Clean sweep
NDC goes 4-0 to earn tournament title

ERIE, Pa. – Notre Dame notched two more wins on Saturday at the Behrend Volleyball Invitational Tournament hosted by Penn State Erie-Behrend in Erie, Pa. NDC returns to College Road with a 9-4 overall record, and with a six-match winning streak in tow.

On Saturday, the Falcons defeated American Mideast Conference (AMC) member Daemen (N.Y.) in straight sets, 25-20, 28-26, 25-23. Notre Dame closed out the weekend with a win over D'Youville (N.Y.) in four sets, 25-14, 17-25, 25-6, 25-15. With their 4-0 weekend record, the Falcons earned the tournament championship in Erie.

In the Daemen match, Kari Kincannon (Fr/LaGrange, OH) led the NDC attack, with 13 kills and a .290 hitting percentage. The Falcons as a team hit .250 in the match; their 3-0 win marked the fifth time this season they have downed an opponent in straight sets. Notre Dame collected 66 digs against the Wildcats in a match that was played as a non-conference affair.

In their tilt against D'Youville, Notre Dame rallied from a 1-1 tie with the Lady Spartans to dominate the rest of the way. Over the finals two frames, the Falcons outscored D'Youville, 50-21. Katie Barbis (So/Mentor, OH) and Jessica Parks (Jr/Mesquite, TX) led Notre Dame, with 11 kills each. Kate Verhoff (Jr/Elyria, OH) added 10, while hitting .667 for the 4-set match. The Falcons hit a blistering .429 as a team; NDC also managed eight service aces.

Kate Verhoff and Katie Barbis earned all-tournament nods for their efforts over the weekend.

With their six straight wins, Notre Dame breaks their program record of five set twice last year (last Oct. 27 to Nov. 3).

The Falcons’ season will continue Wednesday, Sept. 10, when NDC travels up Cedar Road to take on John Carroll.  The match against the Blue Streaks is slated to begin at 7 p.m.