Notre Dame Academy volleyball just delivered a straight-sets smackdown to Bishop Brossart, taking a dominant 25-16, 25-20, 25-14 win in the opening round of the 2026 state tournament. The Pandas rolled into their home gym in Park Hills and absolutely carved up a scrappy Brossart squad in front of a packed house, moving straight to Friday evening’s state quarterfinals. This team is playing with a different kind of swagger right now.
“Relaxed” Play Is a Real Problem For Opponents
Listen, co-coach Hannah Colvin said it best, their 26-11 record isn’t what they’re “used to.” But you know what? They loaded up their schedule with tough teams to start the season, and that grit is paying off big time. Their whole vibe lately has been about playing relaxed, and after watching them carve up Brossart, that relaxed approach looks terrifying for anyone else in the bracket. They jumped all over Brossart early in the first set, ripping off four separate runs of at least three points to grab a 17-9 lead. Teagan Kondik, Makayla Roose, and Emma Redlinger were basically launch codes for 13 kills in that set alone, plus five blocks from the Pandas defense. Bishop Brossart tried to claw their way back in the second, trimming a 19-14 deficit thanks to a kill and block from sophomore Audrey Arnold, even forcing NDA to burn their only timeout of the entire match. But this Pandas team doesn’t flinch. A Kondik kill and a Grout ace immediately pushed the lead back to five, and they locked it down.
Offensive Firepower Is A Three-Headed Monster
When you’ve got players like Teagan Kondik dropping 13 kills, digging up 16 balls, putting down a block, and adding an ace, you’re in good shape. Then you look at Makayla Roose, who’s out there with 14 kills, *four* aces, and five blocks! Those two are just firing cannonballs, as the article said. But what makes this team even scarier? Junior Emma Redlinger stepping up as a reliable third option with 10 kills. She, along with Ellie Breitling, Sophia Bramlage, and Charlotte Verst, has really beefed up the Pandas’ depth in the postseason, and her increased role is a huge deal. Redlinger summed it up perfectly, saying they “really just wanted to show up for our team and go all out. We wanted to prove ourselves this year because last year, there were so many good people, but we really wanted to come out and prove ourselves and show that we are on this team for a reason.” That’s the kind of attitude that wins championships, people.
That Service Game Is A Cheat Code
Seriously, this stat should have everyone else in the state tournament sweating: Notre Dame served nine total aces to just three service errors. Let that sink in. Nine aces! They won a ridiculous 57.8 percent of their service points. Coach Colvin hit the nail on the head: “We were really just focusing on getting them out of system. Even when they were out of system, they were having to run their outsides a lot and I think that was beneficial for us to not have their middles as involved.” Bishop Brossart’s freshman Evelyn Laker put up a valiant effort with 15 kills, leading her team, and Audrey Arnold added six kills and a block. But they were limited to just 28 team kills, and senior Callie Ritter, a key player for a Bishop Brossart team that had an amazing 36-4 season and their first state tournament berth since 2022, was held to just three kills. The Pandas’ serve game just stifled them.
So, what’s next? NDA is heading to the state quarterfinals Friday evening. If they keep serving like that, mixing up their attack, and playing with this “relaxed” intensity, good luck to whoever stands in their way. This team is building something special, and we’re all here for the ride.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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