SOUTH EUCLID, Ohio – With a loud and energized Senior Day crowd in Murphy Gymnasium, Notre Dame College jumped out to an early lead, but Davis & Elkins College ultimately closed out the fifth set and won 3-2, on Saturday evening.

Before the contest, nine seniors were honored for their achievements with the program. Laura Krupar, Riley Coleman, Alexandra Kaeberlein, Natalie Spadaro, Paige Staudacher, Lauren Toman, Lindsey Holub, Mary Kate McHugh and Erin Daugherty were accompanied on the court with family members.

"I was glad that we were able to pay tribute to nine seniors who have made this program into what it is right now and are laying down a great foundation of what this program is going to become," said head coach Travis Hinkle. "Even though we didn't get a win, I'm proud of how every single one of them played tonight and what they did for us."

Notre Dame came out ready to go in the first set. After falling behind 7-4, NDC went on an 11-2 run and grabbed a 15-9 advantage. The Falcons would close out the set in a hurry, winning by a score of 25-17. Notre Dame had a .321 hit percentage and held D&E to a hit percentage of .051.

NDC dominated the second set, as well. The Senators held the lead just once (5-4) and Notre Dame led by as many as seven points. The Falcons won the second set, 25-19.

The third set featured five lead changes and 11 ties. Notre Dame held a late lead, but the momentum started to shift as the Senators closed out the set on a 5-1 run to win, 27-25.

Early in the fourth set, the two teams traded the lead back and forth. That was prior to a 10-1 run by Davis & Elkins which put the Senators on top, 16-8. From there, they would roll to a 25-16 victory.

D&E's 7-0 run early in the fifth set, gave them a big boost. They used it to take the fifth set by a score of 15-10. Over the final two sets, Davis & Elkins held a hit percentage of .265 in the fourth and .269 in the fifth, with just six combined errors.

"I know they're going to grow from tonight and we have a lot of volleyball still left to play. It's another learning step," Hinkle said. "In all four years, you keep learning and keep growing and if you do, you're going to be successful."

NDC's senior Mary Kate McHugh led the team with 21 kills. She also helped out defensively with 18 digs and two blocks. Freshman Sarah DeGeorge had 12 kills. Senior Paige Staudacher added 50 assists, reaching the 50 assist mark for just the third time this season. She finished with 11 digs and four blocks. Senior Natalie Spadaro recorded a season-high eight blocks. Senior Alexandra Kaeberlein led the team with 24 digs. NDC's 10 blocks is the second highest mark this season, 90 digs is their fourth highest output and 57 assists is third highest.

For D&E, Kaitlyn LaCour had 21 kills and 15 digs, Sarah Warren added 48 assists. Kelly Smith and Cynthia Arango each had 18 digs. Davis & Elkins finished with 12 blocks.

Notre Dame has another tough test next week, as they host No. 19 Wheeling University, on October 29. The match is scheduled to begin at 6 p.m.