CLEVELAND -- In a hard fought match, Case Western Reserve defeated Notre Dame, 3-2, on Tuesday night.  (Box)

“This was a really good match,” said Head Coach #Mark Ridley#. “It was so close, but at times we didn't take care of the ball. Still, you have to give Case credit - they played good defense.”

That defense tallied 91 digs on a night where neither side could muster a .200 attack percentage. CWRU's Tricia McCutchan had a match-high 28 points (22K-2 SA-4B) over the five sets. Junior #Katie Barbis# led Notre Dame, with 21 points (20-0-1). CWRU won by scores of 25-23, 24-26, 25-27, 25-21, 15-8.

For the Falcons (16-16), the loss marks their second in a row; NDC had won four straight prior to dropping matches to Mount Vernon Nazarene (Oct. 29) and now Case Western Reserve. The victory for the Spartans (22-7) marked their fifth in a row.

The match at the Veale Athletic Center marked the first of two non-conference matches that will bring NDC's 2009 campaign to a close. It also marked the second this season between the two Forest City schools separated by a few short miles on Cleveland's east side - Notre Dame defeated Case, 3-1, in a neutral-site match in Wooster, Ohio, on Sept. 12. With Tuesday's victory over CWRU, Notre Dame has now beaten the Spartans in three consecutive matches dating back to last season.

Senior #Jessia Parks# backed up Barbis' 20 kills with 14 of her own; she hit .429 in the match. The Spartans outhit the Falcons, .182 to .172, over the five sets. #Kate Verhoff# garnered 54 assists in the loss. #Mandy Bastian# had a match-high 25 digs.

Notre Dame will close out their season on Thursday, Nov. 5, with one more tilt on College Road. NDC will host Urbana at Murphy Gymnasium in a match slated to start at 7 p.m.


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

ALL EVEN: Tuesday's loss evened NDC's season record at 16 wins and 16 losses. On Thursday, Notre Dame will be looking for a win that would give them a record over .500 for a fourth straight season.

CASE CLOSED: NDC had won two straight in their series with Case Western Reserve, including a 3-1 victory over the Spartans in a match earlier this season (Sept. 12). The Falcons are 7-5 against Case in their last 12 match-ups between the Forest City neighbors. … The Blue & White finished the 2009 season with a 5-7 mark on the road.

DIG THIS: With her 25 digs on Tuesday night, Mandy Bastian has recorded 513 in 102 sets for the season. Her 5.0 digs per set currently ranks as the sixth-best single-season average in program history.