For the third consecutive year, Notre Dame volleyball is headed into senior night on a lengthy losing skid. In 2022, it was a six-gamer. Last year, a nine-game tailspin. Now, the Irish carry a 10-game drought — their longest since 2015 — into their final weekend at Purcell Pavilion.
At 9-14 overall and 2-12 within Atlantic Coast Conference play, Notre Dame has not won since Oct. 6. The Irish will host North Carolina and Duke, two teams picked to finish ahead of them in the Preseason ACC Coaches Poll.
Last weekend, Notre Dame ventured east to face Boston College and Syracuse on the road. While Friday’s match went by swift with an Eagle sweep, Sunday’s match against the Orange required five sets. Playing without its top two outside hitters, senior Sydney Palazzolo and freshman Morgan Gaerte, Notre Dame jumped ahead of Syracuse by taking each of the first two sets. However, even as senior setter Phyona Schrader posted a triple-double and graduate setter Ella Sandt delivered one of her most dynamic games in blue and gold, the Irish could not hold, dropping the match by a 3-2 score.
But perhaps senior night will provide a glimmer of hope for the spiraling Irish. It certainly did last year. Notre Dame went into its final home game against Wake Forest on Nov. 17 having not won in over a month. With the Demon Deacons going up two sets to none, it looked as if that trend would continue. However, with huge performances from Schrader and Palazzolo, the Irish came back and inflicted a reverse sweep on Wake Forest.
Accomplishing something similar won’t be easy for this year’s Irish. North Carolina, their upcoming senior night opponent, is the first team out of the national top 25. The Tar Heels carry an overall record of 18-5 with a 10-4 mark in ACC contests. They have, however, lost three consecutive matches thanks to a gauntlet of a schedule to start November. Before the recent slide, North Carolina won 14 of 15 games, showcasing its ability to dominate the middle of the ACC pack.
Aside from blocking, North Carolina does just about everything very well. The Tar Heels rank second in the conference with 1.83 service aces per set, with Mabrey Shaffmaster leading the way with a total of 48 aces on the year. Shaffmaster also paces the Tar Heels with 3.43 kills per set and 355 total points. Zoe Behrendt and Taylort Eisert have functioned as North Carolina’s top two hitters, respectively owning 568 and 378 assists on the season. Maddy May is the team’s number one receiver (3.74 digs per set), while Jackie Taylor leads the Tar Heels in blocks with 82 total rejections.
Despite its close positioning to North Carolina in the preseason poll, Duke hasn’t found the same success. The Blue Devils own a 9-16 overall record this year with a 5-9 ACC mark. They will also come to South Bend on the heels of a challenging stretch, having already lost to SMU and Pitt last weekend with a visit to Louisville looming on Friday. Overall, Duke has lost nine of its last 12 games but will have a chance to finish strong with a lighter schedule upcoming.
One of the least imposing defensive teams in the ACC, Duke bottoms out the conference with 1.63 blocks per set. Kerry Keefe has operated as the clear go-to in the Blue Devil offense, totaling 341 kills on the season with 4.08 points per set. Nobody else on the team has more than three. While she ranks seventh in the ACC for kills per set, Grace Penn holds the same position with 8.07 assists per set as the team’s primary setter. Mailinh Godschall leads the way for Duke defensively, slotting in at third in the ACC with 4.29 digs per set.
Notre Dame will host North Carolina at 6:30 p.m. on Friday before welcoming Duke to Purcell Pavilion at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Next weekend, the Irish will travel to Virginia Tech and Virginia before hosting Virginia Tech and trekking west to Cal during the regular season’s final week.
