BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish fell to 10-7 on the year and 4-5 in the ACC after falling in five to Virginia Tech on Friday, Oct. 20.
The Irish were led by Sydney Palazzolo with 20 kills, 10 digs, and five service aces. Ava Lange finished with 15 kills, followed by Lucy Trump with seven kills. Lauren Tarnoff finished with five blocks and Hattie Monson led the Irish with 20 digs. Phyona Schrader dished out 25 assists, followed by Harmony Sample with 20 assists.
Set One
The Irish and Hokies went back and forth to start the first and after being tied at 8-8, the Irish were able to take the lead at 12-10, but a 3-0 run from the Hokies gave Virginia Tech the advantage again at 13-12. Tied at 14-all, the Irish would go on a 4-0 run with kills from Schrader and Sample, coupled with a block from Tarnoff and Schrader, to post an 18-14 lead and force a Hokie timeout. Virginia Tech was able to bring it within two at 22-20, but back-to-back kills from Palazzolo and a service error from the Hokies gave the Irish set one 25-22.
Set Two
Tied at 5-5 in set two, the Hokies started to pull away and claimed the 11-6 lead, forcing an Irish timeout. A Palazzolo kill out of the timeout stopped the Hokie run and sparked a 6-2 run for Notre Dame to bring the Irish within one. Virginia Tech wasn’t going anywhere though as they scored five straight to extend their lead to 18-12 and force another Irish timeout. With back-to-back kills from Lange, a kill from Tarnoff and an ace from Manitzas, the Irish battled back to close the gap to four at 21-17. Despite Notre Dame’s late efforts, the Hokies were able to take set two 25-20.
Set Three
The Hokies carried their momentum into the third set as they posted an early 11-7 lead. The Irish would go on to outscore Virginia Tech 8-3 to capture the lead at 15-14 heading into the media timeout. The Hokies responded with a 6-1 run of their own to regain the advantage at 20-16. The Irish battled back to make it a one point game and force a Virginia Tech timeout with the Hokies leading 22-21. A kill by Lange and a block from Sample and Tarnoff made it 23-all. The Irish took the lead 25-24 after a VT service error and a block from Tarnoff and Schrader, but the Hokies would score three straight to take home the set three battle at 27-25.
Set Four
Both teams struggled to pull away from the other to start the fourth. Tied at 11-11, the Irish finally separated themselves as they claimed a 20-13 advantage. However, the Hokies weren’t going down without a fight as they closed the gap to five at 20-15 and to four at 23-19. One last kill from Lange in set four gave Notre Dame the 25-20 win to take it into five sets.
Set Five
Set five was no different from the rest as both teams were hanging tough. Tied at 8-8, a kill and an ace from Palazzolo gave the Irish a two point edge at 10-8. The Hokies came back to take the lead 14-11. The Irish brought it within one at 14-13, but Virginia Tech would send home a final kill to take the win 15-13.
Up Next
The Irish are set to play Wake Forest on the road on Sunday, Oct. 22 at noon on the ACCN.