QND knocks off unbeaten Macomb, gains some revenge for last season’s disappointing finish

QUINCY — Redemption tasted pretty sweet.

So did healing the wounds from the way last season ended.

The Quincy Notre Dame volleyball team avenged its loss to Macomb in the 2023 Class 2A regional championship game by sweeping the Bombers 25-21, 25-16 on Wednesday at The Pit.

“They wanted this more than anything,” Raiders first-year coach Danielle White said.

And considering what took place after that regional final loss, when some QND parents were upset with the outcome and confronted Courtney Kvitle, who was the QND coach at the time but left the program after the incident, Wednesday’s win meant more than just another tally in the W column.

“Point 24 came, and then point 25, and I could feel myself getting emotional, but I held it together,” White said. “Knowing what happened last year, I told the girls, ‘We’re going to heal tonight,’ and we healed. It’s great to be a part of.”

The momentum in the early part of Wednesday’s regional title game rematch tilted heavily in Macomb’s favor. The Bombers jumped out to a 13-6 lead before White called a timeout.

“We weren’t having fun,” White said of the Raiders’ start. “There was no smiling, no energy.”

On the first point after that timeout, Raiders junior outside hitter Nora Wiley drove a kill right down the line to stem the tide. Senior setter Annie Eaton aced the Bombers on her next two serves, and the Raiders were right back in the set.

“Nora put that ball on the floor, we started having fun, and I think that’s where we really took off,” White said.

With the Bombers leading 16-15, Raiders senior libero Kourtney Keck delivered a low, driving serve that her libero counterpart Kylie Robinson couldn’t handle, tying the set for the first time since it was 1-1.

The Raiders tied the set three more times before Bombers setter Quinn Rexroat’s set dump landed out on the Raiders’ side of the net, giving the Raiders a 21-20 lead. QND won four of the next five points, and Eaton capped off the set with two consecutive aces, the final of which caught the back line.

“We kept telling each other just to stay calm,” Keck said. “We sometimes have a bit of a rough start, and I think that’s one of our weaknesses, but I’m proud that we were able to overcome that.”

Macomb made five service errors in the first set, and Bombers coach Briana Rexroat said two of the her team’s strengths in most games were not at their typical levels on this night.

“When we’re making serving errors, we’re giving them free points. Tonight we just gave them too many free points,” Briana Rexroat said. “Our serve and pass is usually our strength, and tonight was the hardest we’ve been pushed on the pass. We didn’t have our best passing night, and that’s going to happen sometimes.”

In the second set, QND never trailed after it was 2-1. A Kathryn Lukkarinen ace tied the score at 12, but the Raiders rattled off the next five points. Wiley capped off the 5-0 run with two straight aces.

The Bombers trimmed the deficit to 19-16, but the Raiders responded again by scoring the final six points. Eaton ended the match by beating Jacque Adair to a Rexroat set and blocking the ball down, sending ‘The Raid’ student section and the rest of the Raider faithful into a frenzy.

“It was awesome just to know that we did it,” Eaton said. “We had a lot of fight this whole game and trusted each other, and it paid off.”

Wiley said the atmosphere inside The Pit rivaled that of a championship game.

“This felt like a national championship in high school,” Wiley said. “It was insane.”

Macomb (21-1) brought a strong contingent of supporters, as well, including a student section that occupied a portion of the bleachers behind the Bombers bench and, despite having less than half as many bodies as The Raid, rivaled it in terms of decibel level.

“My ears are still ringing,” Briana Rexroat said.

In a 24-hour span, the Raiders swept Southeastern and Macomb, which entered their games against QND with combined 39-2 records.

The Raiders’ latest exploits have Eaton believing this season will end in a much more celebratory fashion than last.

“Confidence is a huge part of volleyball, trusting in your team,” Eaton said. “After tonight, I have so much confidence in my team to go far.”

Photos by Shane Hulsey.