Box Score INSTITUTE, W.Va. – The Notre Dame Falcons brought a pair of long losing streaks to an end on Friday evening, as they defeated West Virginia State on the road in four sets.
For the Falcons (2-14, 1-5 MEC) the win snapped a 10 match losing streak, and was their first win on a road this season, snapping a six game slide away from home, while the loss for the Yellow Jackets (6-10, 2-4 MEC) was their second in a row.
The first set of the night needed a few extra points to complete. Notre Dame had the lead for most of the set, and jumped out to an 11-6 advantage. The Yellow Jackets would chip away at the deficit, and eventually tied the game at 21-21, before taking a 24-21 lead, and closed out with a 29-27 victory.
As it turned out, that was the only set the Falcons would lose. The second set was another tightly contested battle, as neither side was able to develop a large lead. It looked as though the Yellow Jackets were going to take a 2-0 lead in the match when they led, 24-21, but the Falcons rallied, and ended the match with five straight points to take the set, 26-24.
Notre Dame used a late rally to pull away in the third set. The Falcons held a slight, 15-14 lead, before they went on a 7-1 run, taking a 22-15 advantage, and closed out the third set with a 25-18 victory.
In the final set, Notre Dame stormed out to take a 4-1 lead, but the Yellow Jackets came back, and eventually took the upper hand, leading by as many as four (12-8). Notre Dame fought back, and eventually tied the game at 15-15, before they scored next four points, part of a 6-1 run, and closed out the match with a 25-20 victory.
Lindsay Shirilla led the Falcons with 18 kills on the night, while a trio of Falcons,
Angela Bush,
Emily Ball and
Kristen Hill all had nine kills.
Tawny Flareau was NDC's leader in assists with 22 while
Shelby Regiec added 15.
Tawnia Almaraz had 33 digs on the night while Flareau and Regiec each added 12 digs. Bush led the Falcons in blocks with four, including a pair of solos.
Notre Dame is in action again next Friday, Oct. 16, when they square off against Concord in another road tilt. The contest is scheduled for a 5 PM start.
