BALTIMORE, MD — The Notre Dame of Maryland volleyball team battled through five sets to outlast Hood College, earning a 3–2 victory (25–22, 17–25, 21–25, 25–15, 15–8) on Thursday evening at the Marion Burk Knott Sports Complex.

After dropping two of the first three sets, the Gators responded with dominant performances in the fourth and fifth frames to secure their 12th win of the season and improve to 12–5 overall (3–2 United East).

Alyson Lackovic delivered another all-around performance, leading Notre Dame with nine kills, six service aces, 16 assists, and five blocks for a match-high 17.5 points. Kaliyah Brown and Myla Palmer each chipped in double-digit kills, tallying 12 and 10, respectively. Brown also added 19 digs and a service ace.

Shelbey Willson ran a balanced offense, posting 18 assists, three aces, and eight digs, while Carissa Tanseco anchored the back row with 14 digs. At the net, Gwen Abnett and Elora Taala combined for 10 total blocks, helping Notre Dame limit Hood to a .034 hitting percentage.

The Gators took control early in the decisive fifth set, using a 6–0 serving run from Willson that featured two aces and multiple blocks by Brown and Taala to build an insurmountable lead. After a few drawn out points that tested both sides of the court, it was Palmer who finished the match with an emphatic slam to close out the match. 

Notre Dame finished the night with 13 service aces, 77 digs, and 12.5 total blocks, edging Hood in nearly every defensive category.

The Gators return to conference play on Saturday, October 18 at 1 PM when they host Penn College. The Gators currently sit in eighth place in the United East Conference standings while Penn College is in 11th place at 1-4 in conference play.