SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame volleyball team secured the ‘Pink Game’ sweep Friday night inside Purcell Pavilion, taking down Virginia 25-19, 25-22, 25-17. The Irish improved to 6-7 on the season and 3-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference play. It’s the third sweep of a conference opponent for Notre Dame this season and the fifth overall.
The Irish got a huge lift from Sydney Helmers. The junior broke out, going for a career-high 17 kills to lead Notre Dame. It was the third game in double digits for Helmers and the second against a conference opponent (Syracuse, 12 kills). Helmers had seven of those kills in the opening set, including the set clincher, to set the tone.
For the second-straight game, Mae Kordas set a career-high in kills. This time, the freshman notched 10, her first double-digit kill game of her young career. Kordas hit .556, leading the team.
Morgan Gaerte finished the evening with 10 kills, making it 13-straight matches of double-digit kills to begin the season. She also surpassed 200 on the season, making her just the seventh player in the conference to do so.
Maya Baker (17 assists) and Harmony Sample (15 assists) set up a potent Notre Dame offensive attack, while Lucy Trump and Anna Bjork both had a pair of service aces. Trump’s second service ace clinched the second set for the Irish.
Notre Dame will look to continue the momentum when Virginia Tech comes to town Sunday for a 1:00 p.m. serve. The match will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra and posters and postgame autographs will be available for fans.
How it happened
Set 1
- On the first offensive possession for the Irish, Gaerte flushed a kill past the backrow of Virginia, marking the 200th of the season for the sophomore
- Notre Dame opened the game on a 7-4 run behind kills from Gaerte, Helmers and Kordas
- Irish lead 15-10 at the media timeout behind four early kills from Helmers
- Helmers finished with seven kills in the set, including the set clincher
- Notre Dame hit .324 in the opening frame while holding Virginia to just .067
Set 2
- A 3-0 run for Notre Dame gave the Irish an early 9-8 lead highlighted by back-to-back Gaerte kills
- Down 14-16, the Irish ripped off a 6-1 run to take a 20-17 lead behind a pair of assists and a kill from Harmony Sample
- Helmers’ notched her 11th and 12th kill of the game on consecutive possessions to put Notre Dame up 23-20
- Trump sealed the second set with a beautiful ace, deflecting off a Cavalier that gave the Irish a 2-0 lead.Â
Set 3
- Helmers secured a career-high with her 13th kill of the game, this time a back row attack, to tie the third set at four-all.
- After falling behind by three, Notre Dame clawed back to take a 15-13 lead at the media timeout
- After a Virginia 3-0 run made it 18-17 Irish, Notre Dame never looked back, closing the match on a 7-0 run to win the set 25-17 and sweep the match.