WORCESTER—Notre Dame Academy added volleyball as an athletic offering in 2019. Just six years later, the program is on a historic run with a school-record 17 wins this fall.
The Rebels (17-1, 8-0 Central Mass League) wrapped up their regular season with a commanding 3-0 shutout against Doherty on Oct. 23. Set scores were 25-8, 25-10 and 25-17. It was senior day for twin sisters Abigail and Charlotte Ives of Worcester, who combined for 16 service points, six aces and five kills.
The lone seniors on the team, the twins have played volleyball together at Notre Dame for the past five years since eighth grade.
“We’ve been playing together for a long time and this year we just kinda clicked,” said Abigail, reflecting on the team’s success. “I think communication is something we’re really good at. We have a lot of fun too because we’re all friends.”
Both reliable hitters, the Ives sisters have been a sweet combination both on and off the volleyball court. In their spare time, the duo operates their own dessert baking venture, Ives Bake (@ives_bake on Instagram).
“This has been the best season of any sport I’ve ever played; not just success wise, but teammate wise and chemistry,” added Charlotte. “We just get along so well and play together so well.”
Head coach Donna Coonan, who started the girls volleyball programs at both Sutton and Notre Dame, recognizes the leadership qualities the Ives sisters bring to the team.
“When we talk in the huddle, they always say ‘remember, we’re going to have fun.’ They’re really good role models for the underclassmen,” said Coonan, a Grafton native. “We always leave the huddle with what we’re doing right so that we have a positive attitude going back on the court. They’re the glue. They make the team fun.”
Currently ranked as the number 15 team in the state’s MIAA Division 3 Power rankings, the Rebels started the season with 14 straight wins and outscored their opponents 39-6 during that span. Their only loss so far in 2025 came at Whitinsville Christian 3-1 on Oct. 14, a match in which they held an early 1-0 lead. Through 18 matches, Notre Dame has won 48 out of 58 sets, outscoring teams 48-10.
Joining the Ives sisters as a tri-captain for the Rebels is junior libero Addison Cutting. Coming into the match against Doherty, she ranked first in the league in digs (257), averaging more than 15 per match and service aces (75). The versatile Cutting recorded the 500th dig of her career in a 3-0 win at Douglas on Oct. 17.
Also a standout golfer at Notre Dame, Cutting tied for eighth overall in the North/Central/West sectional tournament and tied for 20th at the MIAA state tournament this past spring as a sophomore.
“She’s outstanding and has been playing varsity since eighth grade. Communication is her strength,” said Coonan.
Cutting, a resident of Shrewsbury, realizes that playing volleyball with the same core group for the last few years has been a key factor for the Rebels.
“You play with a certain team for so long that you start to build that click,” said Cutting. “When we’re in a tough situation, when we’re down in the third set and we have to come back, we know that we rely on others and we trust them. They’ve got our backs.”
Some of those backing players are sophomore Phoebe Doyle and junior Dana Howling Wolf Keller, who both handle the position of setter in Notre Dame’s 6-2 form of offense. As opposed to a traditional 5-1 setup, this strategy allows three hitters in the front row but requires versatility in personnel as the second setter switches to a different position like hitter when rotated up front.
Keller (181 assists; 10.6 per match) and Doyle (178 assists; 10.5 per match) ranked as the top two setters in the league. Doyle also led the league in kills (171) and hitting percentage (.326).
The Rebels will find out where and when they’ll play in the MIAA Division 3 state tournament when the brackets are announced on Tuesday, Oct. 28 at 1 p.m.
Coonan, who has been coaching for 30 years, is no stranger to taking teams to the state tournament. Before coming to Notre Dame, she led Sutton to two consecutive Central Mass titles in 2013 and 2014.
In both of those seasons, the Suzies fell in the state semifinals. This year could be Coonan’s opportunity to hang a Division 3 state title banner in the Rebels’ athletic center, where a volleyball marking the establishment of the team sits in a hallway trophy case.
“I think if we continue to play like we have been this season we could go all the way,” said Abigail Ives. “If we continue to practice and work together and still have fun and motivation to win, then I think we can go pretty far.”
Mike Vigneux is a freelance writer in Worcester with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of municipal government, communications and public relations. An avid fan of all sports, Mike enjoys telling the stories of local athletes and their teams. He holds two degrees from Clark University, a bachelor of arts in Communication and a master of science in Professional Communication. He can be reached at Mikevigs@gmail.com
