Notre Dame volleyball faces Florida State this Friday at Purcell Pavilion. The Irish are looking to snap their six-game losing streak and improve their conference record.
Notre Dame has struggled in ACC play so far this season. The team is currently 4-10 in the ACC and lost its past six games in a row. By comparison, Florida State is 8-6 in the ACC, including three losses to ranked teams. The Seminoles also beat Notre Dame 3-0 earlier this season.
The last time the Irish and the Seminoles faced off, the Irish lost in three sets by an average of almost seven points per set. Notre Dame was led by graduate student outside hitter Clare Delaplane, who tallied nine kills. Freshman outside hitter Avery Ross tallied six. By comparison, Sydney Conley and sophomore Audrey Koenig led the Seminoles with 11 and 10 kills, respectively.
Ross is currently leading Notre Dame in kills, averaging 2.55 per set for a total of 191. She is followed by fellow freshman outside hitter Lucy Trump, who is averaging 2.52 kills per set for a total of 156. Trump’s performance in this upcoming match will be crucial in helping Notre Dame earn a more positive result this match.
At this point in the season, the Irish are no longer capable of finishing the season with a winning record overall or in the ACC. Consequently, the Irish will not qualify for the NCAA tournament this year, sitting 139th in the RPI rankings. The goal for the rest of the season is to finish strong and finish out the season with the best record possible. Rockwell and the Irish will seek a win against Florida State to help achieve this goal.
The Irish play the Seminoles at Purcell Pavilion this Friday at 6:30 p.m.
