SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Volleyball team took the first two sets against sixth-ranked Pittsburgh Friday night in Purcell Pavilion, but ultimately fell in five sets. The Irish are now 7-8 overall and 4-3 in Atlantic Coast Conference play.
Notre Dame got off to a fast start, winning the first two sets 27-25. The Irish had 21.0 total blocks on the night, the most since October 2, 2022 against Clemson. 13.0 of those blocks came in the first two sets. Grace Langer tallied 10.0 blocks, her second career game in double digit blocks and just one shy of her career high. Anna Bjork recorded eight total blocks while Chichi Nnaji and Mae Kordas each had six of their own.
Gaerte led the offense with 16 kills, her 15th-straight game with double-digit kills. Sydney Helmers added 11 kills while Nnaji tied her career-high with 10 kills.
To go along with her 11 kills, Helmers also had 12 digs, her second-career double-double.
Harmony Sample dished out 22 assists while also recording a team-leading three service aces. Maya Baker recorded 18 assists and Maya Evens led the team with 18 digs.
Notre Dame will look to bounce back against on Sunday when the Irish host No. 8 SMU. First serve is set for 1 p.m.