Nov. 23, 2016
By Robby Hamman
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Notre Dame (21-10, 12-7 ACC) controlled the match from the opening serve on Wednesday evening inside Purcell Pavilion, posting an emphatic 3-0 sweep of Boston College (8-21, 3-16 ACC) by final set scores of 25-8, 25-19 and 25-17.
The Irish defense was in impressive form against the Eagles, recording 17.5 blocks and holding the visitors to a hitting percentage of just .019. With the victory, Notre Dame sweeps the season series against the Eagles, as it recorded a 3-0 win at Boston College on October 9 earlier this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Notre Dame played arguably its best set of the season in the first frame against Boston College, winning by a final of 25-8. The eight points are the fewest points the Irish have allowed in a set all season. Notre Dame used 11-2 and 7-0 runs to do much of the damage.
The second set was much more competitive but the Irish still managed to win fairly comfortably by a score of 25-19, which would be the closest set of the night. Junior Sam Fry hammered home four kills on just seven attempts in the frame and senior Katie Higgins led the defense with four blocks to secure the second set for Notre Dame.
The third set was tied at 7-7 early before Notre Dame won 10 of the next 12 points to take control of the stanza at 17-9. The Irish went on to win the set 25-17 to complete the 3-0 sweep over the Eagles.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Freshman outside hitter Jemma Yeadon is finishing the regular season like an experienced veteran, as the Mercer Island, Washington native led the team in kills with 11 to record 10-plus kills for her fifth straight match. Yeadon set the tone early, recording six kills in the first set. The freshman also posted two digs and two blocks in the victory.
STAT OF THE MATCH
The Irish hit .524 as a team in the first set of the evening, recording 12 kills on 21 attempts while only commiting one error. The first set performance marks the first time Notre Dame has hit .500 or better in a set since doing so at Georgia Tech in October 2014.
NOTABLES
- Notre Dame improves to 16-4 against Boston College in the all-time series.
- The Irish have won 16-of-19 first sets in ACC play this season.
- The sweep is Notre Dame’s 16th of the season and 10th in conference matches.
- Boston College’s .019 hitting percentage of the match is the lowest Notre Dame has allowed this season.
- The Irish posted 17.5 blocks on the evening, marking the fifth time the team has had 15.0-plus blocks in a match during the 2016 campaign.
- With five aces, Notre Dame has now recorded five or more in 24-of-31 matches.
- Sophomore libero Ryann DeJarld led the Irish with 14 digs and has now reached double figures in 28-of-31 matches in 2016.
- Higgins’ eight blocks are tied for the second most she has achieved this season.
- Yeadon has now had 10-plus kills in 18 matches this season.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame hosts Syracuse in the regular season finale at 1 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25 in Purcell Pavilion. The Senior Day ceremony will be held prior to the match.
To purchase Notre Dame volleyball tickets visit UND.com/BuyTickets.
— ND —
Robby Hamman joined Fighting Irish Media as athletics communications assistant director in September 2016, coordinating efforts for the volleyball and men’s lacrosse program. Hamman is a 2010 graduate of Bethel College, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in sport management and business administration, and earned his master’s degree in business administration from Defiance College in 2013.