SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – The Notre Dame College women's volleyball (13-20, 4-12 MEC) team lost in three sets to No. 18 Wheeling Jesuit (27-5, 15-0 MEC) on Friday evening, but the Falcons played up to the competition.
 
NDC pushed the Mountain East Conference regular season champions in the first two sets. In the first set, Notre Dame held a 16-14 lead before a seven-point run from the Cardinals. In the second set, the Falcons led 23-21 before dropping the next four points.
 
"I was very pleased," said head coach Troy Haught after the game. "The first two sets were some of the best sets we've played all year. I told the team in the locker room that if we played like that all season things would have been completely different. They were playing to play and I was very proud of how they handled themselves tonight."
 
Wheeling Jesuit dominated the third set, winning 25-11 in the last match of the season for Notre Dame.
 
Mary Kate McHugh and Melissa Maczuzak led the team in kills with 15 and 12, respectively while Paige Staudacher had 30 assists and Ali Kaeberlein had 13 digs. McHugh did well defensively also with 10 digs.
 
Maczuzak will end her career as the career kills leader at NDC with 1,258 kills. She led the team with year with 507 kills. Kaeberlein led the team with 551 digs while Staudacher led with 1,191 assists. McHugh was second on the team in both kills (328) and digs (359).
 
Haught was not only pleased with how his team played tonight, but he saw a glimpse of what his program could grow into.
 
"We just played with one of the best teams in the nation. We're so young and only lose one starter so we have a ton to build off of.
 
"The most important thing is to be consistent. That is what we are going to take away and hit on in the spring season. We need to learn how to be consistent as individuals and as a team. This group has moments where you are like 'Whoa! That's some great volleyball.' Then you have moments and it's 'Whoa. That's not how you play." We need to build on those great plays and learn to get over the poor ones."
 
The coach will head into his fourth season at NDC in 2018. It will be his first season without Maczuzak, but he is confident she will still have an impact on his team.
 
"I've said it a lot this season, but Mel is what made this team go. We are going to miss her, but her presence will be felt here for next season and years after I am sure. She taught this young team so many things both on and off the court that they will carry with them throughout their careers."