Nov. 24, 2017
By Robby Hamman
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. — Notre Dame (22-9, 12-8 ACC) finished the regular season in fashion on Friday, sweeping Boston College (25-23, 25-23, 25-17) to record its 22nd victory. The Irish now wait to see if they will be invited to the NCAA Championships, as the selection committee will reveal the bracket to the field at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 24 on ESPNU.
In the win, Ryann DeJarld set the Notre Dame program record for digs in a career, with 1,792 digs. To make the feat more impressive, DeJarld is just a junior. The libero finished with a team-high 20 digs to help the Irish win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish used a 4-0 run midway through the first set to take an 18-13 lead, its largest of the frame. The Eagles answered by cutting the Notre Dame advantage to just one on five occasions but the Irish fended off the comeback attempts and took the opening set 25-23 to gain an early 1-0 lead in the match. Sydney Kuhn had a huge first set, producing eight kills on just 16 swings.
The second stanza was tight throughout but the Irish held a 21-18 advantage late in the set. Boston College answered with four straight points to take its first lead of the frame at 22-21. The Irish dug in and came up with a great response, winning four of the final five points off two Rebecca Nunge kills and one apiece from Kuhn and Fry to win the set 25-23 and take a commanding 2-0 lead in the match.
Trailing 5-3 early in the third, the Irish ripped off seven straight points to go up 10-5 in the third. Notre Dame led by as many as seven points in the third set at 15-8. The Eagles tried to claw their way back into the fame, cutting the lead to three points at 17-14 but the Irish would not let the hosts get any closer. Notre Dame closed out the match by taking the third set 25-17 to secure the straight-set win.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Sydney Kuhn had a tremendous day, pacing the Irish attack with a team-high 17 kills to finish with a hitting percentage of .372 (17-1-43). The 17 kills are tied for the second most Kuhn has had in a match this season. The senior also added seven digs and four blocks to complete her day.
STATS OF THE MATCH
Senior setter Caroline Holt became just the ninth player in Notre Dame program history to surpass the 2,000 career assist mark on Friday. Holt has 2,034 career digs in less than two seasons of play. The senior has 1,200 assists during the 2017 campaign.
NOTES OF THE MATCH
- Notre Dame improves to 17-4 against Boston College in the all-time series and has won each of the last three showdowns.
- The Irish finish the regular season by winning six of their final seven matches.
- Notre Dame posted 10+ team blocks for the 19th time this year.
- Sam Fry has finished with double-digit blocks three times during her senior campaign, posting a season-high 11 in the win over Boston College
- DeJarld has now recorded with 20+ digs in 23 matches this season.
- With 11 digs, Johnson has reached double figures in digs in 16 matches during the 2017 campaign.
- Sydney Kuhn finished with double-digit digs in a match for the 15th time this season, registering 17 against the Eagles.
- Freshman Madison Cruzado logged 10 digs, marking the third time she has reached double figures in the statistical category this year.
UP NEXT
The NCAA selection committee will set the field for the NCAA Championships at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 26. The selection show will be broadcast on ESPNU.
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— 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.