's gonna be good," Dyas said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Kentucky high school volleyball: Notre Dame back in state title match