Sept. 29, 2017
By Robby Hamman
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Notre Dame (10-4) could not shake off a slow start on Friday night against Miami (9-0), as the Irish comeback attempt fell short and the Hurricanes took the match by a final of 3-1 (25-22, 25-23, 11-25, 32-30). Notre Dame had a number of set points in the fourth frame but was unable to convert and force the fifth set.
Sophomores Lauren Woodard and Jemma Yeadon each posted 13 kills to lead the Irish and Rebecca Nunge also finished in double figures with 10. Ryann DeJarld paced Notre Dame in digs with 31, while Sam Fry blocked a team-high eight attacks over the four frames.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish jumped out to a 12-7 lead in the first set, using a 5-0 run at 7-7 to open the advantage. However, the Hurricanes answered with a 5-0 run of their own to draw level at 12-12. Miami then went on to take the first frame by a score of 25-22 to open a 1-0 lead in the match.
The second set was a see-saw battle with both sides struggling to take control. The Irish won a marathon point late in the stanza, highlighted by a beautiful pancake dig from Natalie Johnson and capped by a block from Sam Fry and Caroline Holt to take a 20-17 lead. Despite winning the point, the Hurricanes managed to battle back and take the frame 25-23 to go on top 2-0 in the match.
Notre Dame came out of the intermission locked in and absolutely dominated the third set, taking it by a score of 25-11 to make the match score 2-1 in favor of the guests. Notre Dame jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead and never looked back, as it breezed through the rest of the set. The Irish held Miami to a hitting percentage of -0.154 in the set.
The fourth frame was the longest the Irish have played this season, totaling 62 points. The Hurricanes led 18-14 midway through the stanza but the Irish roared back, reeling off five straight to take a 19-18 advantage. Notre Dame had two chances to force the fifth set, as it led 24-22 but Miami fought off both points. From there both teams had set-point opportunities that they were unable to convert. With the frame level at 30-30, Miami’s Olga Strantzali recorded two straight kills to deliver the Hurricanes the set at 32-20 and the match.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Woodard made a huge impact off the bench for the Irish on Friday. The sophomore was inserted into the match in the third set and made an immediate difference. Woodard finished with a season-high 13 kills over just two sets of play, tying for the team lead for the match. The San Diego native also added two digs and two kills to complete her performance.
ND STAT OF THE MATCH
Notre Dame entered the weekend ranked first in the Atlantic Coast Conference in blocks per set and did nothing but bolster its status against the Hurricanes. The Irish finished the match with 18.0 team blocks, marking the most the team has recorded this season. Fry led the charge with eight, while Meg Morningstar and Rebecca Nunge each added seven.
NOTES OF THE MATCH
- Notre Dame posted 18 team blocks against the Hurricanes and have now recorded 10+ team blocks in nine matches this season.
- DeJarld tallied 30+ digs for the second time this season with 31.
- Natalie Johnson recorded 14 digs and has finished in double figures in digs seven times during the 2017 campaign.
- Fry led the Irish in kills with X and has now recorded eight or more blocks in three matches this season.
- Caroline Holt notched her fifth double-double this season with 37 assists and 12 digs.
- Yeadon has recorded at least 10 kills in all 12 matches she has played in during the 2017 season.
- Yeadon notched her ninth double-double in 2017 (13 kills, 15 digs).
UP NEXT
Notre Dame is back in action at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 1, as the squad welcomes No. 21 Florida State to Purcell Pavilion. Purchase tickets here.
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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.