Sept. 26, 2005
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#10 Notre Dame (8-1, 1-0 BIG EAST) vs. Loyola Chicago (3-9, 2-0 Horizon)Tuesday, September 27, 7 p.m. (CDT) * Alumni Gym, Chicago, IL- Live Internet Audio: www.und.com- Real-Time Stats: www.loyolaramblers.com (linked via www.und.com)
Notre Dame vs. Syracuse (10-4, 2-0 BIG EAST)Friday, September 30, 7 p.m. (EDT) * Manley Field House, Syracuse, NY
Notre Dame vs. Marquette (7-6, 1-1 BIG EAST)Sunday, October 2, 2 p.m. (CDT) * Al McGuire Center, Milwaukee, WI
#10 IRISH HIT THE ROAD FOR BUSY STRETCH: The 10th-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s volleyball team (8-1, 1-0) will play seven of its next eight matches on the road, beginning with a three-match trip this week. The Irish will travel to Loyola Chicago (3-9, 2-0 Horizon League) on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. (CDT) match — for which live internet audio will be available on und.com — before playing a pair of road conference matches this weekend. Notre Dame will be at Syracuse (10-4, 2-0 BIG EAST) on Friday for a 7 p.m. (EDT) contest before playing in Milwaukee — for the first time since 1986 — against new BIG EAST member Marquette (7-6, 1-1) on Sunday at 2 p.m. (CDT).
THE RADIO PLANS: Notre Dame’s official athletics website, und.com, features live internet audio broadcasts of all 14 Irish volleyball home matches, as well as one road tilt, in 2005. Stephen Hinkel and Chris Masters, two former collegiate volleyball sports information directors and veterans of announcing Notre Dame volleyball, will have the call for the contest at Loyola Chicago. Broadcasts are available to subscribers of Fighting Irish All-Access (details on und.com).
REAL-TIME STATS: Live in-game statistics, courtesy of College Sports Online’s GameTracker, will be made available for the match against Loyola Chicago, via the Notre Dame athletics web site, www.und.com.
Irish Items: Highlights of This Notes Package …
– Despite playing a schedule that has already seen the Irish take on three top-15 teams, Notre Dame is off to an 8-1 start, its best since 1995 (started 16-1; finished 24-7 and ranked 14th; NCAA rd. of 16).
– The Irish began the year 7-0, upsetting #11 Texas (3-2), #8 USC (3-1), and #6 Florida (3-0). It is the first time ND has ever beaten three top-14 teams in the same regular season.
– Notre Dame is currently ranked 10th in the CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25. The Irish peaked at eighth on Sept. 12, the highest ranking since 1996 (and one off the all-time best for the program).
– ND opened BIG EAST play with a win (3-0 vs. Seton Hall) for the 11th consecutive year. Since becoming a league member in 1995, ND has won nine regular-season crowns and eight tourneys.
– For the first time in 11 years of being a league member, Notre Dame is not the preseason favorite of the head coaches to win the BIG EAST Conference, as the Irish were picked to finish second behind newcomer Louisville. The Irish and Cardinals, who have combined this season to give the conference two nationally-ranked teams for the first time ever, will play on Oct. 29 in the Joyce Center.
– Notre Dame came into last week as the only Division I school to rank among the national top 15 in both blocking (8th, 3.45 — now 3.53) and digging (14th, 18.42 — now 18.71). ND was among the top five in Division I in blocking from 2001-04, including first in `03 (Brewster was the individual champ).
– Senior co-captain MB Lauren Brewster was tabbed the National Player of the Week by Collegiate Volleyball Update on Sept. 5. She became the second All-American in program history last year and is the 2005 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year after being the league tournament MVP in `04.
– Senior OH/MB Lauren Kelbley, a preseason all-league pick, is one of two Division I players (also Minnesota L Paula Gentil) to have been an AVCA all-region selection in each of the last three years.
– Senior MB/OPP Carolyn Cooper leads the BIG EAST Conference in blocks (1.56), while Brewster — the league champ the last three years — is third (1.50). ND is 24-3 when Cooper starts.
– In 2004, senior L/OH Meg Henican broke Irish marks for digs in a season (553), season dig average (4.94), and digs in any-length match (37 in four games vs. Seton Hall on Oct. 10, 2004).
– Sophomore S Ashley Tarutis, who is 28-9 as a starter including 4-1 against top-15 teams, led ND to its top offensive match of the season on Sunday, as the Irish hit .319 (over .310 in all 3 games).
– After missing the first three matches due to injury, sophomore L/OH Adrianna Stasiuk has provided a boost on both defense and passing. Against SHU, she hit .417 with 3 aces, 13 digs, and 5 blocks.
– Henican, Stasiuk, and junior DS/L Danielle Herndon are helping ND allow just 1.00 ace per game. The Irish are coming off the top two seasons in program history (allowed 0.94 in `03 and 0.96 in `04).
– Notre Dame has five seniors on its roster in 2005, making it just the third ND team ever to have that.
– ND leads the all-time series with Loyola Chicago (13-3), Syracuse (12-1), and Marquette (7-0).
– Loyola Chicago is coached by former Irish standout Marcie Bomhack, who was an outside hitter for ND from 1998-2001, finishing her career with 1,016 kills and 704 digs.
