A magical postseason run that ended in the final match of the season on the Redbird Arena floor nearly got derailed before it ever started, but surviving a regional championship scare catapulted the Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team to unexpected heights.
The Raiders finished as the Class A state runner-up in 2001, losing to Breese Mater Dei in the title match, but it was a three-set victory over Camp Point Central in the regional championship that got things rolling in the right direction.
The Panthers scored the first six points of the first set and ultimately won the set, but the Raiders didn’t give up a point in the second set and finished off a 12-15, 15-0, 15-7 victory at The Pit in the regional championship match. The Raiders powered past Williamsville 15-11, 15-5 in the sectional semifinals and beat Riverton 15-6, 15-10 in the sectional championship.
QND earned its berth in the elite eight by beating Pawnee 16-14, 15-9 in the super-sectional. The Raiders limited Pawnee all-stater Jessica Manning to seven kills — half of her nightly average — while sophomore Kelly McGrath came off the QND bench to record a career-high 15 kills. The Raiders played without junior opposite hitter Sara Harman, who sprained her ankle in the sectional championship.
A 15-13, 15-9 victory over Byron in the state quarterfinals sparked again by McGrath, who had 11 kills, guaranteed the Raiders a state trophy. In the state semifinals against Mount Pulaski, QND won 8-15, 15-9, 15-8 as Erin Liesen and McGrath had three kills apiece in a critical stretch of the third set.
The second-place finish marked the third state trophy in a four-year stretch in which QND won the state title in 1998 and took second in 1999. Junior middle blocker Amy McFarland led the Raiders with 290 kills, while Liesen had 203 kills, 48 solo blocks and a team-high 285 digs. Both earned all-area honors.
The Raiders finished with a 27-16 record.
"There are no shortcuts to anyplace worth going" was our team motto for the year. This team lived this motto in the early mornings of the summer in the weight room and continued putting in the work throughout the season. With the precision setting from Morgan Frericks, our hard hitters were able to execute their role to perfection by terminating the ball. Their willingness to do whatever it takes was exemplified by lots of floor burns and bruises. We had one of the best defensive teams in Class A in 2001, led by Lindsey Phillips, Whitney Ernst and Tara Stark.
The four seniors set the tone with their attitude: Give 100% effort every time you take the court and never let the ball hit the floor.
"As we entered the postseason with 15 losses, we were definitely overlooked by our opponents. In the regional finals, we lost the first set to Camp Point Central. This team responded by winning the second set 15-0. A testament to their "never give up” way of playing. The super sectional match versus Pawnee was played shorthanded as our heavy hitter Sara Harman was out with an injured ankle. When we arrived, we were told that Pawnee had already printed their "going to state" t-shirts. Well, this team took that statement as a challenge with Lindsay Phillips stepping in for Sara and the twin towers of Amy McFarland and Kelly McGrath controlling the net, Erin Liesen made sure no tips hit the floor, we beat the home team 16-14, 15-9.
The first round at state we took down Byron 15-13, 15-9. In the semi-final match, we attacked Mt. Pulaski for an 8-15, 15-9, 15-8 win in which Amy McFarland controlled the net with a state tournament high of 11 blocks. This team fought to the bitter end vs Breese Mater Dei in the final. What a huge accomplishment to finish as a State Runner-Up!
A huge thank you to everyone who helped make this team amazing!! To our parents who made sure their daughters were at weight training at 7am and supported our vision for success. To the players who understood that hard work, bonding as a team and dedicating yourself to a goal bigger than yourself is what is needed to have a successful season. To our parent rep Bobette Frese who made sure the concessions were stocked, fundraising was completed and everything else was done so that the team could focus on playing great volleyball. Raymond R. Hinkamper Service Company for t-shirt and ice donations throughout the season. To our great staff of coaches: Fred Jensen, Bill Starkey, weight trainer Rob Hinkamper and athletic trainer Jay Zanger."
- Head Coach Rhonda Jensen