Volleyball: Virginia sweeps Fighting Irish on Senior Day

By Colin Moore
JerryRatcliffe.com correspondent

Virginia got back in the win column again on Senior Day Sunday in a commanding three-set victory over Notre Dame at Memorial Gymnasium.

The Cavaliers started the match extremely motivated and energized after watching the seniors get recognized in a great pregame ceremony. They carried that onto the floor for the entire match and were able to defeat the Fighting Irish in straight sets. 

The Cavaliers (21-8, 11-7 ACC) played a great match overall, as several teammates contributed in key situations. Lauryn Bowie and Becca Wight got some meaningful points and made a contribution with their opportunity. 

The Hoos offensively played some of the best they have in recent matches, hitting almost 30 percent. They tallied 44 kills in the match, with Abby Tadder leading the team with 13. Bowie and Elayna Duprey also contributed 9 kills a piece. Defensively, the Hoos were led by Brooklyn Borum and Ashley Le, who each had double digit digs. Also, super libero Milan Gomillion recorded 9 digs of her own, but definitely made her presence felt on the floor. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

Set 1: UVA 25 , Notre Dame 21
The Hoos started this set extremely fast, scoring the first four points in the match. Duprey contributed to that with the first kill of the match and also an early ace that bounced off the net. The Irish (11-16, 4-14) fought and made the set interesting tying the score down the stretch at 20-20. The Cavaliers were able to gain some momentum after a timeout and pulled away with a pair of timely kills from Duprey. Tadder had a monster set, contributing 7 kills out of the Cavaliers’ 18 in the first set. 

Set 2: UVA 25, Notre Dame 22
The second set was close throughout as both teams traded points, with the Hoos only having a minor advantage of 4 points for the entirety of this set. The Irish would come back to tie it up six times but were never able to take advantage, as Virginia would rally and regroup. Zoey Dood contributed greatly in this set, not only assisting her teammates by making diving digs but also registering two aces. The Hoos made the Irish work for all of their points, and fortunately for the Cavaliers, they were rewarded with multiple Notre Dame service errors. 

Set 3: UVA 25, Notre Dame 21
It was a competitive third set, as both teams were playing extremely hard, which resulted in many long rallies. The Irish went up early, but the Cavaliers were able to respond and stay close, not allowing Notre Dame to take a commanding lead. The Hoos pulled away towards the end of the set with some great individual plays by Bowie making two big kills and a huge block as well. UVA won the match with a very fitting kill for Tadder on her senior night.

UP NEXT

The Cavaliers travel to Chapel Hill to take on North Carolina on Wednesday at 2 p.m.

Nothing but love for these seniors 🧡💙#GoHoos pic.twitter.com/bpqfvdZQe0

— Virginia Volleyball (@UVAVolleyball) November 25, 2024