SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio -- Notre Dame made quick work of their eastside neighbors to the west Tuesday, as the Falcons downed John Carroll, 3-0, to claim a victory in their home opener.  (Box Score)

Notre Dame (3-6) beat the Blue Streaks by scores of 25-19, 25-21, and 25-15 in front of 213 spectators at Murphy Gymnasium. The match was NDC's first at home after starting the 2009 season with eight tilts in two road tournaments. Tuesday's contest also marked the season opener for John Carroll (0-1). With their win in straight sets, NDC has now bested JCU in four straight matches.

Notre Dame hit a season-best .398 on a night when they committed just four attack errors. Junior swatter #Katie Barbis# led the Falcon attack with 15 kills and a .538 percentage. The third-year starter also contributed seven digs and three blocks.

“Overall, we played well,” said Head Coach #Mark Ridley#. “There are still times when we're not sharp, and we have to work on that focus.”

Ridley also mentioned a key injury suffered by an John Carroll starter (Gina Imbrigiotta) as figuring in the final outcome: “It was such an unfortunate injury to their outside hitter. I know they miss her after she went down.”

Imbrigiotta went down with an apparent knee injury in the opening set.

NDC hit .353 in the first set and .364 in the second. In the third, the Blue & White poured it on with 17 kills and no errors for a .500 average.

Junior hitter #Jessica Suvak# joined Barbis in posting an errorless night on the Falcon attack. She had 11 kills on 17 attempts (.647 percentage).

The 3-0 win marked Notre Dame's first shutout of the season and their first since Oct. 25, 2008. Last season, the Falcons won 11 matches in straight sets.

The Falcons won't have to wait long for their next match -- NDC will host Lake Erie on Wednesday night, Sept. 2 (Murphy Gymnasium, 7 p.m.).


NOTES FROM THE NEST …

ROAD WARRIORS: Notre Dame was on the road for their first eight matches of the season. After home matches tonight and Wednesday, the Falcons will play 10 straight road contests before returning to Murphy Gymnasium on Oct. 6. … With their win in their College Road debut, NDC has now won their last three home openers (2007-09) via shutouts over Cleveland-area programs (3-0 over JCU in 2007, 3-0 over Case Western Reserve in 2008). … The Blue & White went 3-4 at home a year ago (2008) and are now 19-9 (.679) at Murphy Gymnasium over the last three seasons.

ON A STREAK: With their win on Tuesday, Notre Dame is now 8-9 in 17 all-time meetings with John Carroll. The Falcons have won four straight in the series, which dates back to 1970.