MATCH STATS
- #22 Ohio State def. Notre Dame 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-23)
- Ohio State moves to 5-2; Notre Dame drops to 6-1
- Columbus, Ohio
- Attendance: 605
- Box Score
COLUMBUS, Ohio – No. 22 Ohio State (AVCA 24) handed Notre Dame its first loss of the season with a sweep on Friday night in the first of a home and home series prompted by Hurricane Irma.
The Buckeyes outhit the Fighting Irish .250 to .157, tallied five more kills (46-41) and outblocked their foes 6-3.5. Notre Dame did win the service battle 3-1 in aces.
Senior outside hitter Luisa Schirmer posted a 13-kill, 14-dig double double to pace the Buckeyes. Junior outside Audra Appold followed with a 10-kill, 10-dig double dip. Junior setter Taylor Hughes just missed the double-double party, posting eight kills on 12 errorless swings for a team-best .667 hitting effort, to go with nine digs and 33 assists. Freshman middle blocker Lauren Witte put up four blocks, while freshman defensive specialist Hannah Gruensfelder topped the team in the backcourt with 14 digs.
Sophomore outside Jemma Yeadon and senior outside Sydney Kuhn each turned in double-doubles to lead the way for Notre Dame. Yeadon managed 13 kills and 10 digs, while Kuhn added 10 kills and 10 digs. Kuhn also put up a team-best two blocks and an ace. Junior libero Ryann DeJarld registered a team-leading 12 digs.
The teams split the first 18 points of the match, before Ohio State pulled away with a 10-4 run. Four Irish miscues and three blocks led the way in the rally to make it 19-13. Notre Dame will get no closer than foru the rest of the way. A hitting error put OSU up 24-18. A block by Witte and Hughes three points later sealeed the 25-20 win.
The Buckeyes jumped out to a 9-3 lead in Set 2. Two kills apiece by Ashley Wenz, Schirmer and Madison Smeathers gave OSU the six-point edge. Notre Dame cut the margin to three at 15-12 on an ace by Natalie Johnson. Ohio State pushed the advantage to seven at 22-15 after putaways by Witte and Schirmer. A Smeathers putaway put the Buckeyes on the hill at 24-18. The Irish stopped a trio of set-point chances with help from a pair of Kuhn kills, but couldn’t complete the comeback as Hughes wrapped up the set at 25-21.
After an 9-all tie in Set 3, Schirmer downed three kills to push OSU in front by two at 14-12. An Appold kill upped the advantage to three at 16-13. Notre Dame stayed close and eventually tied things up at 23-all after back-to-back Buckeye errors. Hughes and Witte grabbed Ohio State the win with kills on the final two points of the night.
PRESS RELEASES
Courtesy: Ohio State Athletics
The No. 24 Ohio State University women’s volleyball team improved to 5-2 on the season by handing Notre Dame (6-1) its first defeat of 2017. The Buckeyes not only knocked off the Fighting Irish, but did so in straight sets (25-20, 25-21, 25-23). These same two squads will square off again Sunday at 1 p.m. ET in South Bend, Ind., to wrap up the impromptu home-and-home series scheduled following the cancellation of the Coastal Carolina Classic earlier in the week because of Hurricane Irma threats.
Luisa Schirmer paced all players with both 13 kills and 14 digs on the evening. Hannah Gruensfelder matched that dig total in making her seventh consecutive start to begin her collegiate career. Taylor Hughes was a force in the middle, not only dishing out 33 assists but also connecting for eight kills on 12 error-free attacks.
Lauren Witte continued her dominance at the net, sending back four Irish attacks. She is averaging 1.48 blocks per set through the first seven matches of her collegiate career.
Set 1: Neither offense could get unhitched in the opening frame as a total of 49 digs were made. Ohio State supplemented its 24 digs with four blocks to hold Notre Dame to an .040 hitting percentage. Witte was in on three of the stuffs whlie Gruensfelder racked up eight digs. Tied 9-9, the Fighting Irish missed the mark for three straight attack errors, offering Ohio State an edge it would not relinquish en route to a 25-20 winner.
