SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-14, 5-12 ACC) closed it out in a five set thriller inside of Purcell Pavilion as they claimed the win over the Wake Forest Demon Deacons (17-10, 8-8 ACC) in their last home match of the season. Despite falling 28-30 in set one and 17-25 in set two, the Irish rallied as they took home the final three sets (25-21, 25-15, 15-11) to clinch the win.
Phyona Schrader recorded a triple-double with 14 kills, 13 digs, 22 assists, and a .367 attack percentage. Sydney Palazzolo finished the night with 20 kills, 10 digs, and a .294 hitting percentage, followed by Ava Lange and Lucy Trump who tallied 12 kills and 10 kills, respectively. Lauren Tarnoff finished with a team-best six blocks, while Charity McDowell and Schrader each chipped in five blocks a piece for the Irish.
Set One
Wake Forest claimed an early 12-7 lead over the Irish, but Notre Dame continued to chip away as they tied it up at 16-all and forced a Demon Deacon timeout. The Demon Deacons claimed the advantage again with a three point lead at 20-17, but kills from Phyona Schrader and Sydney Palazzolo closed the gap to make it 20-19. A Lucy Trump ace made it 23-all and forced a Wake Forest timeout, but with the Irish up 28-27, the Demon Deacons sent home the final three points to win it 30-28.
Set Two
The Demon Deacons came out swinging in set two as they were able to take a 14-8 advantage over the Irish. The Irish closed the gap as an ace from Trump brought the Irish within three at 17-14, but another run from Wake Forest extended their lead to 21-14. The Demon Deacons took the 2-0 advantage heading into set three as they won the second 25-17.
Set Three
It was back and forth to start the third as it was tied at 9-all before a 4-0 run from the Irish forced a Wake Forest timeout as Notre Dame took the lead 13-9. The Demon Deacons responded with a run of their own as it was 17-all before they took the lead at 19-17. A kill from Palazzolo sparked the Irish offense as they outscored the Demon Deacons 8-2 to win set three 25-21.
Set Four
The Irish carried their momentum into the next set as they posted an 11-7 advantage in the fourth. Notre Dame continued to dominate as a 5-0 run extended the lead to 16-7. While the Demon Deacons looked to close the gap, the Irish won set four with authority as they took it home 25-15. Notre Dame sent home 18 kills in set four to Wake Forest’s nine.
Set Five
It was back and forth in set five as both…