NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The University ofNotre Dame volleyball team earned its second victory of the season Saturday afternoon, notching its second consecutive sweep in the early session of the Golden Dome Invitational against Toledo. The Irish will return to the court for the event’s final match later this evening.
The Irish (2-0) downed the Rockets 25-17, 25-14, 25-22, led by Lauren Woodard (nine kills, four digs), Charley Niego (six kills, 10 digs) and Ryann DeJarld (20 digs, four aces). Setter Zoe Nunez contributed 25 assists with zero errors.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Irish and Rockets traded points to open the match before the Irish opened a 6-0 run to lead 12-4 in the first set. Toledo made up ground with a 5-1 run to pull within 12-9, but weren’t able to pull any closer as the Irish cruised to a 25-17 first-set win. Jemma Yeadon led the Irish with four kills and five digs in the set, while Hannah Thompson added three kills and Ryann DeJarld recorded seven digs.
The Irish cruised in set two, mounting leads of 8-3 and 16-9 en route to the 25-14 set victory. Sydney Bent helped propel from the service stripe, serving out six of Notre Dame’s final seven points in the set and contributing an ace and a kill in the series. Bent finished with two kills, two aces and five digs.
The Rockets jumped to an 8-2 lead in the third set, but the Irish rebounded with a 12-3 run to go ahead 14-11. Though Toledo managed to draw even at 20-20 and 21-21, the Irish never surrendered the lead and closed out the match with a 25-22 win in the third set.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Ryann DeJarld led the Irish with 20 digs and four service aces while Charley Niego followed her solid Friday debut with six kills and 10 digs on Saturday.
STAT OF THE MATCH
The Irish hit at a .224 clip while holding Toledo to just a .078 hitting percentage. The last time the Irish held an opponent under .100 came on September 1, 2017 against Bowling Green.
UP NEXT
The Irish will cap the Golden Dome Invitational in the final match of the weekend at 7 p.m. ET Saturday against Northern Kentucky.
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— ND —