OMAHA, Neb. — The Irish racked up 17 total blocks and Charley Niego earned a team-high 12 kills as No. 22 Notre Dame downed Army in (23-25, 25-22, 25-17, 25-11) on Wednesday afternoon inside the CHI Health Center Omaha.
The win propels the Irish to the round of 32 for the 12th time in program history. The Irish will look to advance to the Sweet 16 for the seventh time when they take on tenth-seeded Oregon tomorrow (April 15) at noon ET.
Niego added 11 digs to notch her ninth double-double of the season and eighth in 11 matches this spring. Caroline Meuth also hit the double-digit kill mark with 10 while Zoe Nunez collected 30 assists.
The Irish also racked up a season-best 10 service aces, including a game-high three by Nunez.
Defensively, the Irish totaled 17 blocks while limiting the Black Knights to a hitting percentage of .006. Hannah Thompson and Lauren Wenzel each earned a game-high eight blocks while Meuth added five.
Hattie Monson recorded 14 digs and Nunez added 12 digs.
The 10 service aces were the second most the Irish have recorded in a tournament match while the 17 blocks tied for the third-most in the NCAA Tournament in program history.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The Irish jumped out to an 8-3 lead before Army worked to tie the set at 16-all. A block by Wenzel put the Irish up 22-20 and force a Black Knights timeout, but Army earned five of the next six points to take the frame, 25-23.
Second Set
The Irish used a critical 4-0 run, which included a pair of blocks by Wenzel, to turn a 14-13 deficit into a 17-14 lead.
Notre Dame stayed in front from there until a Black Knights’ 3-0 run evened the frame at 22-22. The Irish answered with three straight points, including an ace from Nancy Kane, to take the stanza 25-22 and even the match.
Third Set
With the frame tied at 9-9, the Irish took control with an 8-1 run, including three straight kills from Niego, to grab a 17-10 lead. Another 5-0 run, this time with two kills from Aubrey Hamilton and an ace by Niego, to go up 23-15.
A block by Wenzel and Meuth clinched a 25-17 set triumph and a 2-1 lead for Notre Dame.
Fourth Set
The Irish closed the afternoon in dominant fashion, leading from start to finish in a 25-11 triumph to clinch a four-set victory. Notre Dame hit .368 in the final frame while earning four blocks and holding Army to a hitting percentage of -.097.
Up Next
- #22 Notre Dame (15-3) meets tenth-seeded Oregon (14-4) with a berth in the Sweet 16 on the line tomorrow (April 15) at noon ET.
- The matchup between the Irish and Ducks will be streamed via ESPN3.
- The Irish are looking to advance to the Sweet 16 for the seventh time in program history.
—ND—