Hokies drop 3-1 match to Notre Dame

BLACKSBURG, Va.  — The Virginia Tech volleyball team fell to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 3-1 (14-25, 20-25, 25-23, 22-25) Friday at home at Cassell Coliseum.

The Hokies will finish the 2022 season 11-18 overall and 4-14 in ACC action.

The Hokies were led by a double-double from Cera Powell, who registered 13 kills and 17 digs on the day. Cara Lewis also added nine kills to help the offense. On the defensive end, Maddie Slagle chipped in for with 19 digs to go with three blocks from Hanna Borer.

Game Notes

» Cera Powell registered a double-double with 13 kills and 17 digs

» Cera Powell had a team-high 13 kills for Virginia Tech.

» Virginia Tech got a match-high 19 digs from Maddie Slagle.

» Virginia Tech attackers were helped by a team-high 39 assists from Hanna Borer.

How It Happened

The Hokies fell behind early, losing a tough first set 25-14. Notre Dame came out strong, hitting .500 in the first set, its best offensive performance. Ava Francis got the offense going for the Hokies early, recording five kills in the first set. Powell hit .333 in the opening set with three kills. Defensively, she added five digs.

Virginia Tech then lost set two 25-20 to fall behind in the match two sets to none. The Hokies trailed by as many as seven points as Notre Dame grabbed the advantage for good at 3-2 in a set that was tied up three times before the Fighting Irish took over the lead. Tech cut the lead to 21-19 before the Irish took over from there and finished off the set. Notre Dame recorded two blocks in the set and held the Hokies to a .108 hitting percentage, their lowest of the match.

The Hokies battled, taking a win in the third set to make it a 2-1 match. The Hokies endured a Notre Dame rally late in the set, holding on to win 25-23 after leading by eight points at 19-1. Virginia Tech’s front row had a solid defensive performance, blocking four Notre Dame attacks in the stanza and holding the Irish to a .154 hitting percentage. On the other end, the Hokies hit .289 in the third set, which was their best offensive performance. Seven different Hokies had a kill, with Powell leading the way with four. Slagle led the defense with five digs.

Notre Dame responded to take the fourth set 25-22 to clinch the win. The Hokies couldn’t hang on in a back-and-forth set, losing in a stanza that featured five lead changes and was tied eight times. Neither team opened up a lead of more than four points along the way. Powell once…