BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — It was a flawless Saturday for the University of Notre Dame volleyball team, completing their second 3-0 sweep of the day, this time over Chattanooga. As a result, the Irish improved to 6-2 on the young season.
Freshman Sydney Bent and senior Meg Morningstar led the Irish attack with seven kills each, followed closely by junior Lauren Woodard with six kills. Freshman Zoe Nunez led the squad with 19 assists, while senior Ryann Dejarld compiled a game-high 17 digs.
As a result of the 3-0 win over UTC this evening, all six of Notre Dame’s victories have come via sweeps this year.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Set
Notre Dame came firing out of the gates with seven straight points, before taking a commanding 13-2 lead. The Irish then cruised to the 25-10 set victory, which was capped by a service ace from Jemma Yeadon. The 10 points allowed tied their season low, thus marking the second instance this season.
Second Set
Up 5-3 in the second set, Notre Dame recorded an 8-2 scoring stretch to extend their advantage to 13-5. The Irish went on to claim the set, 25-18, maintaining a lead no less than five for the remainder.
Third Set
Notre Dame and UTC traded blows in the opening minutes of the third set. Yet, the moment the Irish were up just 7-6, Notre Dame found a second gear, notching a 5-1 scoring run to once again build a lead they would not surrender. The Mocs did threaten late, cutting the Irish advantage to 20-18, but timely kills from Bent and Woodard led to the match-ending kill from Charley Niego.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM SELECTIONS
Morningstar and Nunez earned all-tournament team status for their play over the three matches this weekend. Morningstar posted 19 kills and 15 blocks, while hitting a team-high .283. Nunez dished out 89 assists, while also adding 22 digs and three blocks to complete her performance.
STAT OF THE MATCH
The Irish posted a season-high .278 hitting percentage against UTC. Notre Dame finished the match with 37 kills on 90 attempts while making just 12 errors. Four players finished with a hitting percentage above .300 on the evening.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame heads north to Ann Arbor to challenge Big Ten foe Michigan on Friday, Sept. 14, at 7 p.m. ET.
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), Facebook (/NDVolleyball) and Snapchat (NDVolleyball).
— ND —