After a rough homecoming performance at McCamish Pavilion, in which the Jackets were swept by both #2 Pitt and #7 SMU, the Jackets hit the road over Halloween weekend to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the #3 Louisville Cardinals. The Jackets split the weekend, completing a dramatic reverse sweep of Notre Dame before falling to the Cardinals in straight sets. This puts the Jackets at 14-8 on the year and 6-5 in the ACC, keeping pace in the conference and showing notable improvement over last
season.
VS Notre Dame
Unlike their football (and lacrosse and fencing teams, which are apparently even more dominant than football), the Notre Dame volleyball team is, well, terrible. The Irish entered the matchup against the Jackets at a miserable 4-15, including 1-9 in ACC play. That was good for second-to-last in the ACC, ahead of a somehow even worse Syracuse team, which had provided the Irish with their sole Power Four win of the year. The point is, this should have been a walk in the park for the Jackets, and yet, two sets in, Tech was on the verge of being swept.
Set 1: (0-0):
The Irish controlled the entire first set, relinquishing the lead to Tech just once before quickly snatching it back. While Tech stayed within striking distance, never trailing by more than five and getting as close as 21-23 late, it was ultimately for naught as Notre Dame cruised to a four-point victory. The Irish ran an incredibly clean operation, hitting .433 on the set and tallying just three total errors to the Jackets’ 11. Alida Bennour was largely responsible for keeping Tech alive, contributing nine kills and an ace.
Set 2: (1-0, Notre Dame)
The second set was more of a back-and-forth affair that featured five lead changes and 14 ties. Both squads hit around .100 in an ugly showing that saw the Jackets brutally play down to their competition. While Tech once again had a shot to take the lead late with the score knotted up at 23, they squandered it again as the Irish went on another 2-0 run, capitalized by a 42-second rally that ended with yet another Tech attack error, of which they had 10 in the set.
Set 3: (2-0, Notre Dame)
It seemed like we’d be in for another close affair early in the third set, with Tech leading by just one through the first 15 points. The Jackets tried to create separation, but the Irish held them close, allowing Tech to take just a 15-12 lead midway through the set. Tech finally found the separation it was looking for after an 8-1 run punctuated by three consecutive kills by Mia Hood. They won the set 25-15, this time capitalizing on another sub .100 hitting percentage by the Irish.
Set 4: (2-1, Notre Dame)
Notre Dame completely abandoned the disciplined form they had shown earlier, committing 12 attack errors and posting a negative .111 hitting percentage on the set. Tech wasn’t much better offensively, posting a sub .100 hitting percentage of its own, but four blocks and an otherwise strong defensive performance allowed them to lead by as much as eight before eventually taking the set 25-19.
Set 5: (2-2)
After two straight dominant sets by the Jackets, the fifth set was by far the match’s most competitive. The Irish sprung out to an early 10-7 lead, but a quick 5-0 Jackets run gave Tech a late advantage. Notre Dame would battle back, forcing a deuce, but this time, Tech would go on to seal the deal with back-to-back kills by Bennour and Perugini Bieleski.
While certainly not pretty, this win showed the Jackets’ resilience, as they were able to stave off what would’ve been a truly catastrophic loss for morale. Bennour was once again dominant offensively, racking up 33 of Tech’s 71 kills, while Mana Kaneko and Laura Perugini Bieleski led the way defensively.
VS #3 Louisville
Unlike Notre Dame, Louisville is really good at volleyball, to the point where it’s easily the school’s best sport. The Jackets had their work cut out for them, facing the 21-2 Cardinals in a hostile environment with nine times as many fans as the Irish brought on Friday. Unfortunately, Louisville made quick work of Tech, sweeping the Jackets and adding to a rough decade in which Tech has won just two of its 16 matches against the Cardinals.
Set 1: (0-0)
The Jackets initially kept the first set close, remaining tied through the first 18 points. They hung around through most of the set, with back-to-back Bennour kills making the score 15-16 midway through. Yet the Cardinals soon pulled away with a 9-4 run, fueled by a stifling defense that came away with seven blocks and held Tech to a negative hitting percentage.
Set 2: (1-0, Louisville)
The second set was a different story, as the Cardinals distanced themselves early with a 6-1 run. The Jackets never managed to cut the deficit below three as Louisville cruised to a 25-21 victory. Tech was able to get around Louisville’s tough defense, hitting a healthy .310 on the set. The problem was that the Jackets seemingly traded defense for offense, as the Cardinals nearly hit .500 on the set to the tune of 19 kills.
Set 3: (2-0, Louisville)
At first, the third set seemed to be more of the same, as the Jackets fell behind early, 6-11. The margin would stay around that mark through a media timeout, after which Tech began to make a run. Trailing 14-18, the Jackets would go on a 5-1 run to tie the game and force a Louisville timeout. Tech came out of the break even stronger, taking a late 23-22 lead on a Bennour kill to force another Cardinals timeout. Yet it wasn’t meant to be, as the Jackets would be pushed to a 24-24 deuce, which they’d lose 25-27.
Bennour once again led the way offensively for the Jackets with 17 kills on a .250 attack percentage. However, she was outdone by Kalyssa Blackshear and Chloe Chicoine, who combined for 36 kills on a .500 attack percentage. Still, given how competitively the Jackets are playing against top-five opponents in the midst of a youth movement on the roster, there’s plenty of cause for optimism for the immediate future on the hardwood.
