Virginia Comes from Behind to Defeat Notre Dame, 3-2
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Box Score Nov. 13, 2016
NOTRE DAME, Ind.-After falling behind 2-0, the Virginia volleyball team stormed back to defeat Notre Dame, 3-2 (13-25, 20-25, 25-23, 25-13, 15-13), Sunday afternoon (Nov. 13) in Notre Dame, Ind.
The match was tied at 13 in the fifth and decisive set when senior Jasmine Burton (West Hills, Calif.) earned a kill to give the Cavaliers a match point. On the next play, Burton and redshirt freshman Kat Young (Chantilly, Va.) combined on a block to clinch the victory for Virginia, 15-13.
With the win, Virginia improved to 7-21 (4-12 ACC) on the season, while Notre Dame fell to 19-9 (10-6 ACC). It is UVA’s second-consecutive win after sweeping Louisville, 3-0, on Friday (Nov. 11).
“It was a nice win on the road and it feels very good to get two wins on the weekend,” UVA head volleyball coach Dennis Hohenshelt said. “We were not very good at the beginning of the match and just continued to grind away. Game three gave us a lot of confidence and we rode it through game five.
Burton and fellow senior Haley Kole (Tallahassee, Fla.) led UVA with 19 kills each. Burton also had 11 digs to go along with five blocks, while Young added four blocks. Sophomore Harley Sebastian (Atlanta, Ga.) hit .370 with 12 kills, while senior Lexi Riccolo (Wheaton, Ill.) led the team with 32 digs.
“I am really proud of the kids as this is a very good win in front of a loud and big crowd,” Hohenshelt said. “I thought Lexi [Riccolo], Jasmine [Burton] and Haley [Kole] really grinded and led us. Harley [Sebastian] had her best match yet and I am really happy for her as she has worked hard to get better every day.”
The Cavaliers led in kills, 66-54, and digs, 99-86, but Notre Dame had the advantage in blocks, 16.5-7, and service aces, 8-4.
In the first set, the Fighting Irish hit .462 with 13 kills against one error and held Virginia to .200 hitting on nine kills with four errors. After UVA pulled within one at 4-3, Notre Dame went on an 8-2 run and went on to claim the set, 25-13.
The second set saw Virginia open up an 8-4 lead on back-to-back kills from Young, but the Irish used an 8-1 run in the middle of the set and went on to win 25-20.
In the third frame, Kole recorded six kills to the Cavaliers to a 25-23 win. The two teams were tied at 22, but UVA won three of the next four points to cut Notre Dame’s lead to 2-1.
UVA had its best hitting set in the fourth, hitting .264 with 16 kills and two errors. Notre Dame had a slim 9-8 advantage, but the Cavaliers went on an 8-2 run and went on to win, 25-15.
The Cavaliers return to action Friday (Nov. 18) when they play at North Carolina at 6 p.m.