9th Region Semis: Notre Dame, Beechwood earn rubber match

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><em>Editor's Notes: Do you want to get in front of Prep Dig Scouts? This is one big way to do it. The annual Kentucky Exposure Tour in Wilder is Nov. 28. Click on this link to register:</em> <a href="https://events.prepdig.com/e/2489/register/prep-dig-exposure-tour-kentucky" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://events.prepdig.com/e/2489/register/prep-dig-exposure-tour-kentucky</a>. <em>For 25 percent off, type</em> ET26Mike25OFF <em>at checkout.</em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It is only fitting these two 35th District rivals meet in a rubber match to decide which team goes to state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Beechwood Tigers (35-4 overall) and Notre Dame Pandas (24-11) took care of things in three sets each to set up the championship battle back at Dayton on Thursday at 7 p.m. Beechwood won the regular season game, 3-2 (25-21, 25-18, 17-25, 18-25, 15-9) on Oct. 10 to take the top seed in the district tournament and the Pandas came back to win the district championship, 3-0 (25-22, 25-18, 25-14) at Holmes on Oct. 22. This is how the battle got set up in the semifinal wins.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Beechwood 3, Conner 0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-19)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Beechwood did it with nice defense and net control. [player_tooltip player_id='484443' first='Macy' last='Armstrong'], [player_tooltip player_id='456263' first='Rachel' last='Lewandowski'] and [player_tooltip player_id='827943' first='Teegan' last='Becker'] made things happen at the net using their size to control it with [player_tooltip player_id='484442' first='Isabel' last='O'Brien'], [player_tooltip player_id='938521' first='Payce' last='Adams'] and even [player_tooltip player_id='992381' first='Charlotte' last='Conway'] taking quality swings from setter [player_tooltip player_id='456668' first='Skylr' last='Estep']. [player_tooltip player_id='966134' first='Kennedy' last='Sturgeon'] once again held things down on defense with [player_tooltip player_id='476283' first='Emma' last='Stewart'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1040706' first='Emma' last='Harris'] also coming in and making huge contributions to help Beechwood reach the region championship for the first time since 2003. O'Brien recently broke the school record for career digs with 1,320 and counting.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"It's taken them four years. We start with the culture. Most of them have been here for four years and I think that helped," Beechwood head coach Matt Long said. "We grew the culture and they believed in themselves. They believed in each other. They believed in the program and what we're trying to do. I think that's definitely part of it."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Conner (24-13) made it to the region semifinals for the second time in four years, but the win over Dixie Height on Monday marked just the second region tournament win in program history following the first district championship in program history. [player_tooltip player_id='782751' first='Alexis' last='Kampsen'] and [player_tooltip player_id='484447' first='Shylyn' last='Koerber'] did a nice job running the offense with [player_tooltip player_id='579836' first='Charlotte' last='Patton'], [player_tooltip player_id='1057781' first='Olivia' last='Borneman'], [player_tooltip player_id='896081' first='Rhys' last='Everett'] and others taking nice swings. Koerber showed her diversity all season with [player_tooltip player_id='887150' first='Makena' last='Marks'], [player_tooltip player_id='888345' first='Addy' last='Back'], [player_tooltip player_id='780003' first='Lillian' last='Kamm'] and others making things happen defensively. Serve receive errors ended up hurting conner in the long run.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Notre Dame 3, St. Henry 0 (27-25, 25-14, 25-17)</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Pandas won the first set after denying set point with three in a row and did not let off the gas pedal from there. Notre Dame generally makes good adjustments for second meetings and it showed in this game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>They let [player_tooltip player_id='484250' first='Teagan' last='Kondik'] take numerous swings from the back row and pins. She mixed things up off nice sets from [player_tooltip player_id='798218' first='Ellie' last='Osterkamp']. [player_tooltip player_id='727143' first='Makayla' last='Roose'], [player_tooltip player_id='731698' first='Ellie' last='Breitling'] and even [player_tooltip player_id='741504' first='Emma' last='Redlinger'] took huge swings and came up with huge blocks with [player_tooltip player_id='727131' first='Kaia' last='Tilden'], [player_tooltip player_id='774790' first='Elise' last='Grout'] and [player_tooltip player_id='741510' first='Dara' last='Jackson'] holding things down in the back row. Even though Notre Dame has been in this position a lot throughout the years, the Pandas make it clear nothing is handed to them.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>"We do not think that way at all. We understand that there's always a target on our backs. We know how hard every team in Region 9 works. We know that when we win, we have to do it with a lot of grit, toughness, determination and really just intense practices before that," Notre Dame co-head coach Madison Salkowski said. "St. Henry is always a fantastic match-up. They always have a fantastic program and I think our girls just really worked on the grit and diving after every single ball to get that momentum to win in three."