Nov. 3, 2017
By Robby Hamman
DURHAM, N.C. — Notre Dame (16-8, 6-7 ACC) dropped a 3-1 decision (19-25, 34-32, 25-18, 25-23) to Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium on Friday evening. The Irish jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the match but the Blue Devils rallied to take the final three sets to secure the victory.
Senior Sam Fry and sophomore Jemma Yeadon each produced 15 kills for the Irish to pace the team. Junior Ryann DeJarld finished with a remarkable 38 digs in four sets of action, tying her own program record for digs in a four-set match. Senior Caroline Holt also posted an impressive stat line of 53 assists and a career-high 21 digs.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Notre Dame started strong against the Blue Devils, dictating play for the majority of the first set. The Irish took the opening frame 25-19 to open an early 1-0 lead in the match. Notre Dame led by as many as seven points in the first frame on three occasions. Yeadon helped the Irish get off to a quick start, as the sophomore led the Irish with five kills in the first.
The second set was a marathon, as the two sides combined to play 66 points. Duke outlasted the Irish by a score of 34-32 to level the match at 1-1. The Blue Devils led 24-21, but the Irish fought back to take the next four points and get a set point of their own. From that point on both teams had opportunities to take the set but neither was able to until Duke won two points off a kill and ace to win the set 34-32.
The Blue Devils carried their momentum from the second set into the third, gaining an early 12-9 advantage. The key stretch of the set came on a 7-0 Duke run to put the hosts on top 19-10. The Blue Devils went on to take the set 25-18 and go on top 2-1 in the match.
Duke held a 16-12 lead midway through the fourth frame but the Irish responded by scoring the next five consecutive points to gain a one-point advantage at 17-16. The two sides battled over the next six points, as the score moved to 20-19 in favor of Notre Dame. Duke then claimed four straight points to go on top 23-20, a lead the Irish could not overcome, as the Blue Devils took the set 25-23 to win the match.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
DeJarld was great from the back line on Friday evening, matching her season high in digs with 38. The impressive performance tied her own Notre Dame program record for digs in a four-set match. DeJarld has now finished with 30+ digs in four matches this season.
STAT OF THE MATCH
Fry not only posted a season-high 15 kills but did not make a single error over the four sets of action. The senior finished with an ultra-efficient hitting percentage of .536 (15-0-28) in the match.
NOTES OF THE MATCH
- With two aces, Ryann DeJarld finished with multiple aces in a match for the 12th time this season.
- For the first time in her Irish career, Holt finished with 50+ assists and 20+ digs in a match and her 21 digs mark a career high.
- Natalie Johnson has recorded at least one ace in nine consecutive outings after recording two on Friday.
- Yeadon’s 15 kills mark the 20th time this season that the sophomore has notched 10+ kills in a match.
- With 15 kills and 16 digs, Yeadon now has 17 double-doubles in 2017.
- Rebecca Nunge reached double figures in kills for the ninth time this season, as she had 13 against the Blue Devils.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame wraps up its weekend road trip on Sunday, as the Irish face Wake Forest at 1 p.m. ET in Winston-Salem.
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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.