Nov. 13, 2015
By Russell Dorn
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The University of Notre Dame volleyball team fell 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-19) on the road at No. 20 Florida State Friday night at Tully Gym in an Atlantic Coast Conference match.
The Seminoles (20-6, 13-2 ACC) totaled 45 kills and had nine blocks in the contest.
FSU improved to 11-0 at home this season with the win.
The Irish went toe to toe early in set one against the talented Seminoles, tying the set at 13 off a Sydney Kuhn kill followed by a block by Kuhn and Sam Fry. However, behind the serving of libero Cecilie Woie, FSU went on a 7-0 run to jump out to a 20-13 advantage and force two Notre Dame timeouts over the course of three points. The Irish clawed back to within four at 22-18 on a bad set by the Seminoles, but a kill and block from FSU middle blocker Melanie Keil provided the Noles with set point before an Irish attack error gave FSU the set win and 1-0 lead.
FSU controlled from beginning to end in set two, as the Seminoles powered home 14 kills and hit .393 for the frame. Notre Dame attacked at just a .029 clip for the set with nine kills. The Irish called a timeout early after the Seminoles jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead. FSU extended its advantage to 10 at 17-7 and finished off the set with an Irish service error, followed by a Notre Dame attack error and a kill from FSU outside hitter Mara Green.
Tied at nine in the third set, Florida State went on a 9-2 run to go up 18-11. The Irish then ran off four consecutive points behind the serving of sophomore Natalie Johnson to trim the margin to three at 18-15. Notre Dame cut the lead to three a couple more times, but couldn’t get any closer, as the Noles scored the final three points to finish off the match sweep.
Preseason all-ACC selection Katie Horton led the Seminoles with nine kills (.571 A%) and 12 digs. Fellow preseason all-ACC choice Nicole Walch had a match-high 13 kills to go along with seven digs. Keil had five kills (.333 A%) and five blocks. Green totaled four kills (.800 A%) and three blocks.
Fry led the Irish with seven kills (.400 A%), a service ace and four blocks.
Notre Dame (6-21, 1-14 ACC) close out the weekend at Miami (17-8, 10-5 ACC) at 1 p.m. Sunday. Fans can follow the contest online through ESPN3 and live stats. Links can be found on UND.com/NDVolleyball.
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Russell Dorn, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2011 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame volleyball, rowing and baseball programs. A native of Greenwood, South Carolina, Dorn graduated from Furman University in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in history before earning his master’s degree in sports communications from Georgia State University in 2011.