BLACKSBURG, VA. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish capped off their 2022 regular season with a four-set win over the Virginia Tech Hokies (25-14, 25-20, 23-25, 25-22 ).
The Irish were led by Lucy Trump, who finished with a game-high 16 kills, a .312 kill percentage, and five service aces. Kaylyn Winkler tallied 13 kills for the Irish with a .400 hitting percentage and six blocks. Lauren Tarnoff and Paris Thompson chipped in nine kills and seven kills, respectively. Phyona Schrader also finished with 42 assists, 18 digs, and five kills for Notre Dame.
Set One
Tied at 5-5 to start, the Irish offense was rolling as the Irish went on a 5-0 run to take the 10-5 advantage. The Irish and Hokies went point-for-point as Virginia Tech closed the gap to three at 14-11. Kills from Thompson and Tarnoff, along with an ace from Clare Delaplane, allowed the Irish to extend their lead to 18-11. A kill from Trump, two aces from Nancy Kane, and a block from Schrader and Winkler, gave the Irish their biggest advantage of the set as they led by 11 (23-12). Kills from Trump and Winkler would give Notre Dame the first set win 25-14.
Set Two
Another strong start from the Irish allowed Notre Dame to post an early 11-5 lead over the Hokies. A kill from Winkler allowed the Irish to extend their lead to seven at 14-7. The Hokies responded with an 8-3 run to close the gap to two at 17-15 and force a Notre Dame timeout. Virginia Tech brought it within one at 20-19, but the Irish would close out the set on a 5-1 run with a Thompson kill giving the Irish the 25-20 win.
Set Three
The Irish had a 6-5 lead to start the third, but the Hokies 7-1 run gave Virginia Tech the 12-7 lead. The Hokies extended their lead to seven, but the Irish brought it within five after another kill from Trump. Seven straight points from the Irish, which included three kills from Winkler and two from Trump, tied the set at 23-23 and forced a Hokie timeout. Despite the Irish’s comeback, Virginia Tech would send home two more kills to take set three 25-23.
Set Four
Notre Dame came out swinging and with another ace from Delaplane, the Irish had an early 7-3 lead over Virginia Tech. It didn’t take long for the Hokies to make it an even 10-10 before they went on to take the lead 16-13. Two kills from Ross and a kill from Winkler brought the Irish within one at 19-18. A 5-0 run from the Irish gave Notre Dame the 23-20 lead and with one last kill from Winkler, the Irish took home set four…