READING, Ohio — The Mount Notre Dame High School volleyball team is ranked No. 1 nationally by MaxPreps this week.
These are the first national girls volleyball rankings for MaxPreps this season.
MND (4-0), the reigning Division I state champion, plays host to St. Ursula (5-0) at 6:30 p.m. Thursday.
"It's going to be a great match," MND coach Michael Crofton said.
MND received national recognition earlier this week when senior outside hitter Carly Hendrickson (University of Florida verbal commit) was named a MaxPreps preseason All-American. She was also named Ohio's top playerentering this season.
"She's addicted to volleyball all around," Crofton said. "She wants to be in the gym as much as she can. Throughout the entire summer she was training in the mornings before we would have camp or open gyms. She was training with past alumni of MND as well as some players who are back home from playing overseas."
MND defeated Ursuline 20-25, 25-20, 25-23, 25-16 on Tuesday night.
Hendrickson had a team-high 33 kills. Junior Audrey Armbruster had 42 assists.
"We shook off some nerves early," Crofton said. "For us looking at the roster there's only been one or two kids who have actually played in that atmosphere before. With COVID last year there wasn't that scene. So having seen that and seeing us be tested very early on and being able to keep our composure, focus on our game plan and execute in the end was what I really liked."
