Notre Dame Prep girls volleyball enjoyed its best season last year in eight years. The Saints reached the 5A semifinals falling to eventual runner-up Sunnyslope. So what is #3 Notre Dame up to in an encore season under second-year coach Holly McLean?

To date winning every match set in front of it. Win No. 11 without a loss was over #2 Salpointe Catholic on Thursday in dominating fashion in a 4A match on the Saints' home floor  Scores were 25-18, 25-13, 25-14.

"We played our cleanest match tonight, the best of all of them," McLean said. 

The scores were indicative of that. In fact, Salpointe never led in the match.  And although Notre Dame has stepped down a class to 4A since realignment took place at the end of last season, the Saints have not let the drop in conference sway its winning ways.

Earlier this week Notre Dame wrapped up region play and the 4A West Valley Region title by beating region runner-up Deer Valley (ranked No. 8) for the second time. With region play in the rearview mirror, McLean as anxious to get four freedom games in to close the season. That first one was Salpointe, a perennial volleyball playoff team. The Lancers (11-2) only loss coming into the match was to No. 1 Seton Catholic in five sets two weeks ago.

"We've looked forward to the freedom games we have hoping to improve our strength of schedule," McLean said " We think playing Salpointe, Flagstaff (No. 12), Estrella Foothills (No. 4) and Mesquite (No. 9) to finish will have us ready for the playoffs."

Three of the four are in the top--10 of the current 4A rankings. Flagstaff has been the dominant team in the Grand Canyon Region for much of the decade and is currently in first place in the region.

Salpointe used  both its timeouts in all three sets trying to stop momentum and or play with more consistency. The only one that worked to some degree was the first one in the first set. Coach Heather Moore-Martin watched her team pare a 17-10 deficit to 19-18. But back-to-back kills from Madison White - part of a 6-0 run - finished the set.

Statistical leaders for Notre Dame Prep starting with the attack were outside hitter White (match-high 15 kills), freshman hitter Evan Hendrix (six kills) and outside hitter Emily Brummer (four kills). MIddle blocker Kennedy Graninger led in blocks with eight and Brummer had five. White added 12 digs to her stat sheet and libero McKenna Douglas chipped in 11. Setter Denae Pitts had 26 assists.

Salpointe's attack was meager with junior outside hitter Andrea Owens connecting for seven kills and middle-opposite Meena Moore finishing with six. The Lancers wrap up their regular season with three matches Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday against Rio Rico, Pusch Ridge and Sabino, respectively.