SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-3, 1-1) took home their first conference win of the season as they took down the Cal Golden Bears (8-6, 0-2) in four sets on Sunday, Sept. 29 (25-20, 13-25, 25-16, 25-15).
The Irish were led by Phyona Schrader, who recorded her sixth triple-double of the season, tallying 12 kills, 13 digs, 18 assists, and a .429 hitting percentage. Sydney Palazzolo also recorded 12 kills and a team-best 4 service aces. Morgan Gaerte, Lucy Trump, and Grace Langer each recorded three blocks a piece.
The first set was back and forth with eight ties and three lead changes as the Irish trailed 15-13 at the media timeout. Recording a match-high 17 kills in the set, the Irish outscored the Golden Bears 12-5 to secure the set one win 25-20.
While the Irish offense led the way in the first set, Cal’s offense picked up in the second as they hit .464 in set two. Notre Dame trailed by four at 16-12 before the Golden Bears took set two 25-13.
Looking to take home another set win, the Irish posted an early 13-8 lead to force a Cal timeout. The Golden Bears brought it within four at 16-12, but a 4-0 Irish run that included back-to-back Palazzolo aces would push the Irish ahead 20-12. Notre Dame took the 2-1 advantage heading into set four after winning set three 25-16.
Carrying their momentum from set three, the Irish offense had its most efficient set of the day as they hit .500 and tallied 16 kills in set four. Leading 17-12, Notre Dame would outscore the Golden Bears 8-3 to seal the deal on their first ACC win of the season.
The Irish are back in Purcell this weekend as they host No. 13 Georgia Tech on Friday, Oct. 4 and Clemson on Sunday, Oct. 6.