Diving for balls on defense, setting up her teammates with assists and delivering kills on offense, University of Notre Dame senior setter Phyona Schrader showcased her all-around game all night against Indiana. Schrader, the ACC leader in triple doubles, expanded her lead recording her fourth triple-double of the season with 11 kills, 19 assists and 15 digs.
Schrader’s leadership was key for Notre Dame, as the Fighting Irish brought out the brooms to defeat Indiana in the rivals’ first matchup since 2003 during the opening game of the two-game slate.
Although the match ended in a sweep, Indiana staged a comeback in the final set, rallying from a 23-17 deficit to force a deuce. However, the Fighting Irish narrowly avoided a fourth set, taking the final set 30-28.
Notre Dame’s offense kept Indiana diving for digs all night, using well-placed tips to take advantage of open gaps on the court. The Hoosiers often came up short. The Fighting Irish distributed the ball evenly, with four players reaching at least nine kills each –– with freshman outside hitter Morgan Gaerte and Schrader reaching double digits.
Although Notre Dame got its offense going, Indiana had difficulty offensively getting the ball over the net, hitting just 17.5% as a team. The Fighting Irish played a significant role in stopping the Hoosiers from landing kills on their side of the court, earning nine blocks –– half of which came in the final set.
Even with Notre Dame’s numerous blocks, it had trouble stopping junior outside hitter Candela Alonso-Corcelles as she led Indiana offensively with 17 kills. The rest of the Hoosiers couldn’t follow suit as they combined for only 16 kills.
As both teams get a chance to rest Saturday, Indiana gets another shot at Notre Dame with a rematch at 1 p.m. Sunday in Wilkinson Hall.
