Despite a phenomenal run in the regular season, Notre Dame couldn't carry that success into this playoff game. They took a 3-1 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Trinity Christian Warriors on Tuesday. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Fighting Irish of the 3-1 defeat they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture last Wednesday.
While Notre Dame ultimately came up short, they didn't go down without a fight: they scored at least 17 points in every set they played. Once all was said and done, the final score wound up at 25-18, 25-19, 17-25, 25-17.
Notre Dame's loss came despite a true team effort from the offense, with many players turning in solid performances. Perhaps the best among them was Austyn Paugh, who had 26 digs, 11 kills, and 12 assists. Paugh is on a roll when it comes to kills, as she's now had five or more in the last eight games she's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Piper Fryer, who had 18 digs, four aces, and two kills.
Even though they lost, Notre Dame was lethal from the service line and finished the game with 11 aces. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now served at least five aces in ten consecutive matches.
Notre Dame has traveled a rocky road recently having lost three of their last four games, which put a noticeable dent in their 24-9 record this season. As for Trinity Christian, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 31-12-1.
Notre Dame does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for Trinity Christian, they wasted no time getting back out on the court and have already played their next contest, a 3-0 victory against Madonna on the 30th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
