CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – To close out Senior Weekend, the Virginia volleyball team (21-8, 11-7 ACC) downed the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-16, 4-14 ACC) in three sets (25-21, 25-22, 25-21) at Memorial Gymnasium on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 24).
With the victory, the Cavaliers will finish with a winning record in ACC play for the first time since 2014. UVA’s 21 overall wins are the most in a campaign since collecting 23 victories during the 2006 season.
Before the match, Virginia honored the senior class of Brooklyn Borum, Abby Tadder, Ashley Le, Milan Gomillion, Elayna Duprey and Heyli Velasquez.
Tadder had a match-high 13 kills, while junior Kate Dean tallied a season-best eight blocks in the weekend finale.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: Virginia 25, Notre Dame 21
Powered by the senior tandem of Duprey and Tadder, Virginia sprinted out to an 8-2 lead to open the match. Notre Dame answered with a run of its own and took a brief lead at 16-15. A 4-0 Cavalier run followed that put Virginia out front for good. The Hoos claimed the opener by scoring six of the final eight points.
Set 2: Virginia 25, Notre Dame 22
The second set featured nine ties as the two squads battled back and forth. Virginia built a four-point advantage at 16-12 in the heart of the set before a 4-0 Fighting Irish run tied the contest. Following the tie, a 3-0 run by the Cavaliers put UVA in the driver’s seat before a Tadder kill sealed the set victory.
Set 3: Virginia 25, Notre Dame 21
Notre Dame jumped out to a 4-2 lead to open the final set before Virginia answered by collecting five of the next six points to take a 7-5 advantage. Following a 9-9 tie, the Cavaliers reeled off four straight points that put UVA out front for good. A frantic Fighting Irish comeback was thwarted when Tadder landed a kill to win the set and the match for UVA.
WITH THE WIN
- Virginia’s 21 wins are the most in a season since 23 in 2006.
- The Cavaliers are guaranteed to finish with a winning record in ACC play for the first time since 2014.
- UVA’s 11 ACC wins are the most in a season since 2013.
- The Hoos improve to 8-7 all-time against Notre Dame.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Ashley Le picked up her team-high ninth double-double on Sunday with 20 assists and 12 digs.
UP NEXT
Virginia will head to North Carolina for a midweek matinee on Wednesday (Nov. 27) before returning home to host Boston College in the regular-season finale on Saturday (Nov. 30). Both matches can be streamed on…