Box Score ATHENS, W.Va. – The Notre Dame Falcons returned to Mountain East Conference action on Friday evening, as they fell on the road in four sets against Concord.
For the Falcons (2-15, 1-6 MEC) the loss was their seventh on the road, while the victory for the Mountain Lions (6-18, 4-3 MEC) was their fourth in a row, and their sixth in seven games at home.
All four sets were extremely close, as they were all decided by four points or less. Concord took the opening set, 26-24, and took a 2-0 lead with a 25-22 victory in the second set, before Notre Dame rallied for a 27-25 victory in the third set to extend the match. The Mountain Lions then closed out the match with a 25-21 victory in the final set.
The opening set featured a number of big runs on both sides. Concord developed an early, 6-1 advantage, before the Falcons came back to narrow the deficit to one (8-7). However the Mountain Lions caught fire again, and led by as many as nine (19-10), but Notre Dame rallied again, and eventually took a 24-23 lead, before Concord closed out with a 26-24 win.
The runs were a bit more modest in the second set, as neither side was able to take a sizeable advantage. The Falcons led by as many as three on several occasions, and held an 18-15 lead before Concord came back, and eventually tied the set at 22-22, before winning the set, 25-22.
Concord took an early 4-1 lead in the third set, but the Falcons flipped the script, and eventually took a 15-10 advantage. The Mountain Lions came from behind to take a 25-24 lead. Down to their last shot, the Falcons rallied and scored four straight points to win the set, 27-25.
Like the second set, the fourth set featured a few modest runs, and it was tied at 18-18, before Concord caught fire again and scored seven of the game's final 10 points to win it, 25-21.
Lindsay Shirilla led the Falcons with 17 kills on the night and added 13 digs, while
Angela Bush contributed with 11 kills and added three blocks.
Tawny Flareau led NDC with 25 assists while
Shelby Regiec had 20.
Tawnia Almaraz added 16 digs and
Ashley Ohsiek had three blocks.
The Falcons are in action again on Saturday, Oct. 17, for a 10 AM meeting with Virginia-Wise in another Mountain East Conference tilt.