– This week ND will play in Chicago and Milwaukee for the first time since 1996 and `86, respectively
The Irish in Brief …
SNAPSHOT OF THE IRISH: Notre Dame’s women’s volleyball program, now in its 26th varsity season, has experienced a wealth of success since the arrival of head coach Debbie Brown in 1991. Now in her 15th season, Brown has guided Notre Dame to a winning record every year (and 20+ wins in each year but one), compiling a 352-119 (.747) mark. The Irish have earned 13 consecutive berths to the NCAA Championship, including a `93 quarterfinal finish and three trips to the round of 16 (1994, `95, and `97). Since joining the BIG EAST Conference in `95, Notre Dame has dominated the league, winning nine regular-season and eight tournament titles in 10 years. Overall, the Irish are 108-6 (.947) in regular-season BIG EAST play and 19-2 (.905) in conference tournament action. Notre Dame is 61-1 (.984) in BIG EAST regular-season matches in the Joyce Center. The 2005 Irish team returned nine of its top 10 players from last year’s squad that was 21-9, won both the regular-season and tournament titles in the BIG EAST and reached the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament. The Irish also were among the top five blocking teams in Division I for the fourth straight year (4th, 3.37 after being 1st in `03), and they returned eight of their top nine blockers from that group. This year’s squad is one of the most-veteran groups in program history, featuring five seniors. Plus, all nine returnees had been a starter at some point in the past.
Up front, Notre Dame is led by a potent pair of senior fourth-year starters named Lauren: MB Lauren Brewster and OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (KELL-blee). Brewster, the 2003 NCAA blocking champ, became the second All-American in program history in 2004, earning third-team accolades from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The 2005 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year after being a first-team all-conference pick twice and the `04 MVP of the league tournament, she has led the conference in blocking in each of the last three years and ranks second in Irish history in career hitting percentage and block average. Brewster was the MVP of both of the first two tournaments on the ’05 Irish schedule (the Shamrock Invitational and UTSA Dome Rally) and has already been the BIG EAST Player of the Week twice, as well as the Collegiate Volleyball Update’s National Player of the Week on Sept. 5. Kelbley is the only Division I hitter to have been an all-region selection by the AVCA in each of the last three years. She was honorable mention All-America in both 2003 and `04 and came into the season as the only player to rank among the top five in Irish history in career hitting percentage and career kill average. Kelbley began her collegiate career at middle blocker before moving to outside hitter late in 2003 and then leading Notre Dame in kills from that position a year ago.
Senior co-captain OH/L Meg Henican (HENN-ih-kin) is back for her third year in the starting lineup. She played mostly libero over the previous two campaigns, but has also seen time at outside hitter (where she has played the majority of the time thus far in `05). Henican turned in the top digging campaign ever by an Irish competitor in 2004, breaking the ND records for digs in a season (553) and season dig average (4.94), plus the marks for digs in any-length match (37 in four games vs. Seton Hall on 10/10/04) and digs in an NCAA-tournament match (27 vs. Valparaiso in the first round).
Two other Irish hitters — senior MB/OPP Carolyn Cooper and sophomore L/OH Adrianna Stasiuk (stuh-SHEWK) — are back for their second seasons as starters. The veteran stepped into the lineup at middle blocker a month into the `04 campaign and has seen Notre Dame post a 23-3 record with her as a starter through her career. Stasiuk started every match in her rookie season at opposite and was tabbed the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week twice and led the team in service aces (41), becoming just the second ND freshman to hit the 40-ace mark. She missed the first three matches of this season due to injury and has returned to play both libero and outside hitter, posting a career-high 29 digs vs. #8 USC.
The graduation of four-year starter Emily Loomis — who played all across the front row and finished her career fifth in kills (1,321) — opened up one starting spot in the lineup, which has been filled by freshman OH Mallorie Croal (krole) and sophomore Ellen Heintzman (HIGHNTZ-min). The elder player — who started eight matches as a rookie — earned the nod against Michigan and Seton Hall, but missed the Shamrock Invitational due to a knee injury. A Volleyball magazine Fab 50 selection, Croal responded with a pair of double-doubles (22 digs vs. Arizona State) in her first two collegiate starts and was the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Sept. 5.
Back in the starting setting role again this season is sophomore Ashley Tarutis (tuh-ROO-diss), who took over as the team’s top setter in the third match of 2004 and helped the Irish lead the BIG EAST in hitting percentage in league matches (.254). She has a career record of 28-9 as a starter, including 4-1 against top-15 teams. Senior S Kelly Burrell (burr-ELLE) is the backup setter, as she has been throughout her career.
When Henican or Stasiuk are not in the libero jersey (which is green this season for the first time after being blue for two years and gold in `04), it will likely be filled by junior DS/L Danielle Herndon. She has been a regular throughout her career at both that spot and defensive specialist. Freshman DS/S Madison Clark has been a regular back-row sub for Notre Dame early this season, while the two other rookie — MB Justine Stremick and DS Annie Mokris — have seen some time, as well.
