BEREA, Ohio -- The Notre Dame Falcons put up a good fight defensively in a non-conference road tilt on Thursday evening, but in the end, they fell to Baldwin-Wallace, 3-1, at Ursprung Gymnasium.
For the Falcons (1-19, 0-4), the loss was their eleventh in a row, and marks their seventh consecutive loss away from Murphy Gymnasium. For the Yellow Jackets (14-8), the victory marks their third in their last four matches.
Notre Dame fell hard, 25-15, in the first set. The Falcons showed some improvement in the next two sets, but could not take a set away from the Yellow Jackets. Notre Dame's .387 attack percentage in the second set was not enough as they fell 25-17, before Baldwin-Wallace sealed the deal with a 25-20 in the final set.
Individually, the Falcons were led by #Taylor Thomas#'s eight kills, while #Natalie Houdek# and #Brianne Schmansky# both had six. Houdek was Notre Dame's defensive leader, delivering eight solo blocks on the evening. #Tayler Pugliese# led the Falcons with 21 assists, while #Cristin Brown# led the Falcons with 15 digs. Pugliese and #Kelsey Swords# both registered 10 kills.
Though the two institutions are separated by just 30 miles, Thursday's contest marked the first ever meeting between the Yellow Jackets and Falcons.
The Falcons are in action again on Saturday, Oct. 2, for a pair of non-conference tilts. The Falcons will welcome Rio Grande to Murphy Gymnasium for a double header on College Road. The first match is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m.
NOTES FROM THE NEST
CATCH THE FALCONS ON COLLEGE ROAD: After playing 14 out of their first 15 games on the road, the Falcons are in the middle of a stretch where they'll play four out of five at Murphy Gymnasium. Since 2006, the Falcons are 26-17 on College Road.
MULTI-TASKING: Suvak ranks second on the team in both kills with 137, and digs with 130. The Independence, Ohio, native ranks third on the school's all time list with 102 matches played.
DEFENSIVELY SPEAKING: Senior #Cristin Brown# has registered double digit digs in 16 consecutive matches this season. Brown has yet to register less than 10 digs in a match this season.
