Notre Dame Prep brought home their third tournament title of the season as they went undefeated at the 16-team Ann Arbor Skyline tournament on Saturday. The Irish (25-2) opened the day with a 25-10 25-9 win over Holly. Ashley Knutson led the way with 14 points while Gwen Keller added a career high 6 blocks.
The next match saw the Irish play the tournament host and come away with a 25-17 25-13 win. Emma Kowalkowski scored 9 points while Bella Bucchi led all defenders with 11 digs. The final pool match saw the Irish trail by as many as 6 points before rallying back to defeat Adrian, 25-14 and 25-22. Katherine Carlson carried the load on offense as she cranked out a match high 22 kills. Dani McCormick served tough as she scored 12 points on 16 attempts. The three wins earned the Irish the number one seed going into bracket play.
In the opening round of the playoffs, the Irish had little trouble in eliminating Plymouth Christian 25-14 and 25-9. Dani McCormick was once again strong from the serving line scoring 16 on 18 attempts. The semifinal matchup found Notre Dame Prep eliminating Chelsea with a 25-16 25-10 win. Hannah Antosz dished out 19 assists while Katherine Carlson continued to dominate at the net sending 20 of her attacks to the floor. Bella Bucchi was again stellar on defense digging 14 Bulldog attacks.
The final match of the day saw the Irish of NDP taking on the Irish from Ann Arbor Fr. Gabriel Richard. This battle between two league rivals saw several long rallies and thunderous kills along with some outstanding defensive plays by both teams. In the end it was Notre Dame who came out on top with a 25-18 25-21 win. Katherine Carlson (20 kills and 10 digs) and Dani McCormick (10 kills) led the ND attack but it was a couple of timely kills from Jenna Sassack and Ellen Guerra that turned the match in ND’s favor. Hannah Antosz and Ashley Knutson combined for 25 assists while Emma Kowalkowski dug up 11 Ann Arbor attacks.
The Irish will host Divine Child on Tuesday.
Follow Notre Dame 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.