SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Volleyball team competed closely in every set Wednesday night against eighth-ranked Louisville, but ultimately fell in three 21-25, 19-25, 23-25 to fall to 8-11 on the season and 5-6 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Sydney Helmers had 11 kills on the night, while Morgan Gaerte recorded 10, extending her double-digit streak to 19 games now.
The Irish had 8.5 blocks on the night, with Anna Bjork having four of them (one solo, three assists). Bjork also had six kills, four of them in the third set.
Maya Baker dished out 27 assists and Lily Fenton saw action at the setter position for just the second time in her career. The junior had six assists and four digs, both career-highs.
The Irish will look to return the favor on Saturday in a rematch with the Cardinals in Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center. First serve is set for 3:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
How it happened
Set 1
- Notre Dame jumped out to a 7-2 lead on eight-ranked Louisville in large part thanks to great defense, including five block assists, forcing a Cardinals’ timeout
- A Cardinals’ 6-0 run tied the game at 8-8 all out of the timeout
- Following a Louisville service error and attack error, the Irish took a 14-12 lead
- An 8-3 Cardinals’ burst pushed the Louisville lead to 23-19 that forced an Irish timeout
- Louisville closed the set with a 25-21 win to lead the match early
- Notre Dame had 5.5 total blocks as a team in the first set, while Gaerte led the charge early with four kills in the opening set.
Set 2
- After an early lead for the Irish, Louisville served out of order, pushing the lead back to 5-2 Notre Dame
- Out of the unique delay, the Cardinals went on a 4-0 run to take the lead at 6-5
- Louisville extended its lead to 15-11 at the media timeout following an unsuccessful Notre Dame challenge
- The Cardinals never looked back, going on to take the second set 25-19
Set 3
- Out of the break, Notre Dame took a 9-7 lead after block assists from Grace Langer and Mae Kordas
- The Irish hung in it through the media timeout, only trailing 14-15. Bjork had four kills already at the timeout
- A 4-0 run, capped by back-to-back Maisie Alexander aces, tied the third set up at 22-all.
- With the score tied at 23, the Cardinals got a kill followed by a block to close out the match.