WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. – The Falcons kicked off the 2023 Atlantic Region Crossover on Friday with a pair of tough battles. NDC opened with a four-set defeat in a clash with Clarion, before closing out day one on the short-side of a five-set thriller with Slippery Rock. Freshman Sydney Bray enjoyed a career day, posting 22 kills and 19 digs in match two.
 
Game one began with a 7-4 lead for Clarion, before Notre Dame rattled off eight of the next ten points to lead 12-9. The two sides exchanged blows for the remainder of the stanza, generating seven more lead changes and 10 instances where the score was tied. Despite trailing 21-20, the Falcons produce a 4-1 run, moving to 24-22 and set point. The Golden Eagles answered with the next three points to pose a set point of their own at 25-24. The Falcons tallied another set point at 26-25, following a pair of CU attack errors. With Clarion showing more set points at 27-26 and 28-27, NDC anchored down and registered kills from Bray and Lilliana Mook to prolong the fight. The Golden Eagles continued the pressure to claim a rollercoaster in set one, 30-28, marking the longest set that NDC has played since set two (30-28) of a five-set victory at West Liberty on Sept. 28, 2021.
 
The second set was duel back-and-forth until Notre Dame generated a key 4-0 run after trailing 9-8. Mook and Bray tallied kills, alongside a pair of CU attack errors allowing NDC to gain control in the frame. The Falcons polished off the set with another 4-0 spurt, cemented by two more Clarion errors (25-22).
 
The Golden Eagles jumped to an early lead in set three and never looked back. CU held an 12-6 edge before taking the set 25-18.
 
Notre Dame burst out of the gates in set four with an 8-2 run, highlighted by back-to-back aces from junior Jayme Zoeckler, to lead 13-6. However, the Golden Eagles worked their way back into the contest with a 5-0 run and ultimately closed out the match on 19-8 outburst, to win 25-18.
 
Bray and junior Samantha Comer led the way offensively with 15 and 10 kills, respectively. Zoeckler served up a team-high 34 assists as the Falcons produced 44 kills in the contest.
 
On defense, junior Kiley Kalina turned in a team-high 16 digs, alongside Bray's 14 in a double-double (kills-digs) performance for the freshman. Zoeckler added a team-high four blocks in the match.
 
Notre Dame totaled 44 kills on 146 total attacks (.144 attack percentage), to go with 40 assists, 59 digs, 10 blocks and four aces. Clarion showed 63 kills on 156 total attacks (.212 attack percentage), to go with 60 assists, 73 digs, 11 blocks and eight aces.
 
In the second match of the day, Notre Dame and Slippery Rock needed five sets to separate them, with NDC jumping out to a lead in set one. The Falcons used 12-4 run during the middle of the frame to grab a 17-10 advantage. NDC did not look back, capping off the first set 25-17 on a Zoeckler service ace.
 
Slippery Rock bounced back in the second set, tallying a 10-3 run to lead 14-6. Despite Notre Dame mounting a 7-3 spree, the Rock closed out the second stanza 25-18.
 
The third set featured large scoring runs from both sides as SRU scored nine of ten points to lead 15-8. NDC clawed their way back into the set with an 13-5 string of points to trail by only one (24-23). Despite the exceptional fight, SRU concluded the third set 25-23.
 
With their backs against the wall, Notre Dame applied the pressure in the fourth set, as the Falcons only trailed at 2-1 and 6-5 before taking command of the frame. Comer fueled the Falcons run with seven kills in the set, as NDC won 25-22.
 
The winner-take-all fifth set started with back-and-forth action until multiple kills from Bray and senior Kelsie Palmer delivered NDC a 10-7 advantage. However, SRU rattled off the next six points to leap ahead 13-10, before taking the set and match 15-12.
 
Once again, Bray and Comer paced the Notre Dame College offense with 22 and 21 kills, respectively. Bray marked a game-high and career-high with the total, as the Etowah High School product ranks tied for seventh in NDC history for kills in a five-set match following the outing.
 
Zoeckler also notched a career-high in the contest, dishing out a game-high 50 assists.
 
Defensively, a slew of Falcons contributed led by Kalina and Comer at 22 digs a piece. Bray (19), Zoeckler (18) and Smotek (17) added their efforts, as Comer and Bray registered career-highs with their performance. Moreover, Bray and Zoeckler tallied double-double showings, as Kalina and Smotek set season-high provisions.
 
As a whole, Notre Dame totaled 63 kills on 196 total attacks (.133 attack percentage), to go with 58 assists, 102 digs, seven blocks and five aces. Slippery Rock owned 53 kills on 184 total attacks (.201 attack percentage), to go with 49 assists, 85 digs, eight blocks and six aces.
 
The Notre Dame College volleyball team will be back in action tomorrow, Saturday Sept. 16, at 1 p.m. to close out the Atlantic Region Crossover with a doubleheader against Pitt-Johnstown and Shippensburg.