The Irish concluded their regular season by splitting their last two road matches losing to Syracuse, but sweeping Boston College to conclude the season 22-9.
Notre Dame (22-9, 12-8 ACC) started the first match of the road trip on a sour note, losing a close fifth set to Syracuse (20-13, 12-8), and ending a five-game winning streak. The Orange took the first, third and fifth games by scores of 25-23, 25-18 and 15-9, respectively. The Irish took wins in the second and fourth stanzas by margins of 25-15 and 25-23.
Irish sophomore outside hitter Jemma Yeadon recorded a career night, posting a career-high 27 kills in the match to go along with her nine digs. Senior middle blocker Sam Fry also tallied 13 kills. Senior setter Caroline Holt posted 50 assists along with two kills in the game, while junior libero Ryann DeJarld recorded 31 digs.
The Irish got back on track for their final game of the season by defeating Boston College (7-23, 4-16), 3-0. The scoreboard read 25-23, 25-23 and 25-17 in favor of the Irish at the culmination of the match.
Notre Dame’s top performer of the match was senior outside hitter Sydney Kuhn, who recorded 17 kills and seven digs. The trio of Yeadon, Fry and junior outside hitter Rebecca Nunge each recorded seven kills in the victory. DeJarld posted 20 digs as her squad came out on top of sister Jane’s — Boston College’s sophomore setter. Jane DeJarld recorded 33 assists in the matchup.
Ryann DeJarld also broke Notre Dame’s program career digs record with 1,792 digs during the game in her three seasons with the Irish.
The Irish also concluded the season with three members earning All-ACC team recognition. DeJarld earned first team honors, as she currently ranks fourth in the nation in digs per set with 6.14. She has dug 731 balls this season. DeJarld has also made an impact with her service game this season, recording 41 service aces, second only to senior defensive specialist Natalie Johnson who has posted 50. DeJarld’s first team honors makes her the first person in program history to accomplish that honor.
Yeadon and Fry each earned second team honors. Yeadon leads the Irish in kills per set at 3.91. Yeadon has also posted 311 digs, 69 blocks and 29 service aces this season. Fry’s second-team accolade is her third consecutive time being named to the squad. She currently leads the ACC in total blocks with 257 on the season.
By winning six of their last seven matches, the Irish have gained an NCAA tournament berth, their first since 2012 and the first under head coach Jim McLaughlin. The Irish hold a 14-18 record in their previous trips to the tournament and last advanced to the second round of play in 2005 when they defeated Dayton and Northwestern to advance to the Round of 16.
Notre Dame is set to play Western Kentucky in the first round at 5 p.m. on Friday, in Lexington, Kentucky.
