Hokie ClubSOUTH BEND, Ind. – In its final road match on a Friday this fall, the Virginia Tech volleyball team fell to Notre Dame, 3-0, inside Purcell Pavilion.
The Hokies (9-17, 3-12 ACC) were led by senior Cara Cunningham, who posted six kills on a team-high .353 hitting percentage and four blocks against the Irish (18-8, 8-7 ACC). The middle blocker has turned in 14 blocks over her last four matches.
Getting out to an early advantage, Notre Dame began the match with an 8-2 lead, forcing a Tech timeout. Out of the break, the Irish extended their lead to 12-5, before the Hokies got hot and went on a 5-1 run to cut it to 13-10. Notre Dame would maintain its lead though, winning the first set 25-16.
After an ace from freshman Kaity Smith, her eighth of the season, to give Tech a 6-4 lead, the Irish would score two of the next three points to tie it 7-all. The Hokies would score five-straight to take their biggest lead of the match at 12-7. Notre Dame would make a run of its own, tallying eight points in a row to regain the lead and would go on to win the middle frame, 25-18.
Once again building a lead, the Irish jumped out to a 7-3 advantage, forcing a Tech timeout. After the pause in action, Notre Dame kept its momentum and rattled off 10 of the next 15 points to make it 17-8, causing Tech to burn another timeout. Head coach Jill Wilson’s squad would cut into the deficit behind a couple kills from junior Jaila Tolbert, but it would not be enough as the Irish won the last stanza, 25-15.
NOTES
- Cunningham, a Fairfax, Virginia native, put down six kills on 17 errorless swings, marking the first time this season she completed a match with no errors.
- Redshirt junior Rhegan Mitchell turned in a near double-double performance, recording 24 assists, eight digs and one block. The setter did not have a kill against the Irish, ending her streak of owning at least one kill through nine matches dating all the way back to Oct. 6 versus Louisville.
- Libero Carol Raffety registered her 18th-straight match of 10-plus digs, scooping up 16. The California native also chipped in two assists.
- Smith registered a team-high eight kills, 11 digs and one ace and block apiece. The Kentucky native has led the team in kills three of the last four matches.
- Redshirt senior Stacey Christy pounded down five kills and had three blocks. The middle blocker has turned in exactly three blocks her last three matches.
STAT OF THE MATCH
- Tech stuffed seven attacks at the net, tied for its third-best mark in ACC play. Of the seven team blocks, Cunningham and Tolbert each had a team-high four block assists.
TWEET OF THE DAY
Set 2 | #Hokies 🏐 score five straight! 👏
— VT Volleyball (@HokiesVB) November 11, 2017
Knotted at 7-7, Smith puts down two kills, Cerchio tallies a kill and a block and Christy & Tolbert get a block at the net. Tech up 12-7
WHAT IS NEXT
The Hokies will play their final away match this Sunday, when they take on Louisville at 2 p.m. ET.