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NDA does not need another weak team on its schedule. Buck is from the GGCL so the hope is NDA gets Ursaline and McNick back in the schedule and any other GGCL school as they are almost all better than NCC. With Dion Reyes going to Seton, the hope is NDA can renew that long standing rivalry as he returns Seton to its former strength. As for Alyx Schulte, held a meeting last Thursday with her Beechwood team. Going to NCC JV. This is a good move for her. She's a young coach with lots to learn and Vicki/NCC is a good fit. Plus the draw of family, being an alum, etc. Do feel bad for Beechwood. It's late as most schools have started Open Gyms, etc. Not many coaches out there wanting to coach high school because of the out of control parents. Gonna be hard to find quality at this point. But Alyx was unproven as well when she got the job and did ok.

Ok it seems like this tie breaking procedure has no valid arguments for this other than "running up the score". This is already addressed in the rules of the game and, in this tourney, a time limit on each game. I don't believe in "running up the score" either, especially at the JV level. But there are safeguards in place to prevent this. Just left a bad taste in my mouth and makes me wonder about softball and if this is how travel tournaments And varsity tournaments are decided as well. Seems to punish an offensive team and give the team with the "best" pitcher even more of an advantage. I guess I just want someone to say they understand that if this is my first exposure to a softball tourney, it may not make sense to me. Lol.

Ok that makes some sense to me. However, a solution to that is already in place isn't it? Don't they call the game if a team is winning by so many runs in the 3rd inning and then again in the 5th inning? I think the games were also on a time limit during the tourney. With those safe guards in place, it seems this argument is invalid.

Whichever team has the highest run differential should advance. Runs Scored-Runs Allowed=Run Differential In this tournaments tie breaker set up, defense is valued over offense. The team that allowed less runs advances over a team that scored more runs. Neither should be valued more. By using run differential the team with best offense and defense advances. In this case, NDA by a large margin. Like I first asked- if a softball person can explain this to me I am new to this sport and want to understand but it seems illogical to me.

They won bc of the tie breaker which is why I asked my question. NDA 2-1 Connor 2-1 CC 2-1 Holy Cross 0-3 I don't know the exact scores but NDA lost the chance to advance bc of the tie breaker rules even tho the run differential for NDA was like 22 and CC was like 4 but CC allowed less runs scored so they advanced. I think Connor beat CC 5-0. CC beat NDA 6-1. NDA was beating Connor 12-0 in the 3rd inning with 0 outs when the game was called bc of weather. But then there was something said about the third game of the pool not counting towards the pool record. Bottom line, the tournament was not set up for the best team to advance. I am new to this softball thing and maybe this is how it's done but seems wrong to me. (***Disclaimer---not 100% sure of these scores but I know I am close)

Explain this tie breaker to me. Why use runs allowed and not run differential? Why are runs allowed more impt than runs scored? Run differential makes the most sense to any logical person.

You would "honestly" be appalled. Base pay of basically a barely livable wage and fundraiser if you want to make more. The school budgets $0 to fund athletics at NDA, outside of the base pay. It is all funded thru the golf outing, fruit sale and private donations. No tuition money goes to athletics.

Let us all remember that this is Catholic school pay. Be tough for someone to leave public school and take a big pay cut. For that reason alone I don't see Dixie AD wanting it. AD job doesn't pay much. Soccer pay, pretty much makes it a volunteer job. Not to mention the parents and the pressure I hope NDA hires a strong woman for AD and soccer, but I also hoped that for any/all the recent hires- softball, basketball and volleyball- didn't happen.

Ahhh but Sara has a unique way of handling the 'parents'....that is a KEY to their success. If you think differently, you are mistaken. The players are indeed talented but Sara was a KEY to it. I hope the new coach has a similar approach.

