Teagan Kondik called it the most rewarding of the four 9th Region championships she has been a part of at Notre Dame.
It certainly wasn’t the easiest.
The Pandas overcame a two-set deficit Thursday night at Dayton to defeat Beechwood, 3-2 (24-26, 22-25, 25-13, 25-14, 15-10), capturing their fifth consecutive 9th Region volleyball championship and keeping their reign atop the region intact.
Kondik, the tournament MVP, fittingly delivered the final blow with a kill to complete the reverse sweep and send Notre Dame back to the KHSAA state tournament.
“It’s amazing. I think doing it for your school, doing it for the coaches, doing it for our teammates, the underclassmen,” Kondik said. “Some of them have never been here. They’ve never been to state. They’ve never been to a regional tournament. So it’s winning it for them. Helping give them that experience, it’s super special.”
For the Pandas, it was the culmination of a season defined by adversity. They entered the postseason with 11 losses, including defeats to Beechwood and St. Henry. Yet when their championship streak was on the line, Notre Dame found a way to respond, relying on its resilience and championship poise to overcome a championship-caliber opponent.
The victory also capped an unforgettable three-match series between the Pandas and Tigers this season. Beechwood won the first meeting in a five-set thriller before Notre Dame answered with a straight-set victory in the 35th District championship. Thursday’s regional final provided another five-set classic, with the ultimate prize being a trip to the state tournament.
PHOTOS: Slideshow provided by Charles Bolton
The Pandas find their spark
Notre Dame didn’t necessarily need a major tactical overhaul after dropping the opening two sets. It needed a renewed sense of urgency.
That energy showed immediately in the third set, as the Pandas opened with seven consecutive points and seized control of the match. Makayla Roose played a pivotal role in the turnaround, with the middle hitter dominating at the net as Notre Dame found its rhythm.
“When we went back out there after the second set, we knew we had to make some changes on the defense and the passing, and I think that the passing really clicked, and the setting really clicked, and the hitters at the net, we just knew what to do,” Roose said. “We knew how to put it away. We knew how to hold the blockers. So we all just started working really well together.”
Roose would finish with 16 kills and a 51% hitting percentage.
A bloodied Skylr Estep did no favors for Beechwood, taking a kill from Kondik off the nose and forcing her to sit the majority of the third set.
The Pandas rolled to a 25-13 victory in the third set before carrying that momentum into the fourth, winning 25-14 to force a decisive fifth set.
All-tournament team members Kaia Tilden and Ellie Osterkamp played decisive roles in the comeback as well. Tilden 20 digs to lead the defense, Osterkamp tallying 47 assists to get the offense flowing.
“As a passer, I love when we can run our middles because that means we’re doing something right in the back row,” Pandas co-coach Hannah Colvin said. “As a defensive coach that makes me proud.”
Suddenly, the pressure had shifted.
The final set became a showcase of the Pandas’ ability to meet their goals in a match: be the first to five points, the first to 10 and, ultimately, the first to 15.
Notre Dame checked every box, leading 5-3, extending its advantage to 10-4 and closing out the match at 15-10.
Kondik’s final kill, her 28th of the Pandas 64, sealed the comeback and another regional crown.
Beechwood makes its mark
The Tigers brought plenty of confidence and energy into Thursday’s championship, and they made Notre Dame work for every point early.
With the opening set hanging in the balance, Beechwood fought off a set point at 24-23 before winning three consecutive points to take the frame, 26-24. Isabel O’Brien delivered a kill, followed by blocks from Payce Adams and Charlotte Conway, giving the Tigers the early advantage.
Beechwood carried that momentum into the second set, with O’Brien continuing to make her presence felt. The senior recorded seven kills in the frame while adding an ace and a block.
With the score tied at 20, O’Brien delivered another kill before Rachel Lewandowski added two more, pushing the Tigers ahead 23-20. Notre Dame answered with kills from Ellie Breitling and Kondik to pull within one, but O’Brien responded with another kill, and a Panda error gave Beechwood a 25-22 victory and a commanding two-set lead.
The Tigers were one set from their first regional championship in program history.
“They just went to their bread and butter,” Tigers coach Matt Long said. “They got the ball to Teagan a lot. When they get get big kills it gets his big energy for the other team, it just hurt us. They didn’t change much. It was their energy and their ball control change.”
A historic season for the Tigers
Beechwood’s season was about far more than Thursday night’s result.
The Tigers finished 35-5, building one of the most successful campaigns in program history. They captured their second consecutive All “A” state championship, earned victories over both Notre Dame and St. Henry, and established themselves as one of the region’s premier teams.
Their run to the championship was historic, too. Beechwood reached the 9th Region final for the first time since 2003 and became the first public school to reach the title match since Ryle in 2020.
Led by a talented senior class of six, including O’Brien, the Tigers spent four years building toward this opportunity. Although their pursuit of a first regional championship fell short, the seniors leave behind a lasting mark on the program, both in the record books and through the foundation they helped establish.
“It’s definitely heartbreaking, especially for those seniors that we have that have really transformed the program, transformed the culture,” Long said. “They’ve been a big part of why we are at this point right now. Good thing about these kids is is yeah we lost the game, but I know these kids are going to go on to such better things because they’re such great kids with great minds, great attitudes, and I can’t be more just proud of them.”
The road to state
The Pandas now turn their attention to the KHSAA state tournament, where they’ll open Monday on their home court against Bishop Brossart, the 10th Region champion.
“We’re so thankful to be able to host,” Pandas co-coach Madison Salkowski said. “I think that’ll be a great matchup. I know they’ve had a great season so far.”
Notre Dame is hoping this trip through the state tournament resembles its first. After capturing the state championship in 2022, the Pandas have finished as the runner-up in each of the past three seasons.
NOTRE DAME 3, BEECHWOOD 2 (24-26, 22-25, 25-13, 25-14, 15-10)
Game Stats
Kills: Beechwood 49, Notre Dame 64
Aces: Beechwood 7, Notre Dame 7
Errors: Beechwood 21, Notre Dame 18
Service Errors: Beechwood 7, Notre Dame 9
Blocks: Beechwood 7, Notre Dame 8
Records: Beechwood 35-5, Notre Dame 25-11
