Notre Dame edges Dexter in C3D1 final

Dexter's Karis Kennedy (left) bumps the ball in front of teammates Avery Riley (right) and Klaire Essner during Tuesday's Class 3 District 1 championship match against Notre Dame at the Bearcat Event Center in Dexter.

Dexter Statesman/Mike Buhler

DEXTER — The Notre Dame Bulldogs won the Class 3 District 1 volleyball championship with a 19-25, 25-23, 25-19, 20-25, 15-7 victory over the Dexter Lady Bearcats Tuesday night at the Bearcat Event Center.

Notre Dame (24-8-1) came into the match as the second seed behind top-seeded Dexter (24-5-1) and dominated at the net at the crucial moments of the night.

Dexter head coach Haylee Orf praised her team despite the loss.

“I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Orf said. “I think that was one of the best records we’ve had in at maybe a decade or more. “We’re clearly short, but they battled, and they played big, tough teams, and I couldn’t be more proud of the fight that they showed.”

The night got off to a promising start for the Lady Bearcats with a win in the first set. Dexter senior Kate Nichols and junior Klaire Essner led the way with several spikes and drop shots, including a six-point run to give the Lady Bearcats a lead they never relinquished.

The momentum shifted in the second set as Notre Dame build a five-point advantage for most of the set. Dexter rallied late to tie the score at 22 and 23 points, but the Bulldogs took the last two for the win that squared the match at one set a piece.

Dexter never led in the third set, falling down four points early and unable to make headway against Notre Dame’s left-side strikers, particularly freshman Sophia DeJournett, who put away several winning shots in the third-set win.

The Lady Bearcats fought back in the fourth set, nursing a one- or two-point lead through much of the game until a five-point run put them up by four. The Bulldogs then closed within two but never got closer as Dexter evened up the match at two sets a piece.

Dexter opened the final set with an early 2-0 lead and apparent momentum. It was short-lived, however, as DeJournett and sophomore teammate Morgan LeGrand led Notre Dame’s left-side hitters swung the momentum and the Bulldogs took control of the set and clinched the district title.

“Notre Dame was clearly bigger than us,” Orf said. “They’re a great ball club, but I’m proud of the fight our girls put up tonight.”

Notre Dame will move on to play Potosi on Thursday night in the Class 3 sectional round.