CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — #18 Notre Dame rallied from an 0-2 deficit to force a fifth set, but ultimately fell to North Carolina in five sets (23-25, 21-25, 25-21, 25-18, 9-15) on Sunday afternoon inside Carmichael Arena.
Charley Niego paced the Irish attack with 21 kills, putting her weekend total at 40, and added 10 digs for her fifth double-double in the last seven matches. Caroline Meuth added 14 kills and narrowly missed a double-double with nine digs.
Zoe Nunez earned a team-high 24 digs to go with 47 assists. Hattie Monson (19D) and Kiara Schmidt (16D) also collected double-digit digs.
Hannah Thompson led the Irish with seven total blocks while Meuth added five blocks and Lindsey Miller totaled three blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
A 4-0 run, including a kill and an ace by Niego, gave the Irish an 11-8 edge before the Tar Heels earned nine of the next 11 points to go up 17-13.
Another 4-0 Irish streak with two kills by Thompson put Notre Dame ahead 21-10, but North Carolina took five of the next seven points to take the frame, 25-23.
Second Set
The Irish jumped out to a 7-4 lead in the second stanza before North Carolina evened the set at 9-all. From there, the set remained within two points until the Tar Heels closed the frame with three straight points to win 25-21.
Third Set
The Irish reversed a 12-11 deficit with a 4-0 run, including two kills by Meuth, to go up 15-12.
From there, Notre Dame held at least a two-point advantage with Meuth and Niego combining for five kills down the stretch in a 25-21 win.
Fourth Set
Three kills by Niego and two from Meuth helped Notre Dame jump out to an 11-6 lead in the fourth frame. The Tar Heels got back within two at 16-14 before the Irish responded with a 6-1 run with two blocks by Thompson to lead 22-15. Another kill by Niego clinched a 25-18 set win and forced a decisive fifth stanza.
Fifth Set
A kill by Meuth pushed Notre Dame’s lead to 4-2, but North Carolina answered with an 11-3 stretch to take control of the frame and eventually earn a 15-9 triumph in the final set.
Up Next
- #18 Notre Dame (11-3, 11-3 ACC*) returns home for Senior Night against Clemson this Friday (March 26).
- Opening serve from Purcell Pavilion is set for 7 p.m. ET and the match will be streamed live via ACC Network Extra.
*NOTE: Notre Dame’s contest against Virginia, originally slated for next Sunday (March 28) has been declared a no contest following Virginia’s cancellation of their spring season. The Irish receive a win for the purposes of ACC Standings, but not an official victory on their record.
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