SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Notre Dame volleyball team fell to Syracuse in four sets (25-14, 26-28, 23-25, 19-25) on Friday night in Syracuse, New York.
Sydney Bent led the Irish attack with 13 kills while Charley Niego and Caroline Meuth each added 11 kills.
Madison Cruzado recorded a team-high 18 digs. Zoe Nunez collected 34 assists to go with 13 digs.
Cruzado and Paige McKnight each notched three aces and as a team the Irish totaled eight service aces in the four sets of play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
A 5-0 Irish run, capped with an ace by McKnight, gave Notre Dame a 7-2 lead to open play. Another four-point streak, which included an ace by Cruzado and a kill by Bent, extended the Irish advantage to 11-4. Notre Dame used a 5-1 stretch to go up 17-7 before the Orange rattled off four straight points to make it 17-11. The Irish closed the set with an 8-3 stretch to win, 25-14, and Cruzado clinched the frame with her second ace of the stanza. As a team, the Irish totaled four aces in the set while also hitting .316.
Second Set
The Irish erased a 7-5 deficit with five straight points to take a 10-7 lead. Syracuse responded be earning four of the next five points to even the frame at 11-all. An Irish 3-0 run, which included back-to-back kills by Meuth, restored a 15-12 advantage for Notre Dame. The Orange answered again with a 5-1 stretch to take a 17-16 lead and force an Irish timeout. After the break, three kills by Bent helped the Irish earn a 23-21 advantage. The Orange rallied to tie the set, 23-23, and each side failed to convert two set-point opportunities en route to a 26-all deadlock. Back-to-back Orange points gave the hosts a 28-26 set win to even the match.
Third Set
A 4-0 run helped Notre Dame earn a 7-3 advantage to open the third set. Three straight points extended the Irish lead to 11-5 before four consecutive Syracuse points made it 11-9. The Orange tied the frame at 14-all before a 4-1 Irish spurt put Notre Dame up 21-17. Syracuse responded with a 8-2 stretch to take the set, 25-23, and earn a 2-1 lead.
Fourth Set
Syracuse earned an 10-5 lead to begin the fourth set before the Irish used a 5-1 run to cut Syracuse’s lead to 12-10. The Irish got within two again at 15-13, but the Orange answered with a 7-1 streak to lead 21-14. Syracuse held on to take the fourth set, 25-19.
UP NEXT
The Irish (15-6, 8-3 ACC) stay on the road to take on Boston College this Sunday, November 3rd at 1 p.m. That match in Chestnut Hill is set to be streamed live via ACC Network Extra.
FOLLOW US ON SOCIAL MEDIA
For a behind the scenes look at the Notre Dame volleyball program follow the Irish on Twitter (@NDvolleyball), Instagram (@ndvball) and Facebook (/NDVolleyball).
—ND—