Jackson, Smith shine in 3-1 setback against [RV] Notre Dame

BLACKSBURG – Despite double-doubles from outside hitter Kaity Smith and setter Talyn Jackson, the Virginia Tech volleyball team fell 3-1 to [RV] Notre Dame Friday night at Carilion Clinic Court at Cassell Coliseum.

The Hokies (7-13, 0-7 ACC) and Fighting Irish (14-4, 7-1) combined for 18 ties and 12 lead changes in a competitive four-setter that saw long rallies and a friendly-fire injury.

Smith, who did not play in the first set, went off the in the next three with 12 kills and 16 digs, while Jackson dished out 44 assists and scooped up a career-high 15 digs. Notre Dame was led by outside hitter Caroline Meuth's match-high 26 kills.

THE MATCH

Knotted at 8-8 to begin the match, the Hokies scored seven of the next 12 points to take a 15-13 lead going into the media timeout. Out of the break, the Irish clawed back and tied it up at 16-all, but middle blocker Marisa Cerchio took over and earned three kills and a block to spur Tech to a 25-19 win thanks to a 9-3 run.

When the Irish got their eighth point of the second set to take an 8-2 lead, a freaky play took place when middle blocker Kai Young and outside hitter Tessa Wyner collided after coming down from a block. After you could hear a pen drop for a few moments, the two rose from the court and were able to walk off. The momentum from the accident would be too much for Tech to rejuvenate and overcome, with the Irish going on to win 25-11.

But a different story it was in the third frame, as the Hokies jumped out to a 6-0 lead after back-to-back aces from libero Logan Mosley and a kill by Jackson, forcing a Notre Dame timeout. Things would keep rolling from there, with Tech maintaining its six-point lead and adding one more to it to make it 22-15 Tech, causing another Irish timeout. But Notre Dame caught fire and scored 10 straight points to win it 25-22.

After getting the wind taken out of its sails, it got worse for the Hokies as they looked at a 7-2 deficit to start the fourth stanza, burning a timeout. However, they began to chip away at the score and got it all the way back and then some, taking the lead at 8-7 after scoring six straight points. Things would seesaw all the way up to 20-15 Notre Dame, but Tech fought back, again, and tied it up at 23-all after an ace by Jackson. But the Irish made some plays down the stretch to claim it 27-25.

QUOTING VIRGINIA TECH COACH JILL WILSON

On her takeaways from tonight after battling a top-20 RPI team:
"There is so much to be proud of," Wilson said. "But, mostly, I'm proud of how our team fought. They never quit and touched a ton more balls than we have previously. I appreciate how they took our coaches' challenge and really played hard together. I think we can build on that for the rest of the season." 

On after the freaky-injury play how the team responded:
"We did a new lineup and were trying to get used to that for a little bit, so when that happened, it changed again," Wilson said. "I was proud of how resilient they were and how everybody was ready to go in and play."

NOTES

- Speaking of going in and being ready to play, redshirt freshman Jennifer Williams played in her first collegiate match at Tech and did a fine job, earning two attacks that were nearly kills in the third set.

- Smith, an outside hitter, has had her A-game defensively as of late, tying her career high of 16 digs in three of her last five matches. She also hasn't been too shabby offensively, getting a double-double in four of her last five matches, averaging 2.95 kills and 3.53 digs per set during that five-match stretch.

- Jackson's 44 assists marked her most in a four-set match and the fourth most of her career (other three were five-setters with 50-plus). The Nevada native, who is crafty at the net with a knack for switching it up and getting kills, now has 10 matches of three or more kills this fall, with her getting three tonight.

- Mosley registered 19 digs, including seven alone in the third set. She now has hovered around 20 digs in three ACC matches, with an ACC-high 26 at NC State (Oct. 4) and 21 at North Carolina (Oct. 6).

- Defensive specialist Abby McKinzie earned her fourth start of the season and delivered, collecting eight digs to tie her season high and marked her most since Nov. 16, 2018, at Boston College. 

- Outside hitter Cera Powell cracked the double-digit kill plateau for the third time in ACC play, getting 11 tonight and posted her second straight .200 or better hitting percentage outing, a first for her in league play and her first time doing so since Tech's trip out to Colorado Sept. 13-14.

- Young, who came back in after her injury looking like a primetime boxer with a butterfly Band-Aid, battled back and ripped down six kills in sets three and four to rack up eight on the night, marking the most for her an ACC match and her second most of the season.

UP NEXT

Tech will be back inside Cassell this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, taking on its second ranked opponent of the season with No. 23 Louisville (14-3, 7-0) coming to town. The match will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra, with Evan Hughes (play-by-play) and Jake Lawrence (color) on the call.Gallery: (10/18/2019) 2019 VOLLEYBALL vs. NOTRE DAME