</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>St. Henry (24-10) once again got outdone at the net in a big game. [player_tooltip player_id='1057793' first='Ashlyn' last='Summers'] and [player_tooltip player_id='610406' first='Kenadi' last='Sieg'] made solid first touches to [player_tooltip player_id='612108' first='Madelyn' last='Keipert'] with the likes of [player_tooltip player_id='709517' first='Violet' last='Main'], [player_tooltip player_id='950707' first='Hadley' last='Lemmond'], [player_tooltip player_id='727147' first='Molly' last='Blackburn'] and even Stella Flick taking solid swings. The Crusaders just could not go on those three to four-point runs needed to win big games like this.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>These six did what they could trying to help the respective teams make it to the championship game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["966134"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":1057764,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae2c52c7c7f7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Sturgeon goes to her knees to dig up balls and uses her outstanding range to keep plays alive. Sturgeon came out of nowhere to dig up a shove to the four zone near the side line. She squares her arms up to balls and uses a great platform to make solid two to three-point passes. Sturgeon said they've prepared a lot in practice for various shots, emphasizing the need to go for every ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["456668"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":1057771,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae2c52c7c86c"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Estep did another fantastic job running the offense. She knows how to hit players at the top of their attack points so they can use their size to hit over and around blocks. Estep is not afraid to back tap balls on second touches and is aggressive at the net. Estep also uses a good platform on her first touches. Estep said hanging out with the younger teammates off the court has helped her develop connections witn the younger hitters and defensive specialists.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1057781"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae2c6e290bb0"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Borneman's presence gave the Cougars the balance to help them win the first district championship in program history this year. Borneman tools blocks and takes solid swings on ones. Borneman forms nice double blocks with teammates and makes nice first touches on defense and serve reception. Borneman also makes good out of system sets. She needs to work on on hitting directly into blocks as much, but that will come in time.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["727131"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":1057791,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae2cd9048039"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Tilden continues to improve her touches on defense and serve receive using a sound platform and not hiding behind blockers. Tilden takes minimal steps to balls and is a solid communicator in the back row. Tilden quickly bounces back from mistakes. Tilden said the trust in each other and coming together as a team has helped the Pandas play closer to the standard they're known for in the postseason.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["731698"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":["override_image"],"_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":1057792,"_player_evaluations_0_player_featured_image":"field_62f141137ead9","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae2cd904808f"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Breitling has a solid arm swing and she used it to power down balls and tool blocks against taller blockers. Breitling executes nines with precision and uses her strong vertical jump to time up opponents and deny balls from coming across the net. Breitling said waiting on where the opposing setter sends balls has helped her improve her blocking instead of guessing.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1057793"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-6ae2cd90480be"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Summers played setter during club season for NKJV 15 Blue, but has transitioned to defensive specialist on varsity. Summers has developed steady play on first touches and serve reception. She takes minimal steps to balls and tracks down shoves to deep corners. Summers squares her arms up to balls and flies out of nowhere to make controlled saves.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Note from Writer</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Mike Graham has been writing for Prep Dig for two and a half years and has enjoyed getting to know the volleyball scenes in Kentucky, Ohio and Tennessee. If you liked the story, please copy and paste to X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. You may also follow us at @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/prepdigkentucky/#">prepdigkentucky</a>, @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/prepdigtennessee/#">prepdigtennessee</a> or @<a href="https://www.instagram.com/prepdigoh/#">prepdigoh</a> on Instagram in addition to @PrepDigKy, @PrepDigTN or @PrepDigOH on X. If you feel someone in Kentucky, Tennessee or Ohio needs coverage or even have feedback on the Kentucky or Tennessee rankings, please email Mike at michaelgraham@prepdig.com. You may also follow him on X @GMCgrah or Instagram @g.michaelgraham. Subscriptions give you access to exclusive content. For a 30% discount on yearly subscriptions, enter code graham30 at checkout.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->