RALEIGH, N.C. — Sydney Bent collected 16 kills and 18 digs, but Notre Dame fell to NC State in five sets (27-25, 21-25, 25-23, 17-25, 15-13) on Sunday afternoon inside Neal Reynolds Coliseum.
Bent totaled 16 kills on 30 swings with just two errors for a mark of .467. Charley Niego also notched a double-double with 13 kills and 18 digs while Aubrey Hamilton added 10 kills and Sammi Lockwood added nine kills. Zoe Nunez dished out 51 assists in the five sets.
Hattie Monson matched Bent and Niego for a team-high 18 digs and Lindsey Miller led all players with seven blocks. Lockwood added six blocks while Nunez notched five.
Nancy Kane paced the Irish with a trio of service aces.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Notre Dame erased a 5-3 deficit with a 5-0 run, including a pair of blocks by Miller, to go up 8-5. The Wolfpack got within one at 14-13 before Miller notched a kill and another block to give the Irish a 16-13 advantage and force an NC State timeout.
A block by Hamilton put the Irish at set point at 24-22, but the Wolfpack rallied to even the frame at 24-all. A Niego kill gave the Irish a 26-26 lead before an NC State attack error clinched a 27-25 Notre Dame victory in the first set.
Second Set
The Wolfpack broke a 6-6 tie with three straight points before a pair of kills by Bent helped the Irish even the set again at 12-12.
The hosts broke a 15-all tie with four straight points before the Irish used two kills by Niego and an ace by Monson to get back within two at 21-19 and force a Wolfpack timeout. However, NC State held onto the lead after the break and took the second set, 25-21.
Third Set
Two straight kills by Hamilton put the Irish up 4-3, but NC State earned the next five points to go up 8-4.
NC State stayed in front from there until an Irish 4-0 run, including two kills by Niego and a block by Lockwood, finally evened the set again at 20-20. With the Wolfpack holding a 23-21 lead, kills by Hamilton and Bent evened the frame again before a block by Miller and NC State attack error clinched a 25-23 triumph for Notre Dame.
The Irish closed the set on an 11-4 run after trailing 19-14.
Fourth Set
NC State went on a 10-1 run to earn a 12-3 lead and force a pair of early Notre Dame timeouts in the fourth set. The hosts stayed in control from there and forced a fifth set with a 25-17 victory.
Fifth Set
NC State earned a 4-1 lead to open the decisive frame before kills by Lockwood got the Irish within one one two occasions (6-7, 7-8). The Wolfpack earned a 14-10 advantage, but the Irish wouldn’t go away quietly, as two aces by Kane got Notre Dame back within one at 14-13. However, the Wolfpack earned the next point to clinch the set, 15-13.
UP NEXT
- The Irish and Wolfpack meet again this Friday (Nov. 12) at 7 p.m. ET inside Purcell Pavilion.
- Admission is free for all home Notre Dame volleyball matches and the tilt will be streamed via ACC Network Extra.
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