NOTRE DAME, Ind. — #14 Notre Dame earned its second sweep of the weekend with a straight-set triumph over Miami (25-18, 25-19, 25-15) on Sunday afternoon inside Purcell Pavilion.
With the win, Notre Dame’s fifth sweep of the 2020-21 campaign, the Irish improve to 9-1 (8-1 ACC) while Miami falls to 6-4 (6-4 ACC).
Hannah Thompson led all players with 10 blocks and became the first Notre Dame player to reach the 10-block mark since Kristin Baer did so on September 14, 2019 in a four-set win over Northern Kentucky. Caroline Meuth added six block assists while Zoe Nunez and Lindsey Miller each notched five.
As a team, the Irish matched their season-high with 16 total blocks, a mark which they hit in a five-set victory over Pitt on October 16, 2020.
The Notre Dame defense limited the Hurricanes to just a .055 hitting percentage with Nunez collecting a team-high 15 digs.
Charley Niego paced the Irish attack with 12 kills and Nunez earned 23 assists in the three sets of play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Miami earned a 9-5 lead to open the first set before the irish used a 5-1 run to even the score at 10-all. After the sides worked to a 16-16 tie, Notre Dame took control of the set with five straight points, including three kills by Thompson, to go up 21-16. A block by Miller and Aubrey Hamilton clinched a 25-18 win for Notre Dame and gave the hosts a 1-0 lead.
Thompson led the Irish with four kills in the frame while Miller added four blocks.
Second Set
Thompson and Nunez combined for back-to-back blocks to open the second set and spurred the Irish to a 9-3 lead to open the stanza. From there, Notre Dame held at least a four-point advantage the rest of the way and took the second set, 25-19.
A whopping seven of Thompson’s 10 blocks came in the second set and the Irish racked up 10 total team blocks in the frame. Nunez added six digs in the stanza as Notre Dame limited Miami to just a .021 hitting percentage in the set.
Third Set
Two kills by Niego helped the Irish earn a 6-1 lead to open the third frame before an Irish 5-1 run stretched the hosts’ lead to 14-5.
Charity McDowell made her Irish debut late in the frame and notched a pair of kills to keep Notre Dame in control after a 5-0 Miami run. McDowell’s second kill pushed the Irish to match point before a Hurricanes’ attack error clinched the 25-15 set win for Notre Dame.
Up Next
- #14 Notre Dame hits the road next weekend to meet Florida State and Virginia Tech in Tallahassee.
- First serve between the Irish and Seminoles is set for 5 p.m. ET on Friday (March 12) before Notre Dame meets the Hokies at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday (March 13).
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