NORFOLK, Va. – The Irish advance to 3-4 on the season as they take home two five-set wins over East Carolina and Old Dominion in day one of the Quest for the Crown Tournament.
GAME ONE VS. EAST CAROLINA
Despite falling in set one (23-25) and set two (23-25), the Irish were resilient in their efforts as they took down the Pirates in the final three sets (25-18, 25-18, 15-8).
The Irish finished with 66 kills, 64 assists, and 60 digs in the five set victory and offensively were led by Avery Ross who finished with 14 kills. Kaylyn Winkler and Lauren Tarnoff recorded 13 kills a piece and finished with .414 and .632 hitting percentages, respectively. Phyona Schrader finished with a career-high 54 assists for the Irish while also sending home seven kills at .538 clip.
Set One
Notre Dame trailed 7-3 early in set one and struggled to close the gap. The Pirates took an eight point advantage at 15-7, but the Irish were able to bring it within three at 19-16. However, ECU would go on to take the lead 24-20. Two kills from Winkler and a service ace from Hattie Monson brought it to 24-23, but set one would go to the Pirates 25-23.
Set Two
Set two was back and forth between the Pirates and Irish, with neither team being able to pull away by more than two points. The score was tied 17 times in the set, with the final tie coming at 23-23 before ECU took home their second set and took the lead 2-0 heading into set three.
Set Three
The third set started in similar fashion as set two until the Irish started to pull away after a tied set at 10-10. Notre Dame took the lead 17-12 and with kills from Ross, Tarnoff, and Schrader, the Irish were on the verge of taking home set three at 21-16. Errors from the Pirates coupled with two kills from Lucy Trump gave the Irish the third set win at 25-18.
Set Four
After taking the lead at 10-9, the Irish were able to maintain the lead the rest of set four. ECU would play a close game, never allowing Notre Dame to pull away by more than three unitl the Irish took the lead 18-14 and would go on to defeat the Pirates by seven at 25-18.
Set Five
In the fifth and final set, Notre Dame came out strong, taking an early lead at 8-3 and forcing ECU to take a timeout. The Irish maintained their five point lead (12-7) and with an ace from Trump and a kill from Winkler, Notre Dame won 15-8 and took home their second win of the season.
GAME TWO VS. OLD DOMINION
Notre Dame defeated the Monarchs in their second five set battle of the day. After taking down Old Dominion in five (14-25, 25-26, 25-20, 20-25, 15-12), the Irish are now on a two game winning streak heading into the final match of the Quest for the Crown Tournament tomorrow against Navy.
Winkler had a career-night in an Irish uniform as she led the way with 16 kills and five blocks, followed by Clare Delaplane with 14 kills and two blocks. Ross also chipped in another 13 kills on the day and Schrader dished out an impressive 44 assists.
Set One
The Irish trailed early and found themselves struggling to close the gap as they trailed 12-4 to the Monarchs in set one. Old Dominion would take a 14 point lead at 23-9 as Notre Dame tried their best to dig themselves out of the 14 point deficit, but fell to the Monarchs 25-14.
Set Two
It was a completely different narrative for the Irish in set two as they came out strong and posted a 10-6 lead over Old Dominion. Kills from Ross and Delaplane allowed the Irish to extend their lead to five (16-11), and then eight (23-15) with two kills from Winkler and another from Ross. Notre Dame took home set two 25-16 and made it an even 1-1 heading into the third set.
Set Three
The Irish and Monarchs played a close set three, with neither team being able to easily pull away from the other. After a tied 10-10 set, Notre Dame went on a 12-6 run to take the lead 22-16 until the Monarchs made a run to close the gap at 23-20. A kill from Winkler and an ace from Schrader gave the Irish the 2-1 advantage as they took home set three 25-20.
Set Four
The Monarchs took the lead early as the Irish trailed by three at 9-6 and again at 15-12. Notre Dame brought it within two at 17-15, but ODU would go on to extend the lead at 22-15. Despite Notre Dame’s late efforts, the Monarchs made it an even 2-2 and took the Irish into their second fifth set of the day.
Set Five
It was an even start for the Irish and Monarchs at 5-5 and two service aces from Trump would give the Irish a 7-5 edge. A kill from Delaplane allowed the Irish to maintain the 8-6 lead and after each swapped errors, it was still a two point set at 11-9. A block from Schrader extended the lead to three at 12-9, but the Monarchs closed the gap to 12-11. Back-to-back kills from Winkler put Notre Dame just one point away from their second win of the day and after a service error from Old Dominion, the Irish took home the fifth and final set 15-12.