Notre Dame lands three on All-State volleyball team

The accolades continue to roll in for the 2021 Division IV state champion Notre Dame volleyball team well after their dominating season.
And the most recent are the biggest yet for the local powerhouse.
Senior outside hitter Lily Morgan was recently tabbed as the division’s Player of the Year and Tara Young was named its Coach of the Year.
Also making the team representing the Lady Pios were seniors Andrus Kelbaugh and Maddie Murrell.
Morgan was a dominant force at the net for the Lady Pios, finishing her senior campaign with 578 kills, 30 blocks, 269 digs, 67 assists and 57 aces.
The Southeastern University signee was also the District MVP and she was named as the Outstanding Player of the Division IV state championship game.
In the state tournament, Morgan logged 72 kills, including 36 in the Lady Pios’ semifinal victory over Dunham, and she had five blocks and three aces during the three-game stretch.
For Young, it was her fifth All-State Coach of the Year honor.
The legendary coach guided her team to the No. 2 seed in the Division IV playoffs where they marched through postseason play by winning 15 of 16 sets in five games en route to the state title.
Young’s Lady Pios finished the season with an overall record of 32-9 while playing some of the stiffest competition in the state. They logged victories over Division II state champion St. Thomas More and runnerup Teurlings. They also had a pair of victories over Division III state runnerup E.D. White and a victory over Division V runnerup ESA.
Kelbaugh, a senior middle hitter, was also a guiding force in the Lady Pios’ success. She finished the season with 180 kills, 48 blocks, 16 digs and six aces.
Murrell, the Libero of the Year in district play, tallied 262 digs, 67 assists and 57 aces to earn a spot on the team.
Division IV state runnerup Lafayette Christian earned two spots on the squad in setter Payton Castro and outside hitter Kaitlyn Washington.
Dunham, which Notre Dame defeated in the semifinals, 3-1, earned three selections- libero Madison Stephens, setter Caylin Pixley and outside hitter Ava Ricks. Parkview outside hitter Allison Howard also made the team.
Rounding out the team were Academy of Sacred Heart’s Marian Graffagnini and Catherine Bonura, Ascension Episcopal’s Abigail Hall, Catholic High’s Hana Maturin, Episcopal’s Izzy Besseiman and Newman’s Zaria Nelson.