TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-6, 2-4) fell to the No. 21 Florida State Seminoles (12-4, 4-2) on Sunday, Oct. 13 on the road. It was a tough battle as the Irish fell in four (22-25, 25-22, 18-25, 16-25).
Phyona Schrader recorded her eighth triple-double of the season as she recorded 15 kills, 18 assists, and 13 digs. Morgan Gaerte also tallied 15 kills and finished with four blocks. Lucy Trump, Sydney Palazzolo, and Grace Langer each recorded six kills a piece. Anna Bjork finished with a team-best six blocks.
It was a close first set as there were nine ties and five lead changes between Notre Dame and Florida State. Tied at 5-all to start, the Irish were able to put themselves in front at 11-8 and battled to maintain the edge. The Seminoles tied it up again 14-all and while the Irish reclaimed the advantage at 18-15, a Seminole run gave them the 20-19 lead to force a Notre Dame timeout. The Irish brought it within two at 24-22 to force a Florida State timeout, but a Seminoles block would end it and give Florida State the first set 25-22.
The Irish came out strong in set two, posting a 6-2 lead to start. The Seminoles would battle to tie it up as it was back-and-forth between the two squads with each struggling to pull away from the other. Trailing 14-13, the Irish went on a 6-0 run as they forced both Florida State timeouts and claimed the 19-14 advantage. With the Irish at set point (24-18), the Seminoles closed the gap to make it 24-22 before a Trump kill secured the Irish set two win 25-22.
Notre Dame was off to a 6-4 start in the third, but a 7-0 run from Florida State put them in front 11-6. The Seminoles extended their lead to 20-12 to force a Notre Dame timeout and while the Irish worked to close the gap, Florida State took the 2-1 advantage winning set three 25-18.
The Seminoles posted an early 9-3 lead, but with kills from Langer, Schrader, Trump, and Gaerte, the Irish closed the gap to four at 14-10 as they forced a Florida State timeout. An 8-1 Seminole run made it 22-11 and while a 4-0 Irish run closed the gap, the Irish would fall 25-16 in the final set.
The Irish are back in action at home for their Pink Match on Friday, Oct. 18 as they host NC State at 6:30 pm. On Sunday, Oct. 20, the Irish will host Wake Forest at home at 1:00 pm.