Inside Notre Dame's eighth straight win vs. St. Henry

With the way things have been trending lately, the result of this annual Playing for a Purpose game did not surprise anyone.   The winner between the Commonwealth's two northern Kentucky Dominant Five programs in the Notre Dame Pandas and St. Henry Crusaders is generally the one that controls the net better. Notre Dame (23-6 overall) did that to win the eighth straight meeting against St. Henry (19-14) with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-16) win at Dixie Heights.   "I think our energy was really a big part of it," Notre Dame co-head coach Madison Salkowski said. "We were able to keep our level of volleyball consistent across the net, which is very important. If you go to an environment like this, it's just rowdy. It's loud. There's a lot of emotions behind it and I felt like our girls were able to keep that consistency truthfully playing really great volleyball, which is awesome. I think that we were very strong from defense to offense. We were able to put the ball away and really be scrappy, which is really what we want to see coming into these last few weeks."   Conversely, St. Henry saw yet another opponent win more battles in the front row after Ryle, Ursuline (Cincinnati) and Beechwood all did it during St. Henry's current four-game losing streak. This marks St. Henry's longest losing streak since 2016.   Both teams run fast-paced offenses thanks to consistently sound first touches. [player_tooltip player_id='741510' first='Dara' last='Jackson'] and [player_tooltip player_id='774790' first='Elise' last='Grout'] lead the Pandas there with [player_tooltip player_id='610406' first='Kenadi' last='Sieg'] and [player_tooltip player_id='792902' first='Caroline' last='Tabeling'] leading that charge for the Crusaders.   Then the setters in [player_tooltip player_id='379687' first='Lizzy' last='Larkins'] and [player_tooltip player_id='798218' first='Ellie' last='Osterkamp'] for Notre Dame and St. Henry's [player_tooltip player_id='612108' first='Madelyn' last='Keipert'] dish out balls to many different hitters. Seniors [player_tooltip player_id='507601' first='Grace' last='Portwood'], [player_tooltip player_id='312234' first='Audrey' last='Dyas'], [player_tooltip player_id='571992' first='Katie' last='Zwick'], junior [player_tooltip player_id='484250' first='Teagan' last='Kondik'], [player_tooltip player_id='484450' first='Leah' last='Bowman'] and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id='727143' first='Makayla' last='Roose'] took great swings for the Pandas and played big roles on the net defense with seniors [player_tooltip player_id='594619' first='Emily' last='Helmers'], [player_tooltip player_id='805561' first='Gianna' last='Butler'], [player_tooltip player_id='451098' first='Madi' last='Demler'] along with sophomores [player_tooltip player_id='709517' first='Violet' last='Main'] and [player_tooltip player_id='727147' first='Molly' last='Blackburn'] trying to do the same thing on the other side of the net. The Pandas put two players in double digits in kills while St. Henry unofficially had none.   Notre Dame jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first set. However, St. Henry battled back and took an 11-9 lead after a Main kill before the Pandas rallied and took the lead for good at 15-14 on a Zwick kill. The Pandas extended that lead to four at one point before Portwood hit one off blockers to finish it.   The Pandas also jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second set, but did not relinquish this one, extending it to 10 twice. Kondik finished it with a tip kill.   Notre Dame scored the first two points in the third set before St. Henry came back to tie it at six. The Pandas scored six straight to go up 20-11 following two more Portwood kills. A Crusader bad pass gave the game to the Pandas.   Both teams venture to Louisville early this week. St. Henry travels to Mercy on Monday for a 7:30 p.m. game then Notre Dame ventures to Assumption on Tuesday, also for a 7:30 p.m. start time.   