Nov. 23, 2014
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – NC State picked up its first Atlantic Coast Conference road win of the season Sunday afternoon with a 3-0 sweep (25-23, 25-22, 25-23) of the University of Notre Dame volleyball team at Purcell Pavilion.
In a match that featured 22 ties and eight lead changes, the Irish had absolutely no answer for the NC State offense, as the visitors pounded home a remarkable 53 kills (.375A%) for a three-set match. The Wolfpack (15-13, 4-12 ACC) totaled 17 in the first set, 20 in the second and 16 in the third.
NC State’s dynamic duo of Kaitlyn Kearney (10K, .500A%) and Dariyan Hopper (15K, .520A%) had their way with the Irish, while Perry Ramsey added 11 kills to give the Wolfpack three players with double-digit kills. Setter Maggie Speaks also had a strong match for State with 43 assists, five kills (.833A%), four digs and a block.
Despite the potent offense from the Wolfpack, the Irish were in every set with a chance to win it, as they lost by the minimum possible in two sets and by just three in a third. In the first set, the two teams were tied at 23, in the second it was 23-22 in favor of NC State and in the third Notre Dame again had the frame tied at 23.
In a losing effort, senior Jeni Houser tallied nine kills to up her career total to 1,291. She passed former standout Christi Girton (1997-00) to move into 10th place, and is nine kills away with one match remaining from becoming the eighth Notre Dame volleyball student-athlete to reach 1,300 kills for their career.
Freshman Sam Fry paced the Irish offense Sunday, as she finished with 12 kills. Sophomore Simmone Collins had one of her best matches of the season with six kills and team highs in blocks (3) and attack percentage (.417).
Notre Dame (6-22, 3-14 ACC) closes out the 2014 season with a 4 p.m. Friday match against former BIG EAST rival and current ACC foe Pittsburgh (22-6, 10-5 ACC). Fans can follow the match through live stats and WatchND’s free online video stream. Links for both are on UND.com.
Before the match, the Irish will honor seniors Toni Alugbue, Jeni Houser, Erin Klosterman, Kathleen Severyn, Nicole Smith and Meg Vonderhaar for their contributions to the program.
–Russell Dorn, Assistant Media Relations Director
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