TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The Notre Dame volleyball team earned a road sweep (25-20, 27-25, 25-19) over Florida State on Friday night at Tully Gym.
With the victory, the Irish improve to 17-6 overall and 10-3 in conference play.
Charley Niego led Notre Dame with 17 kills with a hitting percentage of .325. Sydney Bent added 13 kills while Zoe Nunez earned 42 assists in the three sets for the Irish attack.
Madison Cruzado earned a game-high 19 digs while Nunez earned 13 digs and Niego notched 10 digs for the Notre Dame defense.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The sides opened play in a 5-5 tie before a 4-0 Irish run gave Notre Dame a 9-5 lead. After taking a timeout, the Seminoles earned six of the next eight points to even the frame at 11-all. The Irish used a 5-1 stretch, which included an ace by Paige McKnight, to go up 17-13. Florida State cut the Irish lead to 19-17 before Notre Dame rattled off five of six points to lead 24-18. A kill by Kristin Baer clinched the 25-20 set win for the Irish. As a team, the Irish earned 16 kills and 19 digs in the frame.
Second Set
Back-to-back aces by Meuth helped the Irish earn a 4-0 lead before two straight kills by Bent extended the advantage to 9-3. The Seminoles got back in it with an 8-2 stretch to tie the set at 14-all. The Irish responded by converting five of the next seven points to take a 19-16 lead and force a Florida State timeout. Once again, the Seminoles came back to tie the frame at 20-20. A kill by Baer put the Irish up 24-22, but Florida State earned two straight points to make it 24-all. A kill by Niego and a Seminoles’ attack error finally clinched a 27-25 Irish victory and gave the visitors a 2-0 lead.
Third Set
A 7-1 run propelled the Irish to an 9-4 advantage to begin the third stanza. Florida State earned four consecutive points to make it 9-8 before a 4-1 Irish streak put the visitors up 13-9. The Irish used a 6-0 run, which included two straight kills by Meuth, to extend their lead to 21-12. A kill by Baer sealed the 25-19 set win and the road sweep for Notre Dame.