Sept. 10, 2011
Box Score | Box Score 
| Gameday Chat
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Freshman Jeni Houser matched a career-high with 19 kills and senior Kristen Dealy added 14 more but Portland staged a late-match rally to post a 3-2 (27-25, 25-22, 10-25, 14-25, 16-14) non-conference volleyball win over Notre Dame at Purcell Pavilion. Saturday’s defeat at the Golden Dome Invitational dropped Notre Dame’s record to 4-3 as Portland improved to 4-6.
Portland won the first two sets before Notre Dame handily took the next two. The Pilots pulled away by scoring three straight when the Irish had match-point in the fifth.
The Irish wrap up the invite Sunday at 1:00 p.m. (ET) against Valparaiso. Live video, audio and stats will be available at UND.com.
Dealy and sophomore Andrea McHugh each recorded a double-double as McHugh finished with 12 kills and 17 digs. Dealy had 14 digs and senior Frenchy Silva scooped 15 shots.
Freshman Toni Alugbue fired in eight kills while blocking a team-high seven shots.
Sophomore Sammie Brown had 32 assists and eight digs, while Notre Dame out-hit Portland .245 to .171.
Portland hit -.036 in the third and -.030 in the fourth. Notre Dame hit .500 in the third.
Marissa Plummer had 10 kills to lead the Pilots as Kati Hronek and Autumn Wedan both had 10.
Notre Dame hit .154 in the first and had set-point at 24-23. Portland scored two straight before its service error tied it at 25-25, but the Pilots tacked on two more for the extended-frame win.
Portland went ahead in the second, 10-4, and Notre Dame eventually closed to a single score at 23-22. A Wedan kill came before Monica Jordan and Plummer blocked Dealy’s attack on set-point.
Houser had five kills in the second for the Irish.
Portland scored the first point after intermission prior to seeing McHugh serve Notre Dame to a 7-1 lead. Alugbue’s serve extended that lead to 14-2 and the Pilots managed just eight more points in the set.
The momentum stayed in Notre Dame’s hands to kick off the fourth stanza in the form of a 7-0 opening run. Portland pulled to within 9-5 but an 8-3 Irish jaunt put the period out of reach. Freshman Kathleen Severyn dropped an ace at 24-14 with Houser pounding her fourth kill of the fourth to force a fifth and final set.
There were 10 ties and five lead changes in the fifth and Notre Dame had match-point at 14-13. Houser swung for an error to give Portland a chance at 14-14. The Pilots sandwiched a pair of points between Notre Dame timeouts to earn the win.