Oct. 26, 2005
Complete Match Notes & Stats in PDF Format (includes several charts and lists not available on this webpage)
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#7 Notre Dame (18-1, 8-0 BIG EAST) vs. #6 Louisville (20-0, 8-0 BIG EAST)Saturday, October 29, 2 p.m. (EST/CDT) • Joyce Center, Notre Dame, IN- Live Internet Audio: www.und.com- Real-Time Stats: www.und.com- Gold Game: free Gold Game shirts to the first 100 fans, courtesy of SouthBend Orthopaedics- First 300 fans will recieve a Notre Dame Volleyball team puzzle sponsored byJimmy John's
#7 Notre Dame vs. Cincinnati (15-7, 6-2 BIG EAST)Sunday, October 30, 12:30 p.m. (EST) • Joyce Center, Notre Dame, IN- Television: ESPNU (live and re-aired on Tuesday at 7 a.m. & Wednesday at 3 p.m.)- Live Internet Audio: www.und.com- Real-Time Stats: www.und.com- Irish Spookerfest: Free admission to any who arrive in a costume &costume contest at intermission- ND team will hand out treats at a special screening of Madagascar after the match
#7 IRISH EYE BIG HOME WEEKEND, WITH SATURDAY GOLD GAME vs. #6 LOUISVILLE AND SUNDAY ESPNU MATCH WITH CINCINNATI: The seventh-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s volleyball team (18-1, 8-0 BIG EAST), winners of 11 straight and now matching the program’s all-time high national ranking, has a big weekend in the Joyce Center ahead of it, as the Irish will face two of their most difficult conference tests. On Saturday, the two BIG EAST co-leaders — ND and #6 Louisville (20-0, 8-0) — will play at 2 p.m. (EST/CDT) in the first matchup of top-10 volleyball teams in the Joyce Center since 1996 and the volleyball team’s “Gold Game.” Sunday will see the Irish take on one of the teams tied for third place in the conference, Cincinnati (15-7, 6-2), at 12:30 p.m. (EST) in a match to be televised by ESPNU.The “Gold Game” distinction was created by the Student-Athlete Advisory Council to encourage the entire Notre Dame community to attend designated contests, determined to be the most significant home event of the season for the respective team.
THE TELEVISION PLANS: Sunday’s match will be televised live by ESPNU, making it the first volleyball match in the Joyce Center ever to be carried live. It will also re-air on Tuesday at 7 a.m. and Wednesday at 3 p.m. ESPNU is channel 609 on DirecTV and channel 148 on Dish Network.
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 both matches this weekend. 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 free for both matches, via the Notre Dame athletics web site, www.und.com.
Irish Items: Highlights of This Notes Package …
– Notre Dame rose two spots to #7 in this week’s CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25. It matches the highest-ever ranking for the Irish, who were also seventh on Sept. 19, 1995.
– Notre Dame has matched the best 19-match start in program history, opening 18-1 for the second time. The 1994 squad began the year 20-1 en route to going 33-4 and finishing 12th (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.
– Saturday will be the second matchup of top-10 volleyball teams ever at ND and first since `96.
– ND is 8-0 in BIG EAST play for the ninth time in 11 years of league membership. The Irish and Louisville (8-0) are the only two unbeatens in conference play. For the first time since joining the BIG EAST, ND was not the preseason favorite in 2005 (Louisville was).
– Notre Dame came into the week as the only Division I school to appear in the NCAA statistical leaders (30 teams listed) in both blocking (3rd, 3.64 per game) and digging (20th, 18.25). ND was in the top five in Division I in blocking from 2001-04, including first in `03 (Brewster was the ind. champ).
– Irish sophomore OH Adrianna Stasiuk was tabbed the CVU.com National Player of the Week on Tuesday (10 GP, 4.30 K, .396, 3.90 D, 1.50 B, 5.75 pts.), making ND the first school ever to win the award twice (also Brewster on Sept. 5, 2005). Stasiuk also was BIG EAST Player of the Week.
– Notre Dame boasts two players in the top five in the BIG EAST in both blocking (Lauren Brewster, 1st, 1.58 & Carolyn Cooper, 3rd, 1.42) & digging (Meg Henican, 4th, 4.51 & Stasiuk, 5th, 4.51). ND is the only team with 2 players in the top 10 in kills (Brewster, 8th, 4.07 & Lauren Kelbley, 10th, 3.69).
– ND’s offense — led by sophomore S Ashley Tarutis, who is first in the BIG EAST in assists (12