SYRACUSE, NY – The Fighting Irish take home their first ACC win as they upset the Orange and give Syracuse their first ACC loss this season. The Irish defeated the Orange in a three set sweep (25-21, 25-23, 25-20) and were led by Paris Thompson who finished with a career-high 20 kills and a .310 hitting percentage. Avery Ross chipped in nine kills, followed by Kaylyn Winkler who finished with eight kills and three blocks. Phyona Schrader also dished out 34 assists for the Irish.
SET ONE
It was back and forth between the Irish and Orange to start set one, but the Irish started to pull away after being tied at 12-12. The Irish went on a 3-0 run to make it 15-12 and while the Orange closed the gap to one at 16-15, Syracuse never regained the lead in the first. The Irish extended the lead to four at 23-19 and with two kills from Thompson to close the set, Notre Dame took home set one 25-21.
SET TWO
The Irish came out strong, posting a 4-1 lead to start until the Orange took their first lead of the set at 7-6. A kill from Charity McDowell sparked a 7-0 run for the Irish, where they took the lead 13-7. Syracuse responded with a 6-1 run to bring it within one at 14-13, but kills from Thompson and Winkler helped extend the Irish lead to 19-15. The Orange brought it back within one at 22-21, but two kills from Ross made it a 24-22 set. Thompson sent home another kill to give the Irish a 25-23 set two victory and Notre Dame took the 2-0 advantage heading into set three.
SET THREE
Notre Dame claimed an early 10-6 lead over the Orange, but Syracuse made it an even 12-12 in no time. The Orange took the lead at 15-14, but a 6-2 run by the Irish gave Notre Dame the 20-17 advantage. Syracuse closed the gap to one at 20-19, but a kill from Winkler and a block from Tarnoff and Winkler gave the Irish a 22-19 lead and forced a Syracuse timeout. Another Winkler kill, an ace from Hattie Monson, and one final kill from Thomson gave the Irish the sweep as they took home set three 25-20.
UP NEXT
The Irish will travel to Boston College to take on the Eagles at 4:00 on Sunday, Oct. 9.