HEAD COACH Debbie Brown: Irish head coach Debbie Brown is in her 15th season at the helm of the Notre Dame program. She has led the Irish to a 352-119 (.747) mark, while holding a 469-202 (.699) overall record. Brown’s Notre Dame teams have earned 13 consecutive NCAA tournament berths, advancing to the quarterfinals in 1993 and the round of 16 in `94, `95, and `97. Her squads have won 20 or more matches 12 times. A nine-time conference coach of the year and the only four-time BIG EAST coach of the year (in addition to four honors in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference and one in the Pac-10), she has coached eight Irish players to All-America honors, while 35 have gained all-BIG EAST mention since 1995. The Irish also have claimed 13 regular-season conference titles (4 Midwestern Collegiate, 9 BIG EAST) and 12 league tournament crowns (4 MCC, 8 BIG EAST). A co-captain of the 1980 U.S. Olympic volleyball team after winning a pair of national championships and earning All-America honors twice while playing at USC, Brown graduated from Arizona State in 1982 and coached her alma mater from 1983-88, helping the Sun Devils to five NCAA tournaments.
ND UP A SPOT TO 10TH IN CSTV/AVCA POLL: After sweeping Seton Hall in its only match last week, Notre Dame rose one spot to 10th in this week’s CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Poll. Notre Dame was a season-high eighth on Sept. 12, which was the highest ranking for the Irish since Sept. 3, 1996, and just one shy ofthe program best. Since being ranked for the first time in the preseason of 1992, the Irish have been listed in the AVCA top 25 at some point in every season except for one (1999). In all, Notre Dame has been ranked in 124 of the 203 polls since then (61%). Only 20 schools have been ranked on more occasions than the Irish since the AVCA rankings debuted in 1982, and just 16 have been in more polls since the commencement of the 1992 campaign. Five of Notre Dame’s 2005 opponents – #5 Florida, #6 Louisville, #19 Southern California, #22 Texas, and #24 Louisiana State – are also ranked, while Tennessee is receiving votes. The Irish and Cardinals have made this season the first time ever that two BIG EAST Conference teams were listed simultaneously in the AVCA poll.
IRISH MAKE AVCA POLL HISTORY: After knocking off #6 Florida and #8 USC en route to being the only 3-0 team in the UTSA Dome Rally (Sept. 9-11), Notre Dame jumped 11 spots to #8 in the CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Poll. The 11-place rise matched the largest single-week ascension ever for any team in the poll (BYU also moved from 19th before the NCAA tournament to eighth in the final poll in 1996). The two-poll jump of more than 17 spots (from unranked to eighth) by ND stands as the largest in the 24-year history of the AVCA poll. The previous record was the 1995 Oral Roberts team that was unranked heading into the NCAAs, then moved up to 19th after the first two rounds and 10th in the final poll. The largest two-poll jump in ND history prior to this came in 2003, when the Irish were unranked in the preseason, moved to 21st, and then to 15th. The previous best one-week movement came in 1997, when the Irish went from unranked heading into the NCAAs to 18th in the final poll. The ranking was the highest for the Irish since Sept. 3, 1996, and is just one shy of the best listing in program history (Sept. 19, 1995).
BREWSTER TABBED BIG EAST PRESEASON POY; KELBLEY ON ALL-LEAGUE TEAM: Senior middle blocker Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.), a third-team All-American and the conference-tournament MVP in 2004, was tabbed the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year and is joined by fellow senior OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) on the preseason all-BIG EAST team in voting by the league’s head coaches. Brewster is the fourth Notre Dame student-athlete – but first since 2001 – to be named the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year in the eight years since the award debuted in 1998. Other Irish competitors to enter the season with that distinction were setter Denise Boylan in both `98 and 2000 and OPP Kristy Kreher in 2001. Only two of the previous seven preseason players of the year have gone on to also be the postseason picks of the coaches as the BIG EAST’s best player in the same season: Boylan in 2000 and Pittsburgh’s now-graduated Megan Miller a season ago. Notre Dame has placed multiple players on the preseason all-BIG EAST teams in each of its eight years of existence.
BREWSTER NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) was named the CVU.com National Player of the Week by the Collegiate Volleyball Update on Sept. 6. It came on the heels of her being named the MVP of The Inn at Saint Mary’s Shamrock Invitational and the BIG EAST Player of the Week after leading the Irish to five-game victories against #11 Texas and Arizona State over the weekend to claim the tournament title. Brewster is the first Notre Dame player ever to earn the honor and the second to be tabbed national player of the week by any organization. The only two-time All-American in Irish history, OH Christy Peters, was recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) on Sept. 27, 1993, after leading 14th-ranked Notre Dame to a three-game upset of #3 Nebraska in the Golden Dome Invitational, a victory that remains the highest-ranked win ever for the Irish. Brewster was the top Irish performer in both game fives over the weekend, combining for 10 kills on .381 hitting to go with four digs and two blocks in those decisive frames. For the tournament, Brewster led all players in both kills (46, 4.60 per game) and blocks (15, 1.50 per game) and was second in hitting percentage (.310). She also had 10 digs (1.00), two assists, and a service ace for 56.5 points (5.65).
