Notre Dame earned its third straight trip to the CHSL Volleyball finals with wins over Divine Child and Mercy. The Irish defeated the Falcons in straight sets in the opening match, 25-21, 25-19, and 25-18. Offensively, the Irish were led by a pair of freshman, Maddy Chinn, who hit .379 during the match with 14 kills and 4 blocks, and Natalie Risi, who served up 9 points (2 aces), hit .324 with 13 kills, and had 13 digs. Sophomore Gabby Shilling had 5 blocks and Marisa Ciszewski had a team-high 24 assists. Emma Kowalkowski served 7 points (2 aces) and had a team-high 19 digs. In the semifinal match Notre Dame earned a rematch with Mercy, who had previously defeated the Irish in straight sets during league play. After dropping the opening set 27-25, Notre Dame would come back to take the final three sets 25-15, 25-13, and 25-23. The Miss Volleyball finalist Kowalkowski played an outstanding match, showing why she is regarded amongst the best players in the state. Kowalkowski was stellar on serve receive with 32 receptions without an error, had 37 digs, 25 sets, and 7 serving points including 3 more aces. Once again Risi (14 kills, 11 serving points, and 24 digs)and Chinn (24 kills and 4 blocks) were great offensive and defensive weapons for the green and gold. Shilling and Jacqueline Lopez each added 6 kills while Caitlin Fitzgerald added 5 and Kennedy Dorantes served up 10 points to go along with 15 digs. The wins help the Irish improve to 40-7-4 on the season. Notre Dame will face Ann Arbor Father Gabriel Richard in the CHSL Finals match on Monday, October 26 at Madonna University.
