In the first of two consecutive games against No. 4 Louisville, Notre Dame volleyball took a 3-0 loss on the road.
The first set went back and forth with the two teams tying the score three different times. Notre Dame came out strong, scoring the first two points of the night thanks to the help of senior outside hitter Sydney Palazzolo and her two service aces. Freshman middle blocker Anna Bjork and freshman outside hitter Morgan Gaerte also contributed with a block to help the Irish gain the second point of the night. After an error from the Irish, Louisville managed to get its first point of the night. Notre Dame then went on a 5-1 run lead to make the score 8-2.
The Cardinals closed the gap with a 5-0 run, tying the score at 9-9. Senior setter Phyona Schrader responded with a kill to put the Irish back in the lead at 10-9. Louisville quickly answered with a kill of their own, leveling the score at 10-10, but Schrader’s next kill put the Irish ahead once more, 11-10. The Cardinals tied it again at 11-11, then took two of the following three points, edging the score to 13-12. Junior outside hitter Lucy Trump added her first kill to bring the Irish level at 13. Palazzolo followed up with another service ace, pushing the Irish ahead, 14-13. However, a 3-1 run from Louisville put them in the lead, 16-14, until Gaerte’s kill tightened the score to 16-15. Finally, Louisville closed out the first set with a decisive 9-2 run, securing a 25-17 win.
The second set of the match looked similar as the two teams went back and forth throughout the set. Louisville led off during the second set, putting up the first point. Bjork added on a kill for the Irish to tie the score at one. Notre Dame took the lead as it scored a second point, but Louisville came right back to tie the score again at two. A set from Schrader and an attack from Gaerte made the score 3-2. Louisville then went on a 3-0 run to make the score 5-3, but graduate libero Hattie Monson and a set by Gaerte helped close the gap at 5-4. A dig from graduate setter Ella Sandt then helped tie the score at five. The teams continued to go back and forth, constantly tying the score as they battled for the lead. A 4-2 run from Louisville made the score 18-13. Another 3-1 run from Louisville brought the score to 21-14. A kill from Schrader added another point for the Irish, but the Cardinals added two more points for themselves to make the score 23-15. After Louisville claimed two of the ensuing four points, the final score was 25-17.
The final set of the night went back and forth between the Cardinals and the Irish. Louisville started out the set strong as it scored the first two points, but after going back and forth, a dig from Monson, a set from Schrader and an attack from Palazzolo helped the Irish gain their first point. A 2-0 run from Louisville made the score 4-1, but the Irish added a 2-0 run of their own to make the score 4-3. A 15-4 run from Louisville made the score 19-7 over the Irish, but the Irish fought back in an 11-3 run to close the gap to a score of 22-18. But as the Cardinals slowed down the Irish and reached the finish line, the final score of the match-clinching set was 25-21.
Gaerte led the Irish on the court with a total of nine kills on the night and Palazzolo led with two aces. Schrader also shined on the court with 10 assists, while Monson contributed 10 digs for the Irish.
The Irish will now head home to face off against the Cardinals again on Nov. 2 starting at 3 p.m.
