Coming off its first win in six weeks, the Notre Dame volleyball team will go on the road this weekend to begin its final week of regular-season play. The Irish (10-15, 3-13 Atlantic Coast Conference) will face Virginia Tech in Blacksburg on Friday before opposing Virginia in Charlottesville on Sunday.
Last weekend, Notre Dame hosted North Carolina and Duke, dropping a 3-1 match to the Tar Heels on Friday before snapping its 11-game losing streak with a 3-1 Sunday defeat of Duke. After scuffling through an extremely quiet three weeks, senior outside hitter Sydney Palazzolo made her triumphant return to the position of go-to Irish attacker. She cranked out a career-high-tying 25 kills in Friday’s loss, leading all players on the floor with 27 points in just four sets. Palazzolo then played a critical role in Sunday’s long-awaited victory, notching a double-double with 18 kills and 11 digs. Her total of 20.5 points once again ended up as a game-high.
Sunday afternoon also brought Phyona Schrader back to her typical level of productivity after a slow Senior Night. The senior setter delivered her 10th triple-double, combining 11 kills and 27 assists with a season-high 24 digs. Schrader had not eclipsed the 20-dig threshold since Oct. 14, 2022. Junior outside hitter Avery Ross also stepped up on Sunday, totaling 15 kills and eight digs.
When it hits the road this weekend, Notre Dame will be looking to win an ACC match outside of Purcell Pavilion for the first time since Oct. 8 of last season at North Carolina. Its first opponent, Virginia Tech, carries an overall record of 7-19 with a 1-15 mark in ACC play. The Hokies have lost 10 consecutive matches and more concerningly have not been particularly close to winning during the skid, dropping eight of the 10 games in 3-0 fashion. Last weekend, they suffered sweep losses at Cal and Stanford after going in winless in the two-game Commonwealth Clash against Virginia a week earlier.
Statistically speaking, Virginia Tech carries the least effective offense in the ACC. The Hokies bottom out the conference in points per set (14.78), hitting percentage (.170), assists per set (10.29) and kills per set (11.22). They also lead the league with 5.7 attack errors per set.
Sophomore Hailey Pearce and freshman Belle Patrick handle the majority of Virginia Tech’s offensive looks, combining for more than 500 kills this season. Redshirt junior Jasmine Robinson has also factored in from the middle blocker position, leading the Hokies with a .285 hitting percentage, 23 service aces and 79 total blocks while ranking third on the team with 150 kills. Canadian junior Viktoria Wahlgren is the only Hokie ranking top-10 in the ACC for a major category, holding ninth in the conference with 7.37 assists per set.
Last October, Virginia Tech took Notre Dame to five sets and won, ending a nine-game run of consecutive Irish victories in the all-time series.
The year has unfolded quite differently for Virginia. Picked to finish 16th among 18 teams in the preseason ACC Coaches Poll, the Cavaliers currently occupy seventh in the conference standings with a 10-6 league record. Only four teams in the ACC have more overall wins this season than Virginia’s 20.
Much of Virginia’s success in year four under Shannon Wells has involved dominating the ACC’s middle and lower classes. The Cavaliers couldn’t take a set from highly-ranked opponents Georgia Tech, Pitt, SMU and Stanford, but they have rarely stumbled against unranked squads. Virginia also started the season fast, going 10-1 in non-conference play before sweeping both Florida State and Miami (FL), two top-seven teams in the preseason poll, to start October.
The Cavaliers don’t do anything incredibly well relative to the ACC, but they succeed with quality play in practically all categories. They don’t roll over defensively, holding opponents to a .187 hitting percentage, and they rarely fall victim to blocks. Opposing teams have only 1.74 rejections per set against Virginia.
Elayna Duprey sees the most volume in the Virginia attack with her team-high 2.99 kills per set, and Abby Tadder complements her nicely with 2.60 kills per set at a lofty hitting percentage of .268. Kate Dean swings even more efficiently, ranking ninth in the ACC with a .341 hitting clip. Milan Gomillion and Abby Tadder spearhead the effective Cavalier defense, with Gomillion second in the ACC at 4.47 digs per set and Tadder atop the team with 106 total blocks.
Last year, Notre Dame and Virginia split their two matches, playing to five sets in Charlottesville.
The Irish will take on Virginia Tech at 6 p.m. on Friday and Virginia at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
