ND rides teamwork, balance to final four

~ The Bulldogs do not have a star guiding them to the volleyball finals in Kansas City

The Notre Dame volleyball team doesn't have a superstar.

Instead the Bulldogs have 14 girls with an assortment of skills who work hard and enjoy one another's company.

And the combination of work ethic, skills and cohesion have taken Notre Dame all the way to the Class 3 final four. The Bulldogs needed every facet as they handed De Soto just its second loss of the season in Saturday's sectional, then held off Rosati-Kain in a three-set quarterfinal thriller.

Notre Dame will be making its first final four appearance since 2003 Friday and Saturday in Kansas City. Others in the field are Villa Duchesne, Logan-Rogersville and O'Hara.

"I always tell them volleyball is the ultimate team sport," Notre Dame coach Tara Stroup said. "If you have one weak person they are going to find them. You can't just have one awesome player and go to state. You have to have several people to play those key positions."

The Bulldogs have skills that are specific to each position, and collectively they cover all aspects of the game. It's helped them to a 34-4 record.

"There are a lot of teams that have that one dominant player, where she basically is the whole team," junior Shannon Brennan said. "All six of us on the court contribute in some way. We have a good even balance of everybody, and that really helps because if one person isn't on, we can focus on someone else. We can always depend on somebody else to step up."

The Bulldogs credit much of their success to methodical practices. Players usually work on skills individual to their position before putting it together as a team.

"We normally do a little bit of everything," senior Alyssa Ruopp said. "[Coach Stroup] takes the front row players and they will work on front row, and then defense with passing and back-row attacks.

"We split up and do what we're meant to do. You spend the time while you're here on things you need to be working on."

Teamwork is another important ingredient. Sophomore Amy Wibbenmeyer said a tight-knit group of players have developed a trust in one another.

"We can rely on each other to pick us up on mistakes and get us up if we're down," Wibbenmeyer said. "We're just really good friends. We're really close together like a family."

Senior Meghan Dohogne said a couple of team sleepovers also have forged the unity.

"We all went to Shannon's house for a sleepover one night and we made mass amounts of puppy chow and ate them all," Dohogne said. "So that's what we do. We love to eat together. It was fun. We just chilled, and I guess bonded."

That bonding and trust carries onto the court, where it promotes relaxation and confidence in tight situations. And the Bulldogs found themselves in tight quarters Saturday when they trailed by five points late in the third game against Rosati-Kain.

"It's good to know that your teammates are always going to be behind you," junior Allyson Bradshaw said. "They're always ready to pick up the next ball."

"It's really important," sophomore Kate Edwards added of the teamwork. "Volleyball is really a mental game; if you get down on yourself it affects the whole team."

Stroup said the cohesiveness has been apparent throughout the season. There has been no drama, which she welcomes.

"They have worked so hard, and they get along so well," Stroup said. "It's not looking at each other and saying this one's jealous of this one. They don't gripe about playing time. They all have their role and they play their role well. They don't blame each other when something goes wrong. They try and pick each other up. You have to have that on a really good team."

Stroup has seen the balance of skills and camaraderie prevail 34 times.

"There are so many different areas that you have to work on -- the passing, the setting, the serving, the serve receive," Stroup said. "We see teams that come out in warmups and hit like crazy and we're like, 'Oh we're in trouble.' Then they can't serve receive. Or they can pass, but they can't hit. It's hard to get all of those areas strong; it takes a lot of practice. If you have one weak area you're not going to be a good overall team."

Stroup said it's not often that a team makes it to state without a standout player, but she wouldn't have picked a better team to take.

"It's really rare," Stroup said of her team's balance. "Every single person on this team, we have 14 people, they have all played their role. Some of them don't get the recognition or playing time, but in practice we play against each, they make each other better.

"If I had my pick it would have been this team to be the first one in six years to go to state. They work so hard, so well together. We have the good leadership, good communication and hard work in practice."