Notable Performers    Larkins once again did a great job directing the fast-paced offense. Larkins found the hot hitters and made things happen when Notre Dame was out of system. Larkins consistently saw the opposing side and found the favorable matchups at the net. Larkins has been involved with all eight Notre Dame wins in the series against St. Henry. Larkins credited the Notre Dame defenders in the back row for making good pass after good pass to allow the Pandas to run a vaunted fast-paced offense.     Portwood has continuously risen up and given the Pandas big kills when they've needed them the most. In this game, Portwood packed extra pop in her swings. Portwood mixed in soft touches to keep the St. Henry defense guessing. She sent sound crosses to the sidelines and powerful shots down the line. Portwood said she gave it her all knowing it was her last Playing for a Purpose game.     Jackson (pictured) continues to do a good job owning the back row. Jackson did her part in the Notre Dame and did not seem phased by the environment. Jackson makes the simple passes. Jackson did dive a couple times, but kept balls under control so Notre Dame could run its potent offense. Jackson does not hide behind blocks allowing her to track down tipped balls better. Jackson said she focuses on staying calm so as to not fall under the pressure and become frantic on the court to help the Pandas win.     Dyas has been a beast in the front row ever since stepping foot onto the Notre Dame campus as a freshman in 2022. Dyas pounds down overpassed balls and executed the slides to perfection against the Crusaders. Not enough can be said about her personality both on and off the court. The Toledo commit finds ways to break tension when things become too uptight. Dyas said every player is super competitive because they play for such a strong program, not taking for granted the honor it is to wear the Notre Dame uniform. However, Dyas said when the game is no longer fun, there's no reason to play it so she tries to incorporate fun by cracking some jokes, trying to lift the morale of her teammates, adding she believes the team plays 10 times better when playing lighthearted and fun as opposed to serious.     It may seem as though the Crusaders are stuck in a dark tunnel now, but Sieg is one of many reasons St. Henry will dig out of it. Sieg maintains a great level of play whether the Crusaders are up or down 10 points. Sieg tries to anticipate balls, staying on her feet to make the simple passes. However, she has raced quickly from the back to front row so many times that diving after balls under control has turned into a routine thing for her.    Stat Leaders   Kills   [player_tooltip player_id='507601' first='Grace' last='Portwood'], Notre Dame - 17   [player_tooltip player_id='312234' first='Audrey' last='Dyas'], Notre Dame - 10   [player_tooltip player_id='594619' first='Emily' last='Helmers'], St. Henry - 8   [player_tooltip player_id='709517' first='Violet' last='Main'], St. Henry - 7   Assists   [player_tooltip player_id='379687' first='Lizzy' last='Larkins'], Notre Dame - 23   [player_tooltip player_id='612108' first='Madelyn' last='Keipert'], St. Henry - 18   [player_tooltip player_id='798218' first='Ellie' last='Osterkamp'], Notre Dame - 11   Digs   [player_tooltip player_id='741510' first='Dara' last='Jackson'], Notre Dame - 24   [player_tooltip player_id='610406' first='Kenadi' last='Sieg'], St. Henry - 12   [player_tooltip player_id='774790' first='Elise' last='Grout'], Notre Dame - 9   Aces   [player_tooltip player_id='805561' first='Gianna' last='Butler'], St. Henry - 2   Blocks   Portwood - 3   [player_tooltip player_id='727143' first='Makayla' last='Roose'], Notre Dame - 3   Helmers - 2   Main - 2   Note from the Writer   Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for one year and a half and has enjoyed getting to know the volleyball scenes in both Kentucky and Ohio. If you liked the story, please copy and paste to X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. You may also follow us at @prepdigkentucky or @prepdigoh on Instagram in addition to @PrepDigKy or @PrepDigOH on X. If you feel someone in Kentucky or Ohio needs coverage or even have feedback on the Kentucky rankings, please email Mike at pnmikeg@yahoo.com. You may also follow him on X @GMCgrah or Instagram @g.michaelgraham. Subscriptions give you access to exclusive content. For a 30% discount, enter code graham30 at checkout.