Notes On This Week’s Matches …
ND-LUC SERIES NOTES: ND and LUC, formerly foes in both the North Star and Midwestern Collegiate Conferences, will play for the second straight year and 17th time overall … ND holds a 13-3 advantage, including 9 straight wins … ND opened the `04 season with a 30-24, 30-19, 17-30, 30-28 home victory … this will be ND’s first trip to Loyola since `94 and its first time playing a match in Chicago since `96 … ND is 4-2 all-time in matches at LUC … LUC was victorious in the first 2 contests, winning 2-0 in 1981 at Chicago St. before winning 3-2 at home in ’83 … ND got its first win in `85 in Chicago (3-2) and has won 13 of 14 since then … LUC’s lone victory during that time was a 3-1 decision in `90 in Chicago … LUC and ND twice played in the conference title match, with the Irish winning 2-0 in ’85 (NSC in St. Louis) and 3-1 in ’92 (MCC in Pittsburgh) … ND leads 41-17 in games won, having taken 19 of the last 21 (since `91) … ND has won three of the four 5-game matches … ND is 22-0 against current Horizon League members under head coach Debbie Brown and 37-11 all-time … in the ’92 MCC final, ND had 11 solo blocks, which is tied for its most-ever in a match … LUC head coach Marcie Bomhack played for Notre Dame from 1998-2001, finishing her career with 1,016 career kills … sophomore Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Maine South H.S., Sports Performance VBC) is the latest Chicago-area product to play for the Irish.
ND-LUC MATCH-BY-MATCH: See pdf for the match scores of all 16 previous contests between the Irish and Ramblers. ND holds a 13-3 all-time edge (8-0 under head coach Debbie Brown) and has won nine straight. The Irish are 4-2 at Loyola.
CURRENT IRISH vs. LOYOLA CHICAGO: See pdf for statistics of current Irish players in career matches against Loyola Chicago.
ND-SU SERIES NOTES: The Irish and Orange will meet for the 11th consecutive season and 14th time overall … Syracuse won the first match between the schools, but Notre Dame has won each subsequent affair, including 30-23, 30-24, 30-17 last season in Syracuse … after losing 3-1 at Syracuse in 1981, Notre Dame has been victorious in each of its last five visits, dropping just one game … the lone five-game affair between the schools came in the 1990 Rhode Island Invitational in Providence, with ND winning 16-14 for its first-ever win over SU … the teams had met just twice prior to ND joining the BIG EAST Conference in `95 … the schools also played in the `96 BIG EAST tournament, with the Irish winning 3-0 … ND leads 37-7 in games won, including 33-2 in the BIG EAST era … ND has won 14 in a row heading into this season, notching four consecutive 3-0 victories (SU’s last game win was in 2000) … New York has produced five Irish volleyball players, making it one of just six states to do so … in the first BIG EAST contest (10/20/95) between the teams, Angie Harris had nine aces, which still stands as the most in any length match in ND history, even though she accomplished the feat in just three games … in `96, the Irish made just one service error, which is tied for the fewest ever for a Notre Dame team in a match … the Irish won by 37 points in `01 at the Joyce Center, which is tied for the third-largest margin of victory for Notre Dame under the 30-point format.
CURRENT IRISH vs. SYRACUSE: See pdf for statistics of current Irish players in career matches against Syracuse.
ND-SU MATCH-BY-MATCH: See pdf for the match scores of all 13 previous contests between the Irish and Orange. ND holds a 12-1 all-time edge (11-0 under head coach Debbie Brown) and has won all 10 BIG EAST Conference matches. The Irish are 5-1 at Syracuse.
ND-MU SERIES NOTES: The Irish and Golden Eagles, now rivals in the same conference for the third different time, will play for the first time since 1997 and the eighth time overall … Notre Dame has won all seven previous matches, holding a 21-1 advantage in game victories … the most-recent match saw the Irish triumph 15-3, 15-4, 15-5 in the Joyce Center in ’97 … Marquette is the only school that has been in all three of Notre Dame’s volleyball conferences with the Irish … the teams played as North Star Conference members from 1985-87 and then were Midwestern Collegiate Conference foes for one year (1990) before Marquette joined the BIG EAST prior to this season … this will be just the second-ever trip by ND to Marquette … the Irish won 15-8, 15-2, 15-2 in Milwaukee in 1986 … this will be the first trip to Milwaukee for Notre Dame since that match … the schools first met in 1985 in Dayton, Ohio, with the Irish prevailing in three games … the teams played five times as NSC members and then once in ’90, but have met just once since Marquette left the MCC … 2002 graduate Marcie Bomhack (Waukesha, Catholic Memorial H.S., Milwaukee Sting VBC) – now the head coach at Loyola University Chicago – remains the only Wisconsin native ever to play volleyball for the Irish … on Oct. 3, 1986, in the Joyce Center, ND finished with a .539 hitting percentage (52 kills, 4 errors, 89 attempts), which still stands as the highest in program history in any-length match.
ND-MU MATCH-BY-MATCH: See pdf for the match scores of all seven previous contests between the Irish and Golden Eagles. ND has won all seven matches, losing just one game. The Irish prevailed 3-0 in the only previous match at Marquette.
Notre Dame Team Notes …
START ME UP: Notre Dame has begun the season 8-1, the fastest start for the Irish since the 1995 squad began 16-1 en route to going 24-7 and finishing the season ranked 14th after falling in the round of 16 of the NCAA tournament.
