No. 1 vs No. 2. A combined 33 state championships.
Notre Dame-Assumption sure lived up to its billing on Saturday afternoon at George Rogers Clark in the KHSAA state volleyball tournament semifinals.
In the end, it was Assumption coming out on top in a five-set thriller, 3-2 (25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 15-25, 15-9) to advance to Saturday night’s championship against Mercy. Louisville got the best of northern Kentucky on the day as it will be an all-Louisville final in the championship game. The Jaguars defeated Scott in straight sets earlier in the day.
Assumption (34-8) was able to flip the script from the regular season, Notre Dame (33-4) taking the first two meetings. The Rockets front line of Bailey Blair, Emma Barnett and Janie Eichberger provided a potent trio with 58 of the 72 kills for Assumption. The attack helped offset 17 service errors for the Rockets.
Notre Dame produced a balanced attack as five different girls had at least six kills paced by Ava Tilden’s 15 and Audrey Dyas’ 14. Lizzy Larkins set up the attack with 44 assists while KVCA Defensive Player of the Year Julia Grace racked up a team-high 19 digs.
The match featured 38 ties and 14 lead changes, Assumption’s 3-0 mini spurt in the fifth set to get up 8-4 proved to be pivotal in the decider. The Pandas were unable to recover from the four-point deficit, not getting any closer than two the rest of the way. Barnett was the difference-maker in the fifth set with five kills, including five in the last six points to seal the deal.
PHOTOS: Notre Dame-Assumption slideshow, provided by Charles Bolton
Notre Dame entered as the tourney favorite and showed their grit in the fourth set. Trailing two sets to one and down 10-9, the Pandas rattled off a 6-0 run to gain control of the set with a 15-10 lead. It was their most dominant stretch of the match, the 6-0 run turning into a 16-6 run to send the match to a decider.
A slow start put Notre Dame in a 5-1 hole in the first set, but they rallied to eventually take a 16-15 lead. The two kept trading blows from there, the Rockets finishing off the set with the final two points on an error and block at the net.
Trailing 13-11 in the second set, the Pandas rallied with an 8-3 run for a 19-16 lead. They’d eventually even up the match at a set apiece as a Gracie Portwood kill made it 23-20, followed by a Dyas kill to give the Pandas a 24-21 lead before a Rockets service error ended the set.
The third set was incredibly close, no one leading by more than two until the final point. At 23-22, a Pandas service error followed by an error put them in a 2-1 hole.
The loss to Assumption is their second straight to end their season, doing so in the state championship game last year as they still search for the program’s 11th state title, the last one coming in 2022. The Pandas will graduate seven seniors, Grace and Tilden continuing their playing careers together at Xavier.