With the way things have been trending lately, the result of this annual Playing for a Purpose game did not surprise anyone.

The winner between the Commonwealth's two northern Kentucky Dominant Five programs in the Notre Dame Pandas and St. Henry Crusaders is generally the one that controls the net better. Notre Dame (23-6 overall) did that to win the eighth straight meeting against St. Henry (19-14) with a 3-0 (25-21, 25-14, 25-16) win at Dixie Heights.

"I think our energy was really a big part of it," Notre Dame co-head coach Madison Salkowski said. "We were able to keep our level of volleyball consistent across the net, which is very important. If you go to an environment like this, it's just rowdy. It's loud. There's a lot of emotions behind it and I felt like our girls were able to keep that consistency truthfully playing really great volleyball, which is awesome. I think that we were very strong from defense to offense. We were able to put the ball away and really be scrappy, which is really what we want to see coming into these last few weeks."

Conversely, St. Henry saw yet another opponent win more battles in the front row after Ryle, Ursuline (Cincinnati) and Beechwood all did it during St. Henry's current four-game losing streak. This marks St. Henry's longest losing streak since 2016.

Both teams run fast-paced offenses thanks to consistently sound first touches. Dara Jackson Dara Jackson 5'8" | DS/L/OH Notre Dame | 2028 State KY and Elise Grout Elise Grout 5'7" | DS/L/OH Notre Dame | 2029 KY lead the Pandas there with Kenadi Sieg Kenadi Sieg 5'6" | DS/L St. Henry | 2028 State KY and Caroline Tabeling Caroline Tabeling DS/L St. Henry | 2026 KY leading that charge for the Crusaders.

Then the setters in Lizzy Larkins Lizzy Larkins 5'8" | S Notre Dame | 2026 State KY and Ellie Osterkamp Ellie Osterkamp 5'8" | S/DS/L Notre Dame | 2027 State KY for Notre Dame and St. Henry's Madelyn Keipert Madelyn Keipert 5'8" | S/RS St. Henry | 2028 State KY dish out balls to many different hitters. Seniors Grace Portwood Grace Portwood 5'9" | OH Notre Dame | 2026 State KY , Audrey Dyas Audrey Dyas 6'2" | MB Notre Dame | 2026 State #68 Nation KY , Katie Zwick Katie Zwick 6'1" | MB Notre Dame | 2026 State KY , junior Teagan Kondik Teagan Kondik 6'1" | OH/RS Notre Dame | 2027 State KY , Leah Bowman Leah Bowman 5'8" | RS Notre Dame | 2027 State KY and sophomore Makayla Roose Makayla Roose 6'2" | MB/OH Notre Dame | 2028 State KY took great swings for the Pandas and played big roles on the net defense with seniors Emily Helmers Emily Helmers 6'1" | MB St. Henry | 2026 State KY , Gianna Butler Gianna Butler OH St. Henry | 2026 State KY , Madi Demler Madi Demler 5'9" | OH/S St. Henry | 2026 State KY along with sophomores Violet Main Violet Main 6'1" | MB St. Henry | 2028 State KY and Molly Blackburn Molly Blackburn 5'9" | OH/RS St. Henry | 2028 State KY trying to do the same thing on the other side of the net. The Pandas put two players in double digits in kills while St. Henry unofficially had none.

Notre Dame jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first set. However, St. Henry battled back and took an 11-9 lead after a Main kill before the Pandas rallied and took the lead for good at 15-14 on a Zwick kill. The Pandas extended that lead to four at one point before Portwood hit one off blockers to finish it.

The Pandas also jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the second set, but did not relinquish this one, extending it to 10 twice. Kondik finished it with a tip kill.

Notre Dame scored the first two points in the third set before St. Henry came back to tie it at six. The Pandas scored six straight to go up 20-11 following two more Portwood kills. A Crusader bad pass gave the game to the Pandas.

Both teams venture to Louisville early this week. St. Henry travels to Mercy on Monday for a 7:30 p.m. game then Notre Dame ventures to Assumption on Tuesday, also for a 7:30 p.m. start time.

Notable Performers

Lizzy Larkins

KY #40

S #7

HEIGHT 5'8"

POS S

CLASS 2026

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Lizzy Larkins

State: Kentucky

School: Notre Dame

Club: Elevation

Larkins once again did a great job directing the fast-paced offense. Larkins found the hot hitters and made things happen when Notre Dame was out of system. Larkins consistently saw the opposing side and found the favorable matchups at the net. Larkins has been involved with all eight Notre Dame wins in the series against St. Henry. Larkins credited the Notre Dame defenders in the back row for making good pass after good pass to allow the Pandas to run a vaunted fast-paced offense.

