State Semifinal Dazzlers, Impressions

Unlike previous years, the majority of players from all four state semifinal teams if not all of them had experience playing at the highest club level's Open Division so they were used to fast-paced action. It turned into a matter of which team executed that pace better.   For the ninth time since 1989, the state's two all-time winningest programs in the Assumption Rockets and the Notre Dame Pandas will meet for the state championship. Assumption (39-4 overall) owns 24 state titles and Notre Dame (32-7) has 10. Assumption has won seven state championship games in a row between the two since Notre Dame won that first meeting in 1989, which marked legendary Assumption head coach Ron Kordes' first season on the sidelines.   Game 1: Assumption 3, Lexington Catholic 0 (25-15, 25-22, 25-15)   The Knights (33-5) gave the Rockets a scare in that second set, but similar to what they've done throughout their storied history, they pulled it out and swept their way back into the state championship game for the 26th time in program history.   Assumption hit .231 landing 42-of-108 attempts with just 17 errors. [player_tooltip player_id='212396' first='Emily' last='Keiran'], [player_tooltip player_id='212399' first='Kathryn' last='O'Toole'] and [player_tooltip player_id='212397' first='Iris' last='Williams'] continued to start things with good passes then setter [player_tooltip player_id='212400' first='Jillian' last='Bohannon'] made pristine passes. [player_tooltip player_id='611724' first='Brooke' last='Codey'] had another outstanding game for the Rockets and [player_tooltip player_id='611743' first='Taylor' last='McKenzie'] joined her in double figures in kills. [player_tooltip player_id='484326' first='Carle' last='Hooe'], [player_tooltip player_id='212398' first='Ella' last='Askin'] and [player_tooltip player_id='851613' first='Julia' last='Lee'] all took great swings. Codey had 14 kills and five digs and McKenzie had 10 kills. Bohannon had 30 assists with Keiran recording 15 digs and three aces. [player_tooltip player_id='484323' first='Cheyenne' last='Reyes'] added three aces and Lee had six blocks.   Lexington Catholic actually out-dug Assumption, 45-41 with setter [player_tooltip player_id='603863' first='Charlotte' last='Hall'] recording a team-high 11 to go with 21 assists. [player_tooltip player_id='741875' first='Maddy' last='Warner'] and [player_tooltip player_id='212388' first='Payton' last='Avilez'] had nine digs each. However, Assumption had nine digs to six for LexCath and 40 assists to 24 for the Knights.   LexCath had 25 kills on 90 attempts and 18 errors for a .078 hitting percentage. [player_tooltip player_id='212387' first='Ella' last='Blackburn'] led the Knights with 10 kills and [player_tooltip player_id='535172' first='Miller' last='Duncan'] had seven. The Knights had some momentum early when Duncan landed some blocks, but could not sustain it.   Game 2: Notre Dame 3, North Oldham 0 (25-13, 25-20, 25-10)   The Pandas and Mustangs matched up well at the net size-wise. Defense was a different story. Notre Dame out-dug North Oldham, 48-38 even though this marked the first state semifinal game for many of Notre Dame's defensive specialists. Sophomore libero Darah Jackson had 16 digs with [player_tooltip player_id='727131' first='Kaia' last='Tilden'] recording six. [player_tooltip player_id='798218' first='Ellie' last='Osterkamp'] added nine digs to go with 15 assists.   Notre Dame had 52 kills on 113 assists and 13 errors for a .345 hitting percentage to go with eight aces. Tilden added three aces. [player_tooltip player_id='379687' first='Lizzy' last='Larkins'] dished out 22 assists as [player_tooltip player_id='484250' first='Teagan' last='Kondik'] and [player_tooltip player_id='507601' first='Grace' last='Portwood'] pounded out 15 and 12 kills, respectively and [player_tooltip player_id='312234' first='Audrey' last='Dyas'] had nine. [player_tooltip player_id='727143' first='Makayla' last='Roose'] and [player_tooltip player_id='571992' first='Katie' last='Zwick'] also took hard swings landing seven kills each.   After hitting an impressive .384 in the quarterfinal win over Apollo, North Oldham (26-12) hit just .174 landing 25 kills on 86 attempts and 10 errors. [player_tooltip player_id='706522' first='Vita' last='Sensenbrenner'] and [player_tooltip player_id='212386' first='Reagan' last='Baxter'] led the Mustangs with eight and seven kills, respectively with [player_tooltip player_id='724992' first='Berkeley' last='Baxter'] tallying 14 assists and seven digs. [player_tooltip player_id='484260' first='Lilah' last='Anthony'] had a team-high nine digs. [player_tooltip player_id='212386' first='Reagan' last='Baxter'] blocked five balls.   Notable Players    Bohannon is a great extension of the coaching staff on the court. Bohannon constantly communicates with her teammates making sure they are in the right positions. Bohannon continued to set balls on target at the peaks of the hitter swings. Bohannon bettered balls after mistakes. Bohannon said they constantly find ways to gain momentum and the trust they have on the court has helped them make it back to the state title game.     McKenzie has become a big force offensively for the Rockets this year. McKenzie takes great approaches to the net, then has a nice vertical jump before landing before smacking balls hard with a good wrist snap. McKenzie was especially tough on crosses against LexCath on the go routes. She has put in her time developing those skills. McKenzie said she tries to be aggressive on her swings, trying to hit balls away from defenders.     O'Toole has always been a sound server for the Rockets. However, her passing is also a big key for Assumption. O'Toole consistently makes the simple passes. She tracks balls well and only dives when necessary. O'Toole said placement has been a key to success for Assumption over the years. O'Toole added if the defensive specialists can't make it to balls quick enough, they try to hit them high so Bohannon can make good sets on them.     Avilez laid everything on the line for the Knights trying to help them take one more step. She made crisp passes and took powerful swings, mixing in hard and soft touches trying to keep the sound Assumption defenders guessing. Avilez also made great serves keeping the Rockets out of system at times.     Warner also put together a sound game for the Knights. She tracks balls well and uses a good platform to make the sound two to three-point passes. Warner made some diving saves and handled a number of hard-hit balls, including crosses. She's part of a good group that set the bar higher for the Knights.     Kondik (pictured) had a great game from both pins for the Pandas. She always attacks with great power and authority doing what she can to put balls down hitting .480 in the game against North Oldham. Kondik is not afraid to use her size to put balls over, around and sometimes power through double blocks. Kondik said the team chemistry helps in games like this because players do what they can knowing a win means a spot in the state championship game, adding teammates have their support.     Roose makes crisp passes then quickly gets in her attacking stance for the Pandas. Roose used her size well once again to execute on the short sets. Roose put overpassed balls down with authority. Roose said she got into a good groove after a few swings.     Baxter tried to help the Mustangs control the net with good timing on her blocks. Baxter turned back some shots the Pandas land on a regular basis. Baxter took some sharp shots to the middle for big kills.     Totten has been a steady server for the Mustangs this season. She did land North Oldham's lone ace in the game. Totten moves her feet well on defense consistently beating balls to their spots on the floor.    Note from the Writer   Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for nearly two years 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. 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Unlike previous years, the majority of players from all four state semifinal teams if not all of them had experience playing at the highest club level's Open Division so they were used to fast-paced action. It turned into a matter of which team executed that pace better.