Aneliesa Cartledge goes up against Sasha Ross (8) & Katie Birtcil. (Andy Morales/AZPresp365.com)

 

Swept by Centennial on Tuesday night, Notre Dame changed a few things up in time for a trip down to Tucson on Thursday where the Saints pulled a sweep of their own over Ironwood Ridge 25-11, 25-17 and 25-19.

First-year head coach Amanda Burbridge utilized a 6-2 offense against the Nighthawks, resulting in more touches by junior Jessica Terlizzi, senior Aneliesa Cartledge and freshman Sophia Ross.

“A few of our players are in positions they never played before so there is a learning curve,” Burbridge explained. “But it’s a pretty neat group and they’re working hard.”

Terlizzi managed 7 kills against Centennial but exploded for 27 against the Nighthawks. In addition, the new offense took advantage of Cartledge’s athleticism and the setter finished with 12 kills to go along with 16 assists. Ross collected 19 kills and senior Gillian McCauley added 12 assists.

Centennial lost to eventual 5A state champion Sunnyslope in the semifinal round last year and the Saints lost to state runner-up Queen Creek in the quarterfinals under head coach Sara Fox. Burbridge was an assistant under Fox and moving into the head coach position this fall was a no-brainer for the Saints. A former All Pac-10 and National Player of the Year selection at Arizona State, Burbridge coached Desert Mountain to back-to-back state championships in 2005 and 2006. Burbridge moved over to Phoenix College after Desert Mountain and is now a volunteer assistant coach at ASU, in charge of alumni relations.

It was a difficult outing for the Nighthawks but the team played progressively more competitive in each set. While the first set got away from the Nighthawks early, the team battled back from a 20-12 deficit in the second set, cutting the lead down to 22-17 before giving up the final three points. The Saints kept a slim lead in the third set but pulled away from an 18-15 lead down the stretch for the 29-15 win.

Bill Lang is known for scheduling a difficult schedule outside of his region and this year is no different with a trip to Horizon on Tuesday night and the match against Notre Dame on Thursday. Horizon was a 6A quarterfinal team last year. In addition, the Nighthawks are scheduled to play in the Nike Tournament of Champions in three weeks and the Southern California Invitational in October.

Still, in times past, Lang came into a season with a strong defense and a foundation built on an experienced setter but the team is still searching for chemistry this fall. Lang was able to lead the Nighthawks to a quarterfinal finish last year with a roster riddled with injuries and he will have to find more of that magic this year.

“My daughter is on this team and I’ve coached some of these girls since they were young,” Lang said. “In many ways, we are still trying to figure out how to play together. In the long run, the difficult schedule helps us and it forces us to stay focused.”

Senior Sydney Taylor finished with 12 kills, junior Andrea Vigil had 11 kills, junior Kianna Swingle had 10 assists and senior Courtney Ely added seven assists.

Notre Dame (1-1) will host Higley (0-2) on Tuesday, Sept. 4 and Ironwood Ridge (0-2) is hosting Mountain View Marana (0-2) on the same night.

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Notre Dame coach Amanda Burbidge talks things over with her assistant, Tim DeDoncker. (Andy Morales/AZPreps365.com)