DE-FENSE, DE-FENSE: Heading into last week, Notre Dame was the only team to rank among the top 15 in Division I in both blocks per game and digs per game. The Irish, who have finished in the top five in the category for four straight years, came in eighth in blocking, at 3.45 per game (now 3.53). Notre Dame — which has never finished among the national leaders and has never ended up better than fifth in the BIG EAST in the category — ranks 14th in Division I (and first in the conference) with 18.42 digs per game (now 18.71).
BLOCK PARTY: The Irish appear poised to again be one of the top blocking teams in the nation in 2005. Notre Dame, which has led the BIG EAST Conference in each of the last four years and has been among the top five blocking teams in the NCAA in each of those seasons, returned eight of its top nine blockers from last year’s squad that averaged 3.37 per game, good enough for fourth nationally. After being fifth in 2001 (3.53) and second in ’02 (3.66), the Irish led Division I in team blocking in 2003 (3.72). Senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.), the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, has led the conference in blocking in both overall and league action in each of her three collegiate seasons. After setting Notre Dame freshman records in both total blocks (175) and block average (1.68) and coming in fourth nationally in 2002, she was the NCAA blocking champ in 2003 (1.78) and finished 21st last season (1.54). Through nine matches, Notre Dame is averaging 3.53 blocks per game, which is tops in the BIG EAST and eighth in the nation. Senior MB Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) is leading the BIG EAST in blocking (1.56), while Brewster is third (1.50).
SENIOR CITIZENS: Notre Dame has five seniors on its roster in 2005: MB Lauren Brewster, S Kelly Burrell, MB Carolyn Cooper, L/OH Meg Henican, and OH/MB Lauren Kelbley. The last Irish volleyball team to feature five seniors was the 2000 squad, which boasted S Denise Boylan, OH Christi Girton, S/DS Michelle Graham, MB/OPP Jo Jameyson, and OH Adrienne Shimmel. That team went 26-7 and finished ranked 21st after losing in five games at Ohio State in the round of 32 of the NCAA tournament. This is just the third time in the 26-year history of the varsity program that a team has featured five or more seniors. The other squad was the `92 one, which had DS Andrea Armento, OH Marilyn Cragin, MB Jessica Fiebelkorn, MB Cynthia May, MB Majenica Rupe, OH Jen Slosar, and OH Alicia Turner. That team went 30-8 and finished 22nd, falling in the round of 32 of the NCAAs.
THE IRISH EXPERIENCE: Notre Dame has one of its most-experienced teams in 2005, as the Irish return nine of their top 10 players (in terms of games played) from last year’s squad. All nine of Notre Dame’s returnees have been starters in the past, heading into the year having combined for 284 career starts (31.6 per person). A pair of fourth-year starters – seniors MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) and OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) – lead the Irish veterans, along with third-year starter L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.), as well as three other returning starters: senior MB/OPP Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) and sophomores S Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) and OPP Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.).
SERVE IT UP: Notre Dame has been a prolific squad at the service line this season, as the Irish have 62 aces (1.82) and just 73 service errors (2.15), or one 1.17 errors per ace. The Irish have had more aces than errors in four matches, including each of the last three. Leading Notre Dame is senior OH Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.), who has 18 aces (0.53 per game, fourth in BIG EAST) and 12 errors. Sophomore S Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) has notched 12 aces (0.35) and committed nine errors.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Notre Dame’s serve-receiving corps — senior OH/L Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.), junior L/DS Danielle Herndon (Plant City, Fla./Durant H.S.), sophomore OH/L Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.), and freshmen DS/S Madison Clark (Sturgis, Mich./Sturgis H.S.) and OH Mallorie Croal (Villa Park, Calif./Mater Dei H.S.) — has allowed just 34 aces in 34 games this season, an average of 1.00 per game. ND has not allowed an ace in 14 of the games thus far (41%). The Irish are coming off the two best serve-receiving seasons in program history, having surrendered a program-record 0.94 aces per game in 2003 before allowing 0.96 last year. Henican is leading the Irish with a 97.9% reception percentage (7 errors in 328 attempts), while Stasiuk (8 errors, 221 attempts) is next at 96.4% and Herndon (5 errors, 132 attempts) is receiving at a 96.2% clip.
THE BIG EAST’S DYNAMIC DUO: Louisville and Notre Dame — picked by league coaches to finish first and second, respectively, in the BIG EAST Conference this season — have already combined to make some league history. On Sept. 5, the Irish moved into the AVCA poll at 19th, joining the 11th-ranked Cardinals to mark the first time ever that two BIG EAST schools were nationally-ranked in volleyball at the same time. Last week, the teams took it one step further, as Notre Dame rose to eighth in the AVCA rankings and Louisville was right behind at ninth. It was the first time that the BIG EAST has had two of the top 10 volleyball teams in the country.
WINNING THE CLOSE ONES: Perhaps the most notable characteristic of this year’s Irish team has been an ability to win close games. On the season, Notre Dame is 14-4 in games decided by four points or fewer (8-0 in the UTSA Dome Rally), including winning all three games against #6 Florida by exactly two points.
