1 | 2 | 3 | F | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Virginia Tech (15-10) | 27 | 25 | 25 | 3 |
Notre Dame (6-19) | 25 | 20 | 20 | 0 |
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NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Led by the offensive prowess of Lindsey Owens and Amanda McKinzie, the well-balanced Virginia Tech volleyball team secured their first victory at Notre Dame in three-set fashion on Friday night. The Hokies improve to 15-10 overall, 6-7 in the Atlantic Coast Conference while the Irish dip to 6-19, 1-12 in conference play.
Tech returned to their winning ways with a sweep of Notre Dame, battling through 23 tie scores and nine lead changes.
Owens and McKinzie paced the Hokies to victory, each recording double-doubles in the matchup with 14 and 11 kills, respectively. Kenedy McGrath grounded the defense setting a new career high of 29 digs for the Hokies through three sets. Setters Rhegan Mitchell and Kyra Coundourides tallied 19 and 16 kills, respectively. Both Cara Cunningham and Ashley Battle posted six blocks in the matchup, holding the Irish to a .084 attack percentage.
Sydney Kuhn led the Irish’s offensive efforts, slugging 13 kills. Natalie Johnson and Ryann Dejarld posted double-figure digs for Notre Dame, downing an ace apiece. However, the Irish’s efforts were not enough to overcome the Hokies.
The ACC foes opened up the match with back-and-forth action until the Notre Dame took off to a 5-3 advantage. However, the Hokies were able to tie up the score at 7 and 9 before the Irish took a four-point lead. Tech came back to even the score at 23-all with McKinzie at the line. The Irish forced the Hokies to overcome three set points before Owens final kill of the frame, securing the 27-25 win
The Hokies fell behind early in the second frame, trailing 4-7. Squads kept the margin to one-point either way until 20-18 mark to force a Notre Dame timeout. The Hokies returned to the court with three unanswered points as the Irish took their second timeout. Owens responded with back-to-back kills, closing out the set with a 25-20 victory.
Mirroring the premier set, the teams boggled the lead through the 8-8 mark. However, the Hokies responded with kills by McKinzie and Owens as the Irish took their first timeout. Tech continued their attack with back-to-back kills by Katie Krueger, forcing a second Notre Dame timeout. The Hokies held the Irish to a .079 clip with the nine collective blocks. Battle and Jaila Tolbert connected for the final block, clinching Tech’s 25-10 sweep.
The Hokies return to action Sunday at No. 22 Louisville at 2 p.m.
For updates on Virginia Tech volleyball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_VBall and on Instagram @vthokievolleyball