Notre Dame has crafted a championship caliber volleyball program.

Lehighton showed Monday night it has created a championship culture capable of competing with anyone.

The two-time defending District 11 2A champion Crusaders turned back the Tribe, 25-18, 25-18, 16-25, 30-28.

Lehighton head coach Lauren Nietz knew her team had talent.

What she saw against perennial power Notre Dame was the spirit of a squad ready to take another step forward in its first match as a member of the Colonial League.

“I feel good. For the beginning of the season, I feel really good,” said Nietz, who led the Indians to districts in her first year as coach last fall. “I pulled them aside before they went on the court and said, ‘You have to respect a team like this. But don’t you dare fear them.’

“All the respect in the world to Coach (Sarah) Wukitch; we played club (volleyball) together. I have so much respect for her. I think in the first two sets maybe we hesitated a little bit. And then we realized, we can keep up with anybody, and that’s how you turn the tide.”

And Lehighton did in the third set. Trailing 2-0 in the match, the Indians found another gear in the third, jumping out to a 6-0 lead and eventually building a 16-8 advantage.

The Crusaders clawed back to make it 16-13 and force a Lehighton timeout. But the Tribe responded with a 5-0 run and Notre Dame never recovered, as Lehighton forced a fourth set.

“It’s one thing to be excited and to have spirit. It’s another thing to be able to keep your head about you and keep your composure,” said Nietz. “We were able to reign it back in and not lose our focus. I’m very happy with how they were able to have energy and bring intensity, but still keep their head about themselves.”

Both teams showed poise in the decisive fourth set. A back-and-forth battle saw each side continue to find an answer, with the score tied on eight occasions, the first of which came at 21-21.

Lehighton took its first lead in the set at 25-24 on an ace by sophomore Brea Demage. The Indians led by one on three more occasions, the last coming on a hit by Lorah Thomas to make it 28-27.

But Notre Dame was able to close on a 3-0 run to take the set, and seal the match.

“I had an idea of how they could fight and be resilient,” said Wukitch. “But this truly proved that they’re ready to dig in deep and get those points no matter what.

“We were down in that third set by seven, eight points, and we didn’t win, but they knew that they had to take that and come into the fourth set and be ready to play. And that’s what they did. They didn’t give up and they didn’t drop their heads and say, ‘Well, we can go to a fifth set.’ They wanted this set. They wanted the fourth set, and that’s what they got.”

The Crusaders never trailed in the first set but had to fight off a Lehighton rally that closed the gap to 22-18 with three straight points to take a 1-0 lead.

Momentum was with the Indians early in the second, as the home side held an advantage before the Crusaders went ahead for the first time at 8-7 on a kill by Ella Farrow. Notre Dame wouldn’t trail the rest of the way, and at one point led 19-12, but Lehighton cut the gap to 20-17 on a kill by Thomas, though the Tribe would never get closer in the set.

But the performance and perseverance shown Monday only enhances the prospects for each program going forward.

“Our future is looking bright,” beamed Nietz.

DEFENSE ... An all-state player last year, libero Lyla Kershner and the Lehighton defense made some remarkable plays. The senior finished with 36 digs, while Autumn Clewell had 13 digs; Makenna Snyder 11; Aleea Yeakel eight; and Lorah Thomas four.

SETTING IT UP ... Junior setter Clewell was also a catalyst for the offense, finishing with 37 assists.

MOVING PIECES ... While many faces are the same for Lehighton, Nietz is still working through her lineup early in the season and getting contributions from throughout her roster. “We’re still trying to figure some things out. I have a new outside hitter on the court; Ava Trach is a sophomore and she is doing a great job,” said Nietz. “I have Makenna Snyder playing a completely different position than she has played before and she has been fantastic. I feel really confident after tonight. It’s a tough loss, but it makes me feel good to know where we’re headed.”

Notre Dame Green Pond 25 25 16 30

Lehighton 18 18 25 28

Stat leaders

Lehighton - Lyla Kershner 36 digs, 6 aces; Autumn Clewell 37 assists, 13 digs; Makenna Snyder 12 kills, 11 digs; Lorah Thomas 13 kills, 4 digs; Timara Klotz 5 kills; Jocelynn Kuhn 5 kills.

Records: NDGP (1-0), Lehighton (1-1)