Box Score The close proximity between Notre Dame College and John Carroll University was about the same as the competitiveness of their volleyball showdown on Wednesday evening at the Tony DeCarlo Varsity Center.

Despite a two-set advantage, the Blue Streaks (1-4) fell short by a score of 25-18, 25-20, 22-25, 16-25, 11-15 to the Falcons (3-2).

Freshman Sarah Calabrese (14 kills), senior Kayla Major (10 kills) and junior Thommie Jackson (seven kills) provided a boost, but Melissa Maczuzak and Mary Kate McHugh combined for 36 kills to muster enough offense in the final three sets.

Freshman Shannon Atwell added 47 assists, while juniors Caitlyn Cianciolo (25 digs) and Nicole Pilewski (18 digs) kept a slew of points alive on the defensive end of the ball.

The loss gives John Carroll an 8-8 clip (7-2 at home) in the all-time series dating back to 1980.

Neither roster pulled away in the early stages, as the margin between the two programs would not extend beyond five points for half of the first set. An exchange of 3-0 runs ensued before JCU gained ground and pulled away, 25-18, earning seven of the final eight points.

The change in sides led to more of the same neck-and-neck competition, with five lead changes, two timeouts and a number of shifts in momentum. The Falcons pieced together a 3-0 run to take a 20-16 lead – their largest of the second set – before the Blue and Gold answered with a 7-0 come-from-behind rally to claim the second game.

After a 10-minute break, the teams came out and battled back and forth in the third frame. The Blue Streaks were able to surge into a 22-18 lead, leaving them three points from an unexpected sweep.

It was then that momentum swung away from the John Carroll side of the net.

This time, it was a 7-0 run for the Falcons that proved the difference maker as Notre Dame rallied for a 25-22 win.

The momentum continued in the fourth game. The Falcons continued to score, building an 8-0 advantage – completing a stretch o 15 consecutive points – and eventually a 25-16 fourth-set win.

A back-and-forth sequence of scoring started the fifth set, with neither lineup notching more than one point at a time.

The last burst, however, would belong to the visitors on this night. Trailing 11-10, Notre Dame rattled off five consecutive points to take the match.

JCU will play against Carnegie Mellon (4-0), Buffalo State (1-2) and Case Western Reserve University (2-2) at the Marcia French Memorial Tournament on Friday and Saturday.