Courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics
NOTRE DAME, Ind.– The 23rd-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated Clemson in four sets (20-25, 25-20, 25-13, 25-11) in Purcell Pavilion on Friday night. With the win, Notre Dame improved to 12-3 overall and 11-3 in ACC play, while the Tigers fell to 11-9 overall and 5-8 in league matchups. The Fighting Irish were led by Charley Niego, who had a double-double with 20 kills and 11 digs. Clemson was led by reigning ACC Freshman of the Week Camryn Hannah, who recorded her seventh double-double of the season with a match-high 22 kills and 11 digs, while hitting .340 on 50 total attacks. Defensively, Clemson libero Caitlyn Meeks posted 17 digs and successfully passed all 19 balls served her way.
Box Score || Box Score (PDF)
In the first, Clemson middle blocker Ava Pritchard put away three kills and added a block, while outside hitter Cate Long registered two aces early to help the Tigers lead 15-12 at the media timeout. The Fighting Irish battled back to lead Clemson 22-21 and forced a Clemson timeout, but a 4-1 run for the Tigers and a Mckenna Slavik ace gave Clemson the first, 25-23.
The Tigers carried their momentum into the second set, securing a 6-2 lead, but Notre Dame fought back to claim a 15-13 lead at the media timeout. A pair of Fighting Irish blocks and Aubrey Hamilton kills caused Clemson to call timeout while trailing, 17-20. Despite Hannah registering her 14th and 15th kills of the match late in the second, the Fighting Irish took set No. 2, 25-20.
Notre Dame posted eight kills on its first nine points of the third to spark its fast start, causing Clemson to take a timeout while it trailed, 9-3. The Tigers fell behind 18-10 before exhausting their final timeout of the set as the Fighting Irish went on to win the third, 25-13.
Notre Dame did not miss a beat heading into the fourth, leading the Tigers, 6-0. Clemson fought to get on the board and gather some momentum, but Notre Dame’s offense was clicking on all cylinders. The Fighting Irish took the set 25-11 and the match 3-1, after hitting .517 in set No. 4.
Up next, Clemson (11-9, 5-8 ACC) returns to action on Thursday to take on Pitt (13-4, 11-4) at 5 p.m. and Virginia Tech (6-7, 5-7) on Saturday at 5 p.m. in Jervey Gym for the final two matches of the season. Both matches are scheduled to air on ACCNX.
For complete coverage of the Clemson Volleyball team, follow @ClemsonVB on Twitter and Instagram, and @ClemsonVolleyball on Facebook.
