By Terry Boehmker
NKyTribune sports reporter
When the St. Henry volleyball team struggled to win the first set in its opening match of the 9th Region tournament, coach Maureen Kaiser chastised her players for not playing like defending champions.
St. Henry senior Maria Tobergte, No. 7, tries to spike the ball past a block by Belle Morgan of Notre Dame. (Photo by Bob Jackson)
That must have boosted the Crusaders’ confidence because they made it back to the regional final and defeated long-time rival Notre Dame, 3-2, on Thursday to claim the title once again.
Notre Dame won both matches it played against St. Henry during the regular season and took a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five regional final. But the Crusaders won the fourth set to force a tiebreaker and closed out the match with a 15-7 victory.
“It feels good to finally beat them,” said St. Henry senior setter Bridget Bessler. “Nobody expected us to win. It was kind of fun being the underdog.”
This was the 11th time in the last 15 years that Notre Dame and St. Henry met in the regional final. The Pandas won six of the first nine matches in that series, but the Crusaders have come out on top two years in a row now.
“To beat Notre Dame twice like that in the regional is something I’d never done as a player and I’d never done as a coach, so it’s pretty special,” Kaiser said.
Bessler was named most valuable player on the all-tournament team after getting 50 assists in the regional final.
She distributed the ball so well that three of her teammates reached double figures in kills. The leader was senior outside hitter Maria Tobergte with 18, followed by freshman middle hitter Taylor Preston with 15 and junior middle hitter Zoe Epplen with 11.
“When our middle hitters hold the blocks it opens things up for Maria,” Kaiser said. “Bridget was able to set outside or middle and just keep (Notre Dame) guessing.”
St. Henry took a 6-0 lead in the fifth set tiebreaker with Bridget Bessler serving. (Photo by Bob Jackson)
After splitting the first two sets, Notre Dame pulled out a 25-22 win in the third. St. Henry evened the match with a 25-19 win in the fourth set behind five kills by Tobergte.
In the tiebreaker, St. Henry jumped out to a 6-0 lead with Bessler doing the serving and Notre Dame wasn’t able to mount a comeback.
“The game often comes down to who makes the fewest errors,” Kaiser said. “(Notre Dame) didn’t pass well and Bridget is a hard server. She was just trying to split the seams and it worked.”
In the 10th Region volleyball final on Thursday, Campbell County defeated Harrison County, 3-1, to earn its first trip to the state tournament since 2013.
The Camels named to the regional all-tournament team were seniors Elyse Wieland and Hannah Wells, junior Kasey Martin and sophomore Olivia Crowl.
The state volleyball tournament begins Friday, Oct. 26 at Valley High School in Louisville. The first-round match-ups include St. Henry vs. North Oldham at 11 a.m. and Campbell County vs. Central Hardin at 5 p.m.
Volleyball regional tournaments
9th Region at Dayton
Wednesday
Notre Dame def. Dixie Heights, 3-2 (25-19, 24-26, 25-11, 17-25, 15-11)
St. Henry def. Cooper , 3-1 (25-15, 26-24, 16-25, 25-22)
Thursday
Championship: St. Henry def. Notre Dame, 3-2 (25-22, 19-25, 22-25, 25-19, 15-7)
All-tournament team
St. Henry — Bridget Bessler (MVP), Maria Tobergte, Abby Schaeffer. Notre Dame — Abby Noll, Belle Morgan. Holy Cross — Tori Houston. Ryle — Lucy Trump. NewCath — Elana Schmidt. Cooper — Morgan Kelly. Dixie Heights — Irene Wogenstahl. Highlands — C.C. Schick.
8th Region at Simon Kenton
Wednesday
North Oldham def. Simon Kenton, 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-16)
Oldham County def. Walton-Verona, 3-1 (26-24, 23-25, 25-7, 25-18)
Thursday
Championship: North Oldham def. Oldham County, 3-1 (18-25, 25-13, 25-19, 25-22)
10th Region at Campbell County
Wednesday
Campbell County def. George Rogers Clark, 3-0 (25-17, 25-12, 25-16)
Harrison County def. Montgomery County, 3-0 (25-20, 25-17, 25-16)
Thursday
Championship: Campbell County def. Harrison County, 3-1 (26-24, 25-19, 21-25, 25-18)
Congrats to the Lady Cru VB Team for a gutty effort against a tough NDA team. It’s certainly good to have a competitive rivalry played out annually between two great volleyball programs!