Set 2: Ohio State gained control early in the second stanza and maintained that upper hand throughout in a 25-21 triumph in which the Buckeyes never trailed. Hughes went on the offensive, swatted four kills to go along with a dozen assists as OSU attacked .421 for the set. Ohio State stretched the advantage to as many as seven tallies at 23-16 before a late-set run for the Irish forced an Ohio State timeout at 24-21. Hughes took the next ball on two, and closed out the set with her fourth kill.
Set 3: The Buckeyes had a fight on their hands in the third, getting past Notre Dame by a pair in the 25-23 clincher. Hughes fed the ball to her pin hitters 30 times, including 16 and 11 attempts for Schirmer and Audra Appold, respectively. Schrimer inflicted the most havoc, bouncing six kills. The final kill originated from the middle, however, when a one-handed set tight to the net from Hughes found Witte for the match-winning kill.
Courtesy: Notre Dame Athletics
The Notre Dame volleyball program (6-1) lost its first match of the season on Friday evening, falling on the road to No. 24 Ohio State (5-2) by a final score of 3-0 (25-20, 25-21, 25-23). Notre Dame’s 6-0 start was the fourth best in program history.
The Irish and Buckeyes head back to Notre Dame on Sunday, Sept. 10 to face each other for the second time this weekend. The match is slated to start at 1 p.m. ET in Purcell Pavilion. Admission to the match is free.
Jemma Yeadon and Sydney Kuhn each finished in double figures in kills and digs, both posting double-doubles on the evening. Caroline Holt dished out 36 assists and registered nine digs to help the Irish attack.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Buckeyes claimed the opening set to jump out to an early 1-0 lead in the match. Notre Dame and Ohio State were deadlocked at 9-9 in the early stages but the hosts went on a 4-0 run to open up a 13-9 advantage, one they would not relinquish for the remainder of the first frame. The Buckeyes claimed the opening set 25-20.
The Irish got into an early 9-3 hole in the second stanza and were unable to fully recover. Notre Dame managed to cut the deficit to three points off an ace from Natalie Johnson to make the score 15-12. However, Ohio State pushed its lead back up to six at 20-14 and went on to take the set 25-21 to take a 2-0 lead in the match.
The third set was tight throughout, as neither side led by more than three points for the duration of the frame. Notre Dame built an early two-point advantage at 6-4 but midway through the set the Buckeyes held a 16-13 lead. The Irish refused to go quietly, battling back to tie the third frame up at 23-23. Unfortunately for Notre Dame, the hosts proved to be just too much on Friday, as the Buckeyes won the last two points to come away with the 25-23 third set victory and seal the match at 3-0.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Yeadon turned in her fifth double-double of the season with 13 kills and 10 digs to lead the Irish. The junior has finished with 10+ kills in all six matches she has played in this season. Yeadon also added an ace to round out her performance.
ND STAT OF THE MATCH
Holt racked up 36 assists on the evening, averaging 12 assists per set. Friday’s performance marks the second time this season the senior setter has averaged at least 12 assists per set, with the other occurrence coming in the season-opening win over Valparaiso. Holt also chipped in nine digs, a kill and a block.
NOTES OF THE MATCH
Natalie Johnson has recorded at least one ace in all seven matches this season and has accrued a team-high 18 aces in 2017.
Jemma Yeadon has recorded 10+ kills in all six matches she has played in this season.
Meg Morningstar has recorded a hitting percentage of .500+ in each the last three matches. The middle blocker finished Friday with a line of 7-0-13 for a team-best percentage of .538.
With 10 kills and 10 digs, Kuhn recorded her third double-double of 2017.
Freshman Madison Cruzado made her Notre Dame debut on Friday evening.
UP NEXT
Notre Dame and Ohio State will play the second match of the weekend against each other on Sunday, September 10 at 1 p.m. ET inside Purcell Pavilion. Admission is free to all fans for Sunday’s match.
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