1. That 'contract' is in the Diocese of Cincinnati. Last I checked, NDA is in KY. 2. Ms. Gunning would not be the only person retiring from NDA or CCH or SHDHS or Brossart or NCC or....or.....or....if she were retiring because of the 'contract'. 3. I am not 100% on this so I hesitate to write it, but I believe the Sisters of ND operate somewhat independently of the Diocese. Doesn't seem like Mike Clines or the Bishop make nearly the appearances at ND as they do at some of the other schools. Again, not 100% but it is what I heard. Wonder if teachers, coaches, etc even sign Diocesan contracts at NDA? Ms. Gunning gave her time and energy to a school she loves. She is devoted to the mission of the Sisters and has put in her time. It has nothing to do with anything else. Trust me people have thrown the 'lifestyle' thing up in NDA's face whenever they are upset about anything (playing time....) and the Sisters have supported not only Ms. Gunning but other staff as well. This is a non issue at NDA.

Well played BirdBrain....

Excellent points and Ron does, indeed, get it done year after year. Assumption Administration believes in him, supports him and he plays the players who deserve to play. I have know Ron for 20 years and when he first started at Assumption he had the same complaints and problems that every other coach faces....he stuck it out, the administration got behind him and you see the result. He now can have 8 seniors on a roster and have the majority not get any significant playing time and everyone sits there and claps and smiles. He deserves that kind of respect, he has earned it, but don't kid yourself into thinking he didn't earn it in his early years. The problem at NDA is that the administration is too short sighted and let the parents run the show. When the coaches try to do what they think is best, based on being at practice, watching tape and scouting their opponent, the coaches get lambasted and the administration offers NO response to the parents. NDA has had, in my opinion, 3 State Championship caliber teams in the past ten years but nothing was able to be done with the talent because of the culture that exists. It befuddles me that parents of the kids that are playing, let the other parents ruin what could be a state championship for their child. I will never understand that. I believe Ryle has a similar culture to NDA. Coach Lovins has lasted as long as she has, with somewhat mediocre results (besides 2013) because she plays her seniors and doesn't work the girls too hard. Parents will accept mediocrity before they will accept their little princess not getting to play. Sure they will moan and groan a little when they lose to teams they shouldn't but, as long as the seniors are getting to play as much as the parents think they should, most coaches can get away with it. Heck....look how long Bob Wood lasted at NDA even after losing two back to back regional championships. But he played the seniors and kept the masses happy. St. Henry is the only other contender in the Region and even Coach Kaiser has to put up with the belly aching. She coaches to win but because of her tenure, the fact that she is an alum and her relationships with the administration and AD's, she is able to withstand much of the fallout, particularly when she has a Freshman who is good enough to play varsity. Parents complain about her, write their anonymous letters, have their meetings with the principal but Kaiser pretty much is above it all because the administration doesn't listen. No coach is immune when they play the 'wrong' people but the difference is that back in the day when Ron Kordes was building Assumption's dynasty he got the support he needed and deserved from the administration. This was right around the time NDA's domination was ending, mostly because Joan Mazzaro resigned to move to North Carolina. She was another one no one messed with and if they did you can bet your butt Sister Mary Virginia Ann (principal at NDA) had her back.

Veritas seems to have a personal vendetta against Lawnboy. Not sure this is the forum for it.

No not at all. Sara had a second baby and works and it's too much time. Kim made her 30 years, 25 at NDA. She wants to do something else.

Notre Dame Academy AD, Kim Gunning, informed her current and former coaches that she would be retiring at the end of the school year in an email Tuesday. Soccer coach, Sara McSorley, and her entire staff but the Freshman team coaches have all resigned.

Sounds like another good coach bites the dust. When will schools learn to tell parents to shut up about playing time. I believe this is the 9th coach I know of (all sports not just Bball) that have resigned in just 2013/14 because of parents.

Hmmm roster looks full of young players. I looked at 2013 roster and there were 7 juniors. 2014 only 1 senior. Where did those Juniors all go? Not playing their senior year? In 2013 there were 4 Sophomores. In 2014, only 1 junior. I admit I did not compare names, only grades. But did TEN rising upperclassmen who played last year quit before the season and now 10 more have quit? So they lost 20 players since 2013?

