SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Irish battled in Purcell Pavilion on Sunday, Oct. 22, but fell to the No. 8 Pitt Panthers (15-3, 6-1 ACC) in three sets. The Irish are now 10-6 on the year and 4-4 in ACC play.
Notre Dame was led by Lucy Trump and Sydney Palazzolo with seven kills a piece, followed by Ava Lange with six kills. Lauren Tarnoff finished with four kills and a team best six blocks.
Set One
The Irish and Panthers were back and forth in set one as they were tied at 7-all before No. 8 began to pull away and take a 19-11 advantage. A kill from Tarnoff stopped the run at 19-12, but the Panthers were able to take set one 25-16.
Set Two
The Irish came out strong in the second, posting a 9-4 advantage over the Panthers. Pitt brought it within three at 11-8, but the Irish extended their lead after a Pitt service error, two kills from Trump, and a kill from McDowell, which made it a 15-8 game. Pitt wasn’t going anywhere though as they battled back yet again to close the gap to two at 19-17. Back-to-back kills from Palazzolo gave the Irish the four point edge at 21-17, but the Panthers responded with a 3-0 run to bring it within one. Another Palazzolo kill made it a 22-20 ballgame, but the Panthers would go on to outscore the Irish 5-1 to close it out and take set two 25-23.
Set Three
The Panthers carried their momentum into set three as they claimed an early 7-1 advantage over the Irish. The Irish were able to close the gap to 17-13 and brought it within three at 21-18 after a kill from Phyona Schrader and an ace from Maisie Alexander. While the Irish battled back, their late efforts weren’t enough to overcome the deficit as the Panthers went on to outscore the Irish and win set three 25-19.
Up Next
The Irish are back on the road as they head to Virginia Tech to face the Hokies on Friday, Oct. 20 and Wake Forest on Sunday, Oct. 22.