Notre Dame excels again after state volleyball runner-up finish in 2020

Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Notre Dame senior volleyball players Mary Fillauer, left, and Lindsay Burns are back after helping the Lady Fighting Irish reach last year's TSSAA Division II-A state championship match.
Staff photo by Patrick MacCoon / Notre Dame senior volleyball players Mary Fillauer, left, and Lindsay Burns are back after helping the Lady Fighting Irish reach last year's TSSAA Division II-A state championship match.

Notre Dame senior Lindsay Burns has devoted her time and passion to volleyball since she was 9 years old.

Countless dives and leaps later, Burns' time on the court reached its highest point yet last fall, when her versatility helped the Lady Fighting Irish as they reached a state title match for just the second time in program history. The experience, though, came with a devastating personal setback.

Burns tore an ACL during a hard-fought, four-set loss to Goodpasture in the TSSAA Division II-A state championship showdown last October.

"It was definitely one of the most difficult moments I have ever endured," Burns said, "especially since it happened in such an important game. I was devastated. But my teammates were all there for me, and I knew I had to come back strong and work hard.

"The thought of getting back to state my senior year is what motivated me to really work hard in rehab. Playing in the state championship is the ultimate goal, and I feel like we have some unfinished business this year."

As Dan Clotfelter watched Monday's convincing road sweep of East Hamilton, the 16th-year head coach for Notre Dame marveled at what Burns, a 5-foot-9 outside hitter, was doing on the court.

Despite sporting a brace on her left knee, she finished with seven kills and no attacking errors while also serving up four aces and compiling a half-dozen digs. The performance indicated to Clotfelter that one of his key players is nearly back to full force.

"Lindsay has been getting more and more confident, and her play is showing that," said Clotfelter, whose program has 71 wins and counting over the past three seasons. "She has started since she was a freshman and really has a strong sense for what to do on the court. She always contributes, and she can play all the way around. She helps this team in a lot of areas."

Overcoming an injury is nothing new to the Lady Irish.

Last year they lost senior standout libero Gwen Jimenez to a season-ending injury, and they were also without powerful middle hitter Regan Wolf until late in the season. Riley McCormick stepped into the libero position and has blossomed into one of the area's best defenders, and she is one of six seniors who are trying to help the team pick up right where last year's class of eight graduates left off.

Wolf returned in time last year to record 10 kills in the state title match, and her presence in the middle of the court has been a key target for senior star setter Mary Fillauer during Notre Dame's 12-3 start this season.

One of the Lady Irish's losses came against Whitewater High School in Fayetteville, Georgia, which won the GHSA Class AAAAAA state championship last year. Clotfelter's group held its own, losing the first set 31-29 to a program ranked among the top 100 in the country by MaxPreps.com.

"This year we are a lot tougher for teams to scout because we all really contribute a lot and in different ways. You can't key in on just one of us," Wolf said. "The chemistry we have is top notch. Last year our goal was to get to state. Now everyone wants to get back there and win it all. We have worked hard to get to the level we are at. Coach Clotfelter has done a great job, and we've all bought in."

Notre Dame certainly looks the part again. The Lady Irish return the area's assists leader from 2020 in Fillauer, and their standout defense includes her younger sister Maggie, with McCormick also part of that group. Another standout is outside hitter Sam Brown, whose sister McKenna led the area with 593 kills last season.

"Making it back to the state tournament would mean everything," Burns said. "It's the greatest stage you can play at as a high school athlete. We are focused and really well prepared. We expect to be a major state championship contender again this season."

Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.

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