The roster is already updated on KHSAA website.

cn|2 Sports - Softball dads build their daughters a field of dreams This is a great story about the building of Bamboo Gardens at Notre Dame. Having been mostly around the NDA volleyball program the past 15 years, I started following NDA softball about 4 years ago. Truly some of the most wonderful people you will ever meet. Always asking, "What can we do to help our team?" I love going to games now and to see the transformation of the program during that time has been very inspiring. If you haven't been to the field,take the time to catch a game. The field is awesome. Thanks to these two guys for the vision and hard work. You set a great example for all of What high school athletics are all about. Hard Work Wins!

I know a girl who attended an NDA "feeder school" in 8th grade but played Varsity soccer for Villa. When it came time to go to high school, she went to NDA. CVH probably did the same thing.

I think anyone who knows Lawnboy or even just reads his comments on BGP knows how passionate he is about NCC. He wasn't ripping any player personally only criticizing their play. Better left for the locker room....maybe....but so is 90% of what is written on here. We all hide behind anonymous screen names and take pot shots at coaches and even players. I have seen coaches questioned over and over. I have seen players playing time called into question that they only played because a parent was on the coaching staff. I have seen players called lazy and "bad attitudes". I have not read your posts, Whatever It Takes, and you probably don't do the things I named above but many do. At least we all know who Lawnboy is. He calls a spade a spade, and that is wrong in today's PC world.

I agree about Craig. Gray middle school teams the past 5 years at least have dominated NKY middle school teams. A few years ago St Agnes and BSac both had nice 8th grade teams that could beat Gray (current sophomore class) but, other than that it has been all Gray. The problem for Ryle is that only those players feed into Ryle. NDA then gets the top 3 from ALL the other schools in the middle school league. They all come together as Pandas and the domination continues. However, theFreshman class in NKY features many strong players but none go to the same school. The top players are 1 from Ryle, 1 from NCC, 1 from Cooper, 1 from St. Henry, NONE from NDA and the rest from Ohio. But because none of them join forces in high school, the high school does not benefit. Thankfully for Panda fans the current 8th grade class is strong. The Pandas continue to attract talent from outside the regular feeder schools with at least two girls coming in- one from Campbell Co and one from Ohio. One other key to Louisville domination is the fact that Ron Kordes (Assumption/KIVA), Todd Garvey (Mercy/Union) and Eric Garvey (Sacred Heart/Union) are all very heavily involved in coaching and directing club volleyball. Ron and Eric both coach 14's, players feeding into their high schools. NDA, St. Henry have never done this. Tasha from Ryle coaches club but on a Regional level. The three big Louisville schools' head coaches are all volleyball, all the time. I remember back in the day when club first started and legendary NDA coach, Joan Mazarro, first started coaching with NKJV....low hat age did she coach...14's. It worked back then and it still works now.

There is a club called Lexington United that is doing good stuff in Lexington. It is run by former Pitt head coach Chris Beerman. His daughter is a 2015 recruit committed to Indiana. Nice player. I think their biggest problem in Lexington is they do not start volleyball early enough in club or school. In Louisville and NKy, the girls start playing competitive club ball at age 8. They start school ball in 3rd grade (in the private schools). Believe it or not, it is hard to catch up if you don't start until 7th grade. I am not saying I think this is right, just answering the question. As for high school, if there are not strong clubs, you won't have strong high schools. Louisville schools benefit from KIVA, MAVA and Union. NDA, St. Henry and Ryle benefit from mostly NKYVC. In order to compete, the girls need to be playing year round at a very high level. Lexington and the rest of the state just isn't there....yet. I hope the sport continues to grow throughout the Bluegrass. I must admit, I was very envious of the Sweet 16 boys basketball tourney. It was the first time I really paid attention to it since my kid is friends with the CCH players. What an amazing experience for the players, coaches and whole community. I would love for something like that to surround the state volleyball tourney. We are years away and until a team can break Assumption's stronghold on the Championship, it is hard to reach that level of excitement.

You mean the rest of the Region isn't "scared and shakin..."? :thumb:

Actually a minute...:jump: