After dropping two straight matches to Michigan, Notre Dame volleyball was eager to return home and prepare for the opening of ACC conference matches. The Irish completed out-of-conference play with a 3-5 record. Through the beginning of the season, sophomore Morgan Gaerte has been the offensive leader for the team, averaging 4.67 kills per set, placing her among elite company at 15th in the nation. The Irish began the weekend hosting Syracuse on Friday and finished it hosting Boston College on Sunday going 1-1 to sit at 4-6 on the season.
Syracuse
Syracuse entered Sept. 26’s match with a very strong 8-2 record and a two-game win streak. This effort has come behind a well-rounded start as the Orange rank top-50 in the nation for kills, aces and assists per set. Gabriella McLaughlin has been the leading scorer for the Orange, recording 145 kills before the matchup with the Irish. Her teammate, Tehya Maeva, has been an elite playmaker, leading the team in assists and placing second in service aces for the Orange.
Early in the first set, Notre Dame took a 5-0 lead, forcing the Syracuse offense to play out of rhythm. However, a few errors from the Irish allowed Syracuse to start a run and claim their first lead at 9-8. The rest of the set was highly competitive, and neither squad was able to pull away. Eventually, three straight points from the Irish put them ahead 23-22. Despite the lead, a couple of attack errors from Notre Dame allowed Syracuse to battle back and take the first set 25-23.
The second set was again extremely close, with no team taking a commanding lead. In the later minutes of the set, Notre Dame was in front 24-22 with match point on the line. Syracuse closed the lead to 24-23 looking for another comeback to win the set down the stretch. Gaerte would silence the chances of a comeback, recording a kill to seal the set at 25-23 and tying the match at 1-1.
The third set saw divergence from the back and forth nature of the first two sets. The Irish went ahead 1-0, but Syracuse quickly took firm control with a commanding lead and never looked back. The Orange closed out the set 25-18 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.
Trailing 2-1, Notre Dame needed to win set four to avoid defeat. They managed to keep the contest competitive until the end, but Syracuse pulled away 25-22 to take home the 3-1 victory.
Gaerte was the most proficient scorer for the Irish, adding 19 more kills to her season total. Even in the loss, Notre Dame had 48 kills, only one less than Syracuse. For the Orange, Skylar George played a crucial role in the win. She finished the match with a double-double, with 15 kills and 21 digs, both the most for her team.
Now 0-1 in the conference, Notre Dame was looking to rebound in their following matchup with Boston College. The Eagles would be a tough matchup, holding an 11-2 record with one of their few losses coming to then-ranked No. 6 Louisville.
Boston College
It was clear that the Irish were not threatened by the challenge as they confidently dominated the first set at home. Maintaining an early lead, Notre Dame impressively held the Eagles to below 10 total points to win 25-9. This effort helped set the tone for the rest of the match.
The second set was much more competitive, but Notre Dame eventually began to pull away and grab the lead. Boston College refused to go down easily, but Gaerte again recorded a kill for the set-winning point, and the Irish took victory 25-21 to lead 2-0.
Notre Dame looked to complete the sweep in the third set. Boston College attempted to hang on with a valiant effort as the set featured a plethora of lead changes. Ultimately, Notre Dame would again take the set 25-21 to sweep the Eagles 3-0, and move back to 1-1 in conference play.
The Irish dominated the match, recording 41 kills to the Eagles’ 28. Gaerte had another strong performance, contributing 16 kills to that total. Notre Dame now looks to its next contests on the road at Stanford on Oct. 3 and Cal on Oct. 5. These games present an opportunity to move back into the conference win column early in the season.
