BLACKSBURG, Va. — The Notre Dame volleyball team rallied from a first-set loss to take down Virginia Tech in four sets (19-25, 25-11, 25-22, 27-25) Friday night in Blacksburg.
With the win, the Irish improve to 14-4 overall and 7-1 in the ACC.
Freshman Caroline Meuth led the Irish with a career-high 26 kills while also notching 12 digs. Zoe Nunez racked up 40 assists for the Irish offense.
Defensively, Madison Cruzado led Notre Dame with 16 digs while Charley Niego added 15 digs and Nunez notched 12 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The sides traded 3-0 runs en route to a 6-6 deadlock to open play. A 4-1 stretch for Virginia Tech staked the Hokies a 10-8 advantage before the Irish eventually tied the frame 16-16. However, the Hokies responded by closed the stanza on a 9-3 stretch to take the set, 25-19.
Second Set
Three kills by Meuth helped the Irish earn an 9-2 lead to open the second set. Notre Dame maintained at least a seven-point cushion the rest of the way en route to a 25-11 set win to even the match. As a team, the Irish hit a whopping .429 while limiting Virginia Tech to a hitting percentage of -.067.
Third Set
The Hokies earned a 6-0 lead to open the third frame and force a Notre Dame timeout. After Virginia Tech opened up a 16-8 advantage, a 3-0 Irish run cut the lead to 16-11. Another 4-0 streak put the Irish within three at 22-19 and forced a Virginia Tech timeout. After the break, the Irish extended their streak to 10 straight points to win the set, 25-22, and take a 2-1 lead in the match. The run included five straight kills to close the frame, including three by Monroe Olsen.
Fourth Set
Two kills by Kristin Baer propelled the Irish to a 7-2 lead to begin the fourth set. Virginia Tech answered with five consecutive points to even the set at 7-7. The frame remained within one point until a 7-2 Irish stretch staked Notre Dame a 20-15 lead. Back-to-back kills by the Hokies cut the Irish advantage to 20-17 before another 3-0 run by the hosts evened the set at 23-23. Each side was unable to convert a set point before Notre Dame put the Hokies away, 27-25.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame returns to Purcell Pavilion for a pair of matches next weekend against Pittsburgh and Virginia. The Irish take on the Panthers on Friday, October 25th at 7 p.m. before meeting the Cavaliers on Sunday, October 27th at 1 p.m. Both matches will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra. For tickets, click here.
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—ND—