IRISH CHAMPIONS AGAIN: Notre Dame won a pair of five-game matches (vs. #11 Texas and Arizona State) to win the championship of The Inn at Saint Mary’s Shamrock Invitational for the fifth consecutive time and eighth time in 11 all-time tournaments. It meant that 2005 is the sixth consecutive season in which the Irish have captured at least one in-season tournament championship. Last season, they won both the Cal Poly Invitational and the Baden Thanksgiving Tournament in Long Beach, Calif. In 2003, Notre Dame won both the Longhorn Classic in Austin, Texas, and its own Shamrock Invitational. The Irish also won the Shamrock Invitational from 2000-02 and were the champions of the 2000 Lady Seminole Classic in Tallahassess, Fla., and the `02 Golden Dome Invitational at home. Notre Dame also was the only 3-0 team in this season’s UTSA Dome Rally, though there was no champion declared.
GIANT KILLERS: The five-member class of 2006 is just the second group in Notre Dame history to have upset at least one top-15 team in each of its four seasons playing for the Irish. The current seniors topped #10 Pepperdine in 2002, #10 Arizona in `03, #14 Utah a year ago, and #11 Texas, #8 USC, and #6 Florida this season. The only other class to do that was the duo of OH Brett Hensel and S Shannon Tuttle, which graduated in 1996 after being part of teams that beat #13 New Mexico in 1992, #9 Illinois, #3 Nebraska, and #8 Nebraska in `93, #15 Colorado and #9 Florida in `94, and #9 USC as well as #15 Colorado twice in `95.
NOTRE DAME WINS FIVE STRAIGHT FOR 15TH CONSECUTIVE SEASON: By prevailing in the opening five matches in 2005, Notre Dame made this the 15th consecutive season in which the Irish have had a winning streak of at least five matches, a span that covers every year since head coach Debbie Brown took over the program.
KNOCKING THEM OFF: In the 26-year history of Notre Dame volleyball, the Irish have knocked off teams ranked among the national top 12 on 11 occasions, with three of those upsets coming already this season. See pdf for a list of the top all-time Irish victories, sorted by ranking of the opponent.
FINISHING OFF GAMES: Notre Dame has saved its best volleyball for the ends of games this season. See pdf for some examples.
BIG POINTS MAKE BIG SEASONS: See pdf for a list of some of the most important points that have led to Notre Dame’s success this season:
LET’S PLAY FIVE: In the Shamrock Invitational, Notre Dame beat both Texas and Arizona State in five-game matches before losing to LSU in the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic. The Irish are 71-61 (.538) all-time in five-game affairs, including 9-8 (against some of the top programs in the country) since the current ND seniors stepped on campus. See pdf for all of the 3-2 matches played by them.
NOT SO FAST, MY FRIEND: Twice this year — both against top-15 teams — Notre Dame has been down game point, but come back to win the game. Once the Irish had a match point, but could not convert it en route to losing. See details of all three situations in pdf.
MARATHON MATCH: Notre Dame’s 30-28, 30-22, 23-30, 26-30, 20-18 defeat against Louisiana State on Sept. 18 in the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic in College Station, Texas, stands as the second-longest match (by number of points) played by the Irish since the current scoring format was adopted in 2001. The only contest to feature more points was a 30-23, 35-33, 27-30, 27-30, 15-11 win at home against Illinois State on Nov. 14, 2001, that featured 261 points. The LSU match had 257 points played.
Notre Dame Player Notes …
BIG EAST HONORS: See pdf for a summary of Notre Dame’s BIG EAST weekly honors in 2005 (POW – Player of the Week; ROW – Rookie of the Week):
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: See pdf for a summary of Notre Dame’s all-tournament honors in 2005:
COOPER SEIZES CONFERENCE LEAD IN BLOCKING: Senior MB/OPP Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) moved into the top spot this week in the BIG EAST Conference blocking leaders for the first time in her career. She is averaging 1.56 blocks per game, while Connecticut freshman Jessie Nevitt is next at 1.51 per game. The greatest challenge between Cooper and winning the league blocking crown is likely her classmate, All-American MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.), who currently ranks third in the league leaders at 1.50. She has finished first in the BIG EAST in blocking both in overall and conference matches in each of the last three years, also taking the NCAA blocking crown in 2003. Cooper and Brewster have the Irish atop the team conference leaders in blocking (3.53), as well as in the top 10 nationally (entered last week eighth).
TARUTIS SECOND IN BIG EAST IN ASSISTS: Sophomore setter Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) enters this week ranked second in the BIG EAST Conference in assists per game, at 12.35. She trails only Connecticut’s Jenny Neelands, who is averaging 12.44. Through one weekend of league action, Tarutis is tops in the conference-only leaders after averaging 13.33 assists in a sweep of Seton Hall last weekend. Cincinnati setter Noel Olson is right behind her at 13.25 per game.
CROAL’S KILLS: In the five-game loss to Louisiana State, freshman Mallorie Croal (Villa Park, Calif./Mater Dei H.S.) had 19 kills. It was the most by an Irish rookie since Emily Loomis had 19 against Georgetown on Sept. 30, 2001.
IRISH 24-3 WHEN COOPER STARTS: Notre Dame has posted a 24-3 record when current senior MB/OPP Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) is in the starting lineup, 1-0 in 2003, 16-2 in `04, and 7-1 this season.
