LADY 'DOGS FLYING HIGH AFTER FIRST DISTRICT TITLE

Woodland High's outstanding volleyball program had for the past two years blocked any hopes Notre Dame's Lady Bulldogs had of advancing to the Class 2A Final Four.

The Lady Bulldogs still must do some serious playing to make it to state, but they at least upended their nemesis earlier this week -- and in the process captured the school's first district volleyball championship.

Notre Dame defeated Woodland 15-10, 15-3 Wednesday night in the title match of the Class 2A, District 3 Tournament at St. Vincent in Perryville.

Woodland, the defending 2A state champion, had beaten solid Notre Dame squads in the district title contest the past two seasons. The Lady Bulldogs were a combined 45-11 over the last two seasons but could not get past the Lady Cardinals.

But Wednesday night, it was Notre Dame's turn as the Lady Bulldogs, led by a large group of seniors, dominated the match.

"I was really proud of the girls," said Notre Dame's first-year head coach Danna Bruns, who served as head JV coach and varsity assistant last season. "It was a good night for us. Our goal was to win the district. The girls were really pumped."

Notre Dame will carry a 20-5-3 record into Saturday's four-team sectional competition at Bloomfield High. The Lady Bulldogs will take on Bloomfield (16-10-1) at 3 p.m. The other sectional semifinal pits South Pemiscot (26-3-1) against Festus St. Pius (21-6). The winners meet later for the sectional title and a berth in next weekend's Class 2A Final Four in Warrensburg.

"All the seniors have been talking about going to state since they were freshmen," said Bruns. "I'd love to see them do it."

Eight seniors, five of them starters, dominate the Notre Dame roster.

The senior starters are Krissi Priest, Brittne Warden, Jill Ostendorf, Sarah Essner and Katie Boos while Julie Wehner is a top reserve and Kristin Reinagel and Bethanie Gosche add more depth off the bench.

Bruns said that Priest, a middle hitter, is probably the team's leader in kills and blocks, but other players are close. Warden, Essner and Boos add plenty of hitting from the outside while Ostendorf is the squad's setter.

"All the seniors have been very good leaders for us," Bruns said.

Junior Amber McCormick, a middle hitter, rounds out the starting lineup.

Other juniors on the team are Beth Essner, Tamara Halter and Julie Eftink. Two sophomores, Jennifer Glueck and Jessica Hency, were brought up from the JV squad for the district tourney.

"It's been a real team effort," said Bruns. "We're real balanced."

The Lady Bulldogs, who went 23-6 last season, were expected to be among the area's better squads this year. But they got off to a slow start.

"It took a while for us to get together and jell as a team," said Bruns. "We made some lineup changes that helped and the girls kind of pulled together as a team."

And the result has been the school's first district volleyball title. But Bruns said the Lady Bulldogs don't want to stop there.

"We have high hopes (of reaching the Final Four)," said the coach. "We expect all the teams in the sectional to be tough. We just have to have a team performance."