SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-14, 5-12 ACC) closed it out in a five set thriller inside of Purcell Pavilion as they claimed the win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (17-10, 8-8 ACC) in their last home match of the season. Despite falling 28-30 in set one and 17-25 in set two, the Irish rallied as they took home the final three sets (25-21, 25-15, 15-11) to clinch the win.
Phyona Schrader recorded a triple-double with 14 kills, 13 digs, 22 assists, and a .367 attack percentage. Sydney Palazzolo finished the night with 20 kills, 10 digs, and a .294 hitting percentage, followed by Ava Lange and Lucy Trump who tallied 12 kills and 10 kills, respectively. Lauren Tarnoff finished with a team-best six blocks, while Charity McDowell and Schrader each chipped in five blocks a piece for the Irish.
Set One
Wake Forest claimed an early 12-7 lead over the Irish, but Notre Dame continued to chip away as they tied it up at 16-all and forced a Demon Deacon timeout. The Demon Deacons claimed the advantage again with a three point lead at 20-17, but kills from Phyona Schrader and Sydney Palazzolo closed the gap to make it 20-19. A Lucy Trump ace made it 23-all and forced a Wake Forest timeout, but with the Irish up 28-27, the Demon Deacons sent home the final three points to win it 30-28.
Set Two
The Demon Deacons came out swinging in set two as they were able to take a 14-8 advantage over the Irish. The Irish closed the gap as an ace from Trump brought the Irish within three at 17-14, but another run from Wake Forest extended their lead to 21-14. The Demon Deacons took the 2-0 advantage heading into set three as they won the second 25-17.
Set Three
It was back and forth to start the third as it was tied at 9-all before a 4-0 run from the Irish forced a Wake Forest timeout as Notre Dame took the lead 13-9. The Demon Deacons responded with a run of their own as it was 17-all before they took the lead at 19-17. A kill from Palazzolo sparked the Irish offense as they outscored the Demon Deacons 8-2 to win set three 25-21.
Set Four
The Irish carried their momentum into the next set as they posted an 11-7 advantage in the fourth. Notre Dame continued to dominate as a 5-0 run extended the lead to 16-7. While the Demon Deacons looked to close the gap, the Irish won set four with authority as they took it home 25-15. Notre Dame sent home 18 kills in set four to Wake Forest’s nine.
Set Five
It was back and forth in set five as both squads were hungry to take home the win. There were nine ties and six lead changes in the race to 15. While the Demon Deacons had a 9-8 advantage, a 3-0 run from the Irish put Notre Dame in front at 11-9. Wake Forest battled to hold on, but kills from Schrader and Lange sealed the deal as the Irish won set five 15-11.
Up Next
The Irish will close out the 2023 season in Tallahassee as they face the Florida State Seminoles on Saturday, November 25.