Inducted 2003. Second-Place Finish in 1977.
Who could have possibly known 26 years ago that the success achieved by the 1977 volleyball team was just the first brick in the pathway to a decade of dominance by girls athletics teams at Quincy Notre Dame? QND’s second-place finish in 1977 is the first of 16 top-four finishes recorded in girls athletics.
The Lady Raiders rolled through the regular season with a 23-0 record, winning the Killen-McClain Club Tournament and the Central Tournament along the way. After the Lady Raiders won the regional title on their home floor, inclement weather forced the sectional to be played on a Sunday. QND crushed Carlinville and Pleasant Plains by a combined score of 80-12.
Athens was no match for the Lady Raiders in the super-sectional, losing on its home floor 20-11, 20-8. At the first Class A state tournament, played at Horton Fieldhouse, QND defeated East Dubuque 20-13, 20-17 and Tolono Unity 20-6, 20-8 to reach the championship game. The perfect season came to an end with a 20-17, 20-16 loss to Chicago St. Mary’s of Perpetual Help.
Debbie Lawrence, Janice Vogel and Karen Heinze were all named to the all-tournament team.
On behalf of the 1977 volleyball team, I want to say thank you for our induction into the Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame. While there are numerous state champions in the QND Hall of Fame ahead of us, the 1977 team raised the bar for future QND teams. This was the highest finish for any QND or CB team to date, and it appeared to open the flood gates for many other teams. This induction brings back a flood of memories. It seems like just yesterday, and not 26 years ago, that we were mauling all of our opponents on our journey to second in the state. Thanks for reviving the memories. – Coach Bill Starkey