Seniors on the Notre Dame Prep volleyball squad. More photos on the school’s Facebook page.Notre Dame Prep (51-4) played their way into the Detroit Catholic League playoff championship October 23 by defeating Ladywood, 25-14, 25-15, 25-14 in the quarterfinal and then Mercy in the semifinal, 25-21, 25-23, 25-22. This marks the second straight year that the Irish have earned a trip to the championship match.
On their way back to Madonna University (host of championship), the Irish reached a couple of huge milestones. The opening match saw Coach Wroubel’s squad get contributions from all 14 players as they put on a dominating performance. At the 21-11 point of the second set Ms. Volleyball candidate Katherine Carlson reached a mark that few players ever reach as she recorded her 3,000 career kill. Carlson would end the match with 15 kills. Erica Schwegman had a terrific match, logging nine kills and six digs to go with a trio of blocks. Caitlin Fitzgerald added six kills of her own while Emma Kowalkowski cleaned up the Blazer attacks with 11 digs. Bella Bucchi recorded seven aces on her way to 21 points while Olivia Juliani added nine more points including three aces.
The second match saw the Irish and the Marlins battle back and forth as each team made some terrific defensive plays. In the end, the Irish prevailed and in doing so Carlson and her senior teammates registered their 200 high school win, a school record. The seniors, Katherine Carlson, Ashley Knutson, Hannah Antosz, Angela Adams, Bella Bucchi, Jenna Sassack (and manager Bianca Pavetto) have played together for all four years. Katherine Carlson led the Irish with 25 kills against a stingy Marlin defense, five points and 19 digs. Setters Hannah Antosz and Ashley Knutson had 19 and 26 assists respectively. Emma Kowalkowski added seven points and 33 digs while Bella Bucchi continued her strong play by serving up 11 more points and 22 digs. Angela Adams had seven points. The Irish will travel to Madonna University on Monday to take on Marian in a 7 p.m. match.
Comments or questions? mkelly@ndpma.org.
Follow Notre Dame on Twitter at @NDPMA.
About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.