SOUTH BEND, Ind. – California volleyball closed out its first weekend of ACC play against Notre Dame Sunday afternoon, hoping to bounce back after a tough loss to No. 5 Louisville two days prior. Ultimately, however, the Golden Bears lost in four – 20-25, 25-13, 16-25, 15-25 – at Purcell Pavilion to fall to 8-6 (0-2 ACC) on the year.
 
Sophomore Xuemeng (Maggie) Li led all players with 15 kills on .308 hitting, while freshman Kate Mansfield also reached double digits with 11 kills (.318).
Meanwhile, sophomore Sophia Johnson tied her career high in service aces (four) and junior Natalie Lau posted her fifth double-double of the season, notching 41 assists and 11 digs; in total, three Cal players – Lau, senior Gianna Bartalo (13) and junior Peyton DeJardin (10) had double-digit digs. The Fighting Irish (8-3, 1-1 ACC) were led by senior Phyona Schrader, who recorded her sixth triple-double of the season with 12 kills (.429), 18 assists and 13 digs.
 
As a team, Cal hit .236 to Notre Dame's .315. Both teams found struggles at the service line, with the Bears posting 10 service errors and the Irish 11.
 
The first set was the most competitive one of the match, featuring a game-high eight ties and three lead changes. Cal started off on a 3-0 run, but Notre Dame slowly worked its way back from the deficit and took a 9-8 lead before the Bears responded shortly thereafter with another three-point sequence. The two teams stayed close the rest of the way, but in the end, it was four-straight Notre Dame points that decided Set One in favor of the Irish.
 
Cal's offense came out swinging in the second while its defense shut Notre Dame down, with the Bears hitting .464 to the Irish's .125. Mansfield's fifth kill of the day, followed by a tip from senior Ellie Hamm, gave Cal the early 2-0 lead, but Notre Dame managed to stay within two until a four-point Cal run (punctuated by two of Johnson's service aces) increased the gap to 14-9. Soon afterward, Cal scored six-straight points (including Li's ninth and 10th kills) to surge ahead, 23-12; Notre Dame managed one final point, but Hamm took control with a kill a powerful solo block to end the set. The Bears were unable to ride the momentum in the next two, however, recording just eight kills in the third set and finding themselves out-hit, .345 to .500, in the fourth. It was one final 3-0 Notre Dame run – all kills – that eventually decided the match.
 
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The Bears return home to play Wake Forest (9-4, 1-1) Friday night and NC State (7-3, 2-0) Sunday afternoon at Haas Pavilion.
 
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