KELBLEY SERVING UP RUNS: Senior OH Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) has been Notre Dame’s most-effective server early in the 2005 campaign. In addition to leading the team with 18 aces (0.53 per game), coupled with only 12 service errors (1.50 aces per error), she has consistently served up several long Irish runs. (Note: Kelbley is helped that her service rotation is the only one that features both Irish middle blockers, seniors Lauren Brewster and Carolyn Cooper, in the front row together.) Through nine matches, she has served 200 times, and Notre Dame has won 111 of those points (55.6%). In all, her rotation has come up 90 times, and she has served an average of 2.22 points on each occasion; in other words, Notre Dame is winning nearly 1.22 points every time her service rotation comes up. Kelbley has served five or more times on six occasions already this season. See chart in pdf:
STASIUK DONS LIBERO JERSEY: After starting all 30 matches in her rookie season at opposite, sophomore Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) has been Notre Dame’s libero in 12 of the 21 games since she has returned from injury this season. In her first match in the gold jersey, she had a career-high 29 digs against #8 USC, the most for an Irish player since senior co-captain OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) registered a school-record 37 at Seton Hall on Oct. 10, 2004. Stasiuk also played the first two games against #6 Florida at libero, notching 16 digs (finished with 24), as well as all five games against LSU (24 digs) and the last game vs. Seton Hall (six digs). In 12 games at libero, she has 75 digs, for an average of 6.25 per game. She has made just three reception errors, or one every 4.00 games.
HENICAN ON PACE TO BREAK ND CAREER DIG AVERAGE RECORD: Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) heads into this weekend averaging 3.81 digs per game throughout her career, which is on pace to break the Notre Dame record of 3.72 by Christy Peters (1991-94). She also needs 355 digs to reach Peters’ record for career digs (1,640).
BREWSTER’S ASU OUTPUT AMONG BEST EVER BY AN IRISH MB: Senior co-captain MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) had 28 kills against Arizona State on Sunday. Only once has a Notre Dame middle blocker had more kills in a match. See the list of top kill totals by Irish middles in pdf:
… AND MOST IN THE JOYCE CENTER BY ANY PLAYER SINCE 2000: The 28 kills by senior co-captain MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) against Arizona State on Sunday were the most in the Joyce Center by any player since Sept. 21, 2000, when Loyola Marymount’s Sarah McFarland had 45 (on 111 attempts, which still stands as an NCAA record for a four-game match) and Kristy Kreher of Notre Dame posted 32 in a four-game Irish triumph.
JUST CALL HER “MISS GAME FIVE”: Senior co-captain MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) was outstanding in the two game fives in The Inn at Saint Mary’s Shamrock Invitational, posting 10 kills on .381 hitting to go with four digs and two blocks. Throughout her career in fifth games, Brewster is averaging 2.60 kills per game on .304 hitting (39-15-79) to go with 18 digs and 12 blocks for 45.5 points (3.03). [Note: Statistics unavailable from two game fives.]
IRON WOMAN I: Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) enters the UTSA Dome Rally having played in each of the last 273 Irish games, the longest streak ever by a Notre Dame volleyball player. She played in just two of five games against Miami on Nov. 15, 2002, but then finished out that campaign and then appeared in every game in both 2003 and `04 and all 34 thus far this season. She is the only Irish player ever to play in every game in consecutive seasons.
IRON WOMAN II: Senior co-captain MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) has played in all 101 Notre Dame matches since joining the team in 2002, starting 97 of them. She has a chance to be the third Irish player ever to play in every match during her career, following in the footsteps of Janelle Karlan (1990-93, 145 matches) and Jenny Birkner (1993-96, 140 matches).
HENICAN, BREWSTER TABBED CO-CAPTAINS: Seniors MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) and OH/L Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) will serve as Notre Dame’s co-captains this season. Henican is back for her second season in the role, after serving as the lone captain during the 2004 campaign. She is the 10th multiple-year captain in program history and just the fourth to have been a solo captain in at least one of those seasons.
LOCAL INTEREST: Freshman DS/S Madison Clark (Sturgis H.S.) hails from Sturgis, Mich., which is just across the state line and less than 50 miles east of Notre Dame. She is the most-local player for the Irish volleyball team since South Bend native Dyan Boulac wound up her career in 1993.
TOGETHER AGAIN: Sophomore S Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) and freshman OH Mallorie Croal (Villa Park, Calif./Mater Dei H.S.) are teammates once again with the Irish this season. Both played for the Golden West Volleyball Club prior to coming to Notre Dame,helping it to the bronze medal at the 2004 Junior National Olympics.
Miscellaneous Notes …
UPSET OF FLORIDA GIVES BROWN 350th WIN AT NOTRE DAME: The 3-0 victory over #6 Florida on Sept. 11 was the 350th for the Irish with Debbie Brown as head coach. Since first stepping onto campus in 1991, she holds a 352-118 (.747) record. She is easily the winningest coach in program history — a status she first took over in 1995 — having nearly twice as many victories as her closest competitor, Art Lambert, who was 127-87 in seven seasons from 1984-90. Brown is just the ninth head coach in Notre Dame athletics history — in any sport — to register 350+ victories while coaching the Irish, joining Yves Auriol (men’s and women’s fencing), Mike DeCicco (men’s and women’s fencing), Tom Fallon (men’s tennis and wrestling), Jake Kline (baseball), Paul Mainieri (baseball), Muffet McGraw (women’s basketball), Liz Miller (softball), and Digger Phelps (men’s basketball). Of that group, only Auriol and DeCicco hold higher winning percentages during their time at Notre Dame than Brown does.