Highlights

Grace Portwood

HEIGHT 5'9"

POS OH

CLASS 2026

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Grace Portwood

State: Kentucky

School: Notre Dame

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Highlights

Dara Jackson

KY #9

DS/L/OH #2

HEIGHT 5'8"

POS DS/L/OH

CLASS 2028

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Dara Jackson

State: Kentucky

School: Notre Dame

Club: Northern Kentucky Volleyball Club (NKYVC)

Jackson (pictured) continues to do a good job owning the back row. Jackson did her part in the Notre Dame and did not seem phased by the environment. Jackson makes the simple passes. Jackson did dive a couple times, but kept balls under control so Notre Dame could run its potent offense. Jackson does not hide behind blocks allowing her to track down tipped balls better. Jackson said she focuses on staying calm so as to not fall under the pressure and become frantic on the court to help the Pandas win.

Highlights

Audrey Dyas

KY #7

MB #5

HEIGHT 6'2"

POS MB

CLASS 2026

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Audrey Dyas

State: Kentucky

School: Notre Dame

Club: Northern Kentucky Volleyball Club (NKYVC)

Dyas has been a beast in the front row ever since stepping foot onto the Notre Dame campus as a freshman in 2022. Dyas pounds down overpassed balls and executed the slides to perfection against the Crusaders. Not enough can be said about her personality both on and off the court. The Toledo commit finds ways to break tension when things become too uptight. Dyas said every player is super competitive because they play for such a strong program, not taking for granted the honor it is to wear the Notre Dame uniform. However, Dyas said when the game is no longer fun, there's no reason to play it so she tries to incorporate fun by cracking some jokes, trying to lift the morale of her teammates, adding she believes the team plays 10 times better when playing lighthearted and fun as opposed to serious.

Highlights

Kenadi Sieg

KY #8

DS/L #1

HEIGHT 5'6"

POS DS/L

CLASS 2028

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Kenadi Sieg

State: Kentucky

School: St. Henry

Club: Northern Kentucky Volleyball Club (NKYVC)

It may seem as though the Crusaders are stuck in a dark tunnel now, but Sieg is one of many reasons St. Henry will dig out of it. Sieg maintains a great level of play whether the Crusaders are up or down 10 points. Sieg tries to anticipate balls, staying on her feet to make the simple passes. However, she has raced quickly from the back to front row so many times that diving after balls under control has turned into a routine thing for her.

Highlights

Stat Leaders

Kills

Grace Portwood Grace Portwood 5'9" | OH Notre Dame | 2026 State KY , Notre Dame - 17

Audrey Dyas Audrey Dyas 6'2" | MB Notre Dame | 2026 State #68 Nation KY , Notre Dame - 10

Emily Helmers Emily Helmers 6'1" | MB St. Henry | 2026 State KY , St. Henry - 8

Violet Main Violet Main 6'1" | MB St. Henry | 2028 State KY , St. Henry - 7

Assists

Lizzy Larkins Lizzy Larkins 5'8" | S Notre Dame | 2026 State KY , Notre Dame - 23

Madelyn Keipert Madelyn Keipert 5'8" | S/RS St. Henry | 2028 State KY , St. Henry - 18

Ellie Osterkamp Ellie Osterkamp 5'8" | S/DS/L Notre Dame | 2027 State KY , Notre Dame - 11

Digs

Dara Jackson Dara Jackson 5'8" | DS/L/OH Notre Dame | 2028 State KY , Notre Dame - 24

Kenadi Sieg Kenadi Sieg 5'6" | DS/L St. Henry | 2028 State KY , St. Henry - 12

Elise Grout Elise Grout 5'7" | DS/L/OH Notre Dame | 2029 KY , Notre Dame - 9

Aces

Gianna Butler Gianna Butler OH St. Henry | 2026 State KY , St. Henry - 2

Blocks

Portwood - 3

Makayla Roose Makayla Roose 6'2" | MB/OH Notre Dame | 2028 State KY , Notre Dame - 3

Helmers - 2

Main - 2

Note from the Writer

Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for one year and a half and has enjoyed getting to know the volleyball scenes in both Kentucky and Ohio. If you liked the story, please copy and paste to X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. You may also follow us at @prepdigkentucky or @prepdigoh on Instagram in addition to @PrepDigKy or @PrepDigOH on X. If you feel someone in Kentucky or Ohio needs coverage or even have feedback on the Kentucky rankings, please email Mike at pnmikeg@yahoo.com. You may also follow him on X @GMCgrah or Instagram @g.michaelgraham. Subscriptions give you access to exclusive content. For a 30% discount, enter code graham30 at checkout.