NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The Notre Dame volleyball team earned a 3-1 victory over Wake Forest to improve to 10-5 overall and 4-1 in the ACC. The first three sets were all decided by a 25-17 score, with the Irish taking the first and third stanzas to earn a 2-1 lead before taking the fourth set, 25-20.
Junior Jemma Yeadon led the Irish attack with 16 kills, while freshman Sydney Bent was right behind with 15 and freshman Charley Niego added 14. Freshman Zoe Nunez dished out a team-high 44 assists.
Senior Ryann DeJarld paced Notre Dame defensively with 25 digs while Niego notched 14 throughout the four sets.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
In what was their first match at home in nearly three weeks, the Irish controlled the opening set from start to finish. Notre Dame jumped out to an 8-4 advantage following kills by Meg Morningstar and Bent. Holding a 21-16 lead, the Irish ended the first frame on a 4-1 streak to earn the 25-17 victory. Notre Dame was stout defensively in the set, holding the Demon Deacons to a hitting percentage of .026 while striking offensively at a .276 mark.
Second Set
The second set was a back-and-forth affair early on with the two sides trading 3-0 runs to open play. The Demon Deacons took control of the stanza when they rattled off 11 of 13 points to take a 19-13 lead en route to a 25-17 win.
Third Set
The momentum continued to favor Wake Forest as the Demon Deacons captured the first five points of the third set. The Irish responded with a six-point streak of their own to take the lead. The sides remained close until Notre Dame utilized a 5-1 run to go up 17-12. A pair of kills by Yeadon sealed the 25-17 win for the Irish and a 2-1 lead for the hosts.
Fourth Set
In a hard-fought fourth set that featured seven ties, Notre Dame prevailed, 25-20, to clinch the 3-1 victory at home. The teams were all square at 17 points apiece before an Irish 7-1 run, which featured a two kills by Niego, all but sealed the deal. Yeadon’s game-high 16th kill notched the clinching point for Notre Dame.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Yeadon’s 16 kills were here second-highest total of her season (18 at NC State). She has now hit the double-digit kill mark in five of the last six matches.
UP NEXT
The Irish return to Purcell Pavilion take on Duke on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. That contest will air on ACC Network Extra.
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