SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish advanced to 4-2 on the year after taking down the Oklahoma Sooners (5-2) in the final game of the Irish Invitational on Saturday, September 9 at Purcell Pavilion. It was truly a five set thriller in South Bend as both the Irish and Sooners battled to the very end until Notre Dame was able to come out on top (27-29, 25-21, 14-25, 25-22, 18-16). After going 2-0 on the weekend, Notre Dame took home the Irish Invitational title as they protected their home court against Illinois and Oklahoma.
“This was a very important weekend for Irish Volleyball,” said head coach Salima Rockwell “Beating two very good teams in Illinois and Oklahoma will help us tremendously as we move forward through the season. We learned a lot about ourselves and what we are capable of.”
Sydney Palazzolo led the way as the outside hitter recorded 25 kills at a .310 clip. She was followed by Phyona Schrader and Ava Lange, who each finished with 10 kills a piece. Schrader also recorded a team-best .400 hitting percentage and chipped in two blocks.
Lauren Tarnoff and Nicole Drewnick’s efforts at the net were crucial as they finished with five blocks and four blocks respectively. Drewnick also dished out 45 assists for the Irish offense tonight.
The Irish were off to a strong start on the day as they were able to post an early 8-3 lead in set one until the Oklahoma offense took off. The Sooners led 21-16, but the Irish weren’t going anywhere. With two kills from Palazzolo and a kill from Schrader, it was a tied set at 23-23. Tied at 24-24, 25-25, and 26-26, an Ava Lange kill would give Notre Dame the advantage at 27-26. Despite the Irish’s late efforts, the Sooners would close out the set with a 3-0 run to take home set one 29-27.
While Oklahoma led 2-0 to start, the Irish claimed the lead 3-2 and retained the lead for the rest of set two. Palazzolo recorded an impressive nine kills and an efficient .412 hitting percentage for the Irish in the second set and helped guide Notre Dame to a 25-21 win.
Tied at 1-1 heading into set three, the Sooners were able to take the 2-1 advantage as they won the third 25-14.
Oklahoma carried the momentum from their set three win into set four as the Sooners claimed the early advantage at 11-7. The Irish responded with a 6-0 run sparked by a Schrader kill to take the lead 13-11. It was back and forth between the two squads until it was tied at 20-20. A Sooner ace forced the Irish timeout as Notre Dame trailed 21-20. The Irish would outscore Oklahoma 5-1 to close out set four with a 25-22 win to make an even 2-2 heading into a competitive set five.
The Irish came out swinging as a Palazzolo kill gave the Irish a 5-2 lead and forced a Sooners timeout. Tied at 10-10, back-to-back Oklahoma errors gave Notre Dame a 12-10 edge. However, the Sooners strung together a 4-0 run to put themselves in front at 14-12. The Irish were resilient in their efforts as they tied it up yet again at 14-14. The two programs swapped points until the 16-16 mark, but another Oklahoma error coupled with a Lange solo block would put an end to the set five battle as Notre Dame claimed the 18-16 victory in the final set.
“This team plays together, with heart, and they are patient beyond belief,” said Rockwell. “What I loved the most was their ability to have productive conversations during time outs about our game plan, and they didn’t let big plays by our opponents rattle them. They were composed and learned how to battle when things got tight. I’m incredibly proud of the team and the staff for working so hard.”
The Irish are back in action on Friday, Sept. 15 at home as Notre Dame takes on Toledo inside of Purcell Pavilion.