This past weekend, the Notre Dame volleyball team faced off against the Boston College Eagles and the Syracuse Orange. The Irish took a 3-0 loss against Boston College and a close, 3-2 loss against Syracuse.
Boston College
The Irish traveled to Boston College on Friday, Nov. 8 to face off against the Eagles but took the 3-0 loss.
The Eagles came out strong during the first set as they held a 12-8 lead early on. Senior outside hitter Sydney Palazzolo responded with a kill that would help the Irish make a comeback and go on a 4-0 run to tie up the score at 12. The Eagles took no time to keep pushing as they went on their own 4-1 run against the Irish to make the score 16-13 nearing the middle of the set. Junior outside hitter Lucy Trump stepped up as she used multiple blocks to force errors on the Eagles and help the Irish go on a 6-1 run, taking the lead to make it 19-17. The Eagles, however, were not affected as they quickly regained the lead to go on a 3-0 run and make the score 20-19. Palazzolo added on another kill for herself to tie the set at 20, but the Eagles managed a 5-3 run to make the final score 25-23.
The Eagles continued to push against the Irish with a 13-4 run in set two, but the Irish responded as they added on an additional seven points for themselves to make it a two-point difference at 13-11. A combined effort from freshman middle blockers Mallory Bohl and Anna Bjork helped the Irish tie the set at 14, but a 6-2 run from the Eagles put the score at 20-16. While the Irish managed to add on three points for themselves, the Eagles pulled through by adding five more points to finish the set 25-19.
Straight out the gate, Boston College wasted no time in the third set as it went on an 11-4 run over the Irish. In an attempt to close the gap, the Irish went on a 3-1 run to make the score 12-7, but the Eagles kept on moving as they rounded out the third and final set of the night with a final score of 25-17.
Palazzolo and Trump led on the court for the Irish as both players put up nine points throughout the night. Bohl and Bjork also contributed five points for the Irish. Graduate libero Hattie Monson led on defense for the Irish as she hit double digits in digs with a total of 13, and senior setter Phyona Schrader also managed a total of nine digs to help the Irish.
Syracuse
The second game of the weekend was against the Syracuse Orange, where the Irish took a five-set loss.
While Syracuse made the first points of the set, kills proved to be the key to the Irish victory. A kill from Schrader helped the Irish get on the board, but the Orange responded to make the score 4-1. With that, the Irish took no time to go on a run of their own to tie the score up at four. Another 9-4 run from the Irish thanks to the help of a kill from Schrader, a kill from graduate setter Ella Sandt, a kill from freshman middle blocker Grace Langer, a kill from Bjork, a kill from Bohl, a kill from Trump and a block from Bohl and Trump gave Notre Dame the 13-9 lead. Syracuse managed two points for itself, but a service error and another kill from Bohl made the score 15-11. A solid finish for the Irish helped them take the first set at 25-20.
The second set went back and forth as both teams put up a point within the first minute of the set. A 5-3 run from the Irish made the score 6-4, as the two teams battled hard defensively. While the Orange added on two points, a service error, a kill from Bjork and a kill from Langer made the score 9-6. Bohl kept the ball rolling as she sparked an eight-point run for the Irish, but the Orange fought back to make the score 18-15. While the Irish held the lead throughout the rest of the match with the Orange only two points behind, the Irish managed to pull through and take the final 25-21 win and make the overall score 2-0.
With the lead, two kills from Langer and two kills from Trump made the score 4-0 Irish at the beginning of the third set. The Orange then went on a 4-0 run of their own to tie the score at four, but the Irish responded with a kill from Langer to put them back ahead. The two teams continued to fight for the lead, but a kill from Schrader helped the Irish pull ahead to a 9-6 lead. A 5-2 run from the Orange shook things up as the set was tied at 11 and the teams continued to go back and forth as they tied up the score four more times before the Orange went on a 9-6 run to finish and win the third set 25-22.
The fourth set looked similar as the Irish took the first three points thanks to a kill from Bohl, a kill from Schrader and a service ace from Sandt, but a 10-3 run from the Orange put them ahead 10-6 over the Irish. As the Irish closed the gap in the next few minutes closing within three, the Orange pulled ahead with a 4-2 run to make it 15-10. The Irish managed to bring the score 15-13 within two with kills from Schrader and Bohl. The score stayed within two throughout the rest of the match, but the Orange pulled ahead at the end with a 3-2 run to make the final score 25-22 and tie up the overall score at two.
Neither team was giving up in the final set of the day as the teams battled back and forth throughout the first part of the fifth set. Junior outside hitter Avery Ross made her appearance on the court as she added on a kill to help the Irish gain the 7-5 lead, but the Orange responded with an 8-3 run to make the score 13-10. As the margin stayed within three the rest of the way, the Orange pulled through with a 15-12 win and took the overall 3-2 win over the Irish.
Schrader and Trump led on the court for the Irish as they both hit double digits in kills. Schrader finished with 17 kills and Trump finished with 13. Schrader also contributed on defense as she finished with a total of 19 digs.
With this, the Notre Dame volleyball team now prepares to host North Carolina on Nov. 15 starting at 6:30 p.m.