HOME, SWEET HOME: Notre Dame’s Joyce Center has become one of the most difficult places in the nation for road teams to win, especially since the arrival of head coach Debbie Brown in 1991. Over the last 14 years, Notre Dame has posted a 169-28 (.857) home record. The Irish have pieced together a variety of impressive winning streaks on their home floor, winning 14 or more in a row on five occasions, highlighted by streaks of 27 (1993-95) and 36 (2000-02) straight home victories. Notre Dame also won 74 in a row in regular-season action against conference opposition from 1991-2004. The Irish, who have topped 14 ranked teams – including four top-10 squads – at home, also hold a 160-9 (.946) record against unranked teams in the Joyce Center, including a 52-match winning streak. Notre Dame is 4-0 at home this year, including an upset of #11 Texas.
CLASS OF THE CONFERENCE: Notre Dame has experienced unprecedented success in the decade since joining the BIG EAST Conference in 1995. The Irish have compiled a 108-6 (.947) regular-season mark, highlighted by nine titles and winning streaks of 45 and 35 consecutive matches. Notre Dame is 61-1 (.984) in BIG EAST regular-season contests in the Joyce Center, and the Irish have won eight BIG EAST tournament championships, posting a 19-2 mark and reaching the final every year. Notre Dame also has dominated the conference awards, winning player-of-the-year honors six times, the coach-of-the-year award on four occasions, and the league tournament’s most-outstanding-player award seven times. Also, Notre Dame student-athletes have garnered 35 all-conference accolades, including 21 first-team honors, which account for more than one-third of the first-team selections during the span. After being the preseason favorite 10 years in a row, the Irish were picked by the league head coaches to finish second to newcomer Louisville in 2005. Senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) was chosen as the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, and she was joined on the preseason all-BIG EAST team by senior OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.), a unanimous selection.
ALL SIX ND FALL TEAMS IN NATIONAL TOP 20: The volleyball team is not the only Notre Dame team off to a hot start, as all six Irish fall sports head into this week ranked among the national top 20. The four team sports have combined for a 25-6 record, including 8-2 against nationally-ranked teams (4-1 vs. top-10 foes). Women’s cross country leads the way in the rankings at third, while women’s soccer and men’s cross country are sixth, volleyball is 10th, football is 13th, and men’s soccer is 18th.
ACADEMIC ACHIEVERS: The Notre Dame women’s volleyball team posted its highest grade-point average on record for an academic year in 2004-05 and was rewarded as a recipient of a Game Plan/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award. The Irish, who had a team GPA of 3.362, were one of just four Division I squads to earn the Team Academic Award and also win at least one match in the 2004 NCAA Championship (also Kansas State, Ohio, and Wichita State). The AVCA Team Academic Award honors college and high-school teams that display excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team GPA on a 4.0 scale. Notre Dame was one of 45 Division I programs to be so recognized. The Irish previously copped the honor in 2001-02 and 2002-03.
TV STARS: Notre Dame will be featured on television at least two times during the 2005 season. The Irish beat Texas on Sept. 3 in The Inn at Saint Mary’s Shamrock Invitational in the Joyce Center, which was part of the AVCA’s national match-of-the-week package on College Sports Television (CSTV). Also part of that package will be the BIG EAST Championship title match on Nov. 20 in Louisville (ND has played in that match all 10 seasons since becoming a league member). Additionally, the Irish will play host to Tennessee on Nov. 26 in the Irish Thanksgiving Invitational, and that will be televised by Comcast Sports Net. A year ago, Notre Dame was on TV three times in road matches (CSTV at South Carolina, Comcast at Michigan, BYU TV at Brigham Young). The Irish — who played host to Miami in 2003 in a CSTV match — are one of just 10 schools who have been on the regular-season slate of CSTV’s match-of-the-week series in all three years since it debuted. The others are Colorado State, Florida, Hawai’i, Nebraska, Pepperdine, Santa Clara, Stanford, Texas, and Utah.
TOTAL ACCESS ON CSTV BEGINS OCT. 9: College Sports Television will feature a special monthly 30-minute original program called Total Access that concentrates solely on Notre Dame athletics. The show will air on Oct. 9 and then on the first Sunday of every month for the rest of 2005 and returning on Jan. 8, 2006. The first show will feature a “Cribs”-style tour of the dorm room of Irish junior DS/L Danielle Herndon (Plant City, Fla./Durant H.S.).
KEEPING UP WITH ND VOLLEYBALL: For the fastest results of Notre Dame volleyball matches, call the Notre Dame sports hotline at (574) 631-3000 and choose #5 and #1. The hotline provides schedules and result information for all Irish varsity sports and serves as a supplement to the match recaps and weekly releases provided on the official athletics website at www.und.com. The hotline is the first medium updated with results of each Notre Dame volleyball match. Once again, www.und.com will be the best place for in-depth coverage of Irish volleyball. Live scoring of all home matches, as well as live internet broadcasts of six contests supplement the regular match previews and recaps. In addition, media members and fans may be added to the sports information e-mail release list by contacting assistant sports information director Bo Rottenborn at Rottenborn.2@nd.edu. All requests for story ideas, interview access, match credentials, and further information on Irish volleyball should similarly be directed to Rottenborn. Credential and interview requests should be made at least 24 hours in advance.