Dunbar volleyball’s run comes to an end at the hands of the nation’s No. 1 team

Another fantastic season by the Paul Laurence Dunbar volleyball team came to an abrupt end in the opening round of the state tournament at Valley High School in Louisville on Friday night.

Defending state champion Assumption dispatched the Bulldogs in straight sets (25-11, 25-19, 25-14), improving to 40-0 on the year and setting up a quarterfinal matchup with Henderson County, which earlier swept Letcher County Central.

Ranked No. 1 in the nation by Prepvolleyball.com, Assumption has lost just seven total sets this year and features at least six players who have committed to Division I colleges: Camille Nazor (Duke), MaryAnn O’Toole (Xavier), Emma Monks (Michigan State), Callie Martin (Wright State), Rylee Rader (Ohio State) and Anna DeBeer (Louisville).

All six played significant roles in the Rockets’ rout. Rader led the way with team highs of 15 kills and four blocks. Nazor had a match-high 34 assists.

After dominating the 11th Region tournament, winning every single set in their three matches to earn a second straight trip to state, the Bulldogs ran into a buzzsaw, finishing the season with a record of 29-10 and falling one round shy of last year’s run to the quarterfinals. The loss ended Dunbar’s nine-match winning streak, during which it dropped just three total sets.

Sophomore Kaetlin Ethington led Dunbar on Friday with 11 kills and three digs. Senior setter Meredith Phillips had 22 assists and two service aces.

Despite the tough loss, the Bulldogs are a good bet to make noise in the 11th Region again next year. They’ll lose just three seniors to graduation this year: Phillips, opposite hitter Hillary Adams and outside hitter Ashley Rowell.

This story was originally published October 26, 2018 at 8:55 PM.