NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The University of Notre Dame volleyball team improved to 3-1 with a decisive 3-0 victory over Valparaiso on Wednesday night inside Purcell Pavilion.
Freshman Caroline Meuth paced the Irish attack with 11 kills while also notching 15 digs. Sydney Bent added 10 kills, Charley Niego recorded nine kills and Lauren Wenzel notched eight kills. Zoe Nunez tallied 43 assists on the night for the Irish attack.
Freshman Kiara Schmidt led Notre Dame with 20 digs over the three sets. As a Team, the Irish limited Valpo to just a .067 hitting percentage in the match. Niego (13) and Nunez (11) also hit the double-digit dig mark. Kristin Baer led the Irish with a trio of block assists.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
The Irish opened the match trading points with Valpo before opening up a 15-11 behind three kills by Meuth. The Irish then earned four of the next six paints to earn their largest lead of the set at 19-13. Valparaiso battled back to come within one of the Irish, 22-21, before Notre Dame won the set, 25-23. The Irish tallied 15 kills as a team in the frame, including four by Bent. Nunez racked up 15 assists in the stanza.
Second Set
The second set featured 10 ties and three lead changes en route to a 12-12 tie. After the Crusaders earned a 14-12 lead, the Irish rattled off 10 straight points to take a 22-14 advantage. Valpo cut the Irish lead to 22-17 before two kills by Niego and a set-clinching kill by Baer gave Notre Dame the 25-17 win and 2-0 lead.
Third Set
The third stanza also began as a back-and-forth affair, with the teams trading the lead four times before being knotted at 13-13. Valpo earned the next three points to take a 16-13 advantage, but the hosts responded with a 8-4 streak to lead 21-17. The Crusaders fought back to come within one, 24-23, before a kill by Niego ended the match and secured a sweep for the Irish.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame (3-1) returns to Purcell on Friday, September 6, for a 7 p.m. ET matchup against No. 18 Purdue. That contest is set to be streamed live via ACC Network Extra. For tickets, click here.
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