Oct. 21, 2016
By Robby Hamman
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Notre Dame continued its road dominance on Friday evening, recording a straight-set win over Pittsburgh to improve to 17-4 on the season and 8-1 in the ACC. The Irish are now 9-1 in matches away from home, including a perfect record of 4-0 in conference play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Notre Dame has been flawless in the opening sets over the last month of play, as the Irish won the first frame on Friday for the ninth straight outing. The Irish controlled play throughout the first set and took the opener by a score of 25-19. The second set was tight in the early stages but the Irish methodically built a four-point lead at 19-15 before comfortably taking the second stanza 25-20 to lead the match 2-0.
The third set was the closest of the evening, as the Panthers led for the majority of the frame. Trailing 15-16, Notre Dame claimed seven of the next eight points to put the Irish on the verge of victory. A kill by Sam Fry delivered Notre Dame the set at 25-21 and give the team a 3-0 win.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Rebecca Nunge led the Irish attack, posting a team-high 10 kills on 25 attempts. The sophomore also added three digs and three blocks. Friday marks the sixth match that Nunge has reached double figures in the kill category.
NOTRE DAME STAT OF THE MATCH
The Irish continued its excellence from behind the service line against Pitt. Notre Dame entered the match ranked sixth nationally in aces per set with an average 1.93 per set. The Irish hammered out six aces on the night to keep up their average on the season.
NOTES OF THE MATCH
- Notre Dame has won nine of its last 10 matches.
- The Irish extended its lead in the all-time series against Pitt to 24-10.
- 12 of Notre Dame’s 17 wins have come in straight sets, including six in ACC play.
- The Irish improve to 9-1 when playing away from Purcell Pavilion in 2016.
- Notre Dame has now won the opening set in nine straight matches.
- The Irish registered six aces, with Sam Fry posting three and Ryann DeJarld adding two.
- Caroline Holt posted 31 assists in the match and has now had 30+ assists in 19-of-21 outings.
- DeJarld recorded 15+ assists for the 12th time this season with 16 in the victory.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame has a quick turnaround, as it has a match at Virginia Tech at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 23. The Irish then return to Purcell Pavilion to take on Miami at 7 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 28 and No. 12 Florida State at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 30.
To purchase tickets visit UND.com/BuyTickets.
— ND —
Robby Hamman joined Fighting Irish Media as athletics communications assistant director in September 2016, coordinating efforts for the volleyball and men’s lacrosse program. Hamman is a 2010 graduate of Bethel College, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in sport management and business administration, and earned his master’s degree in business administration from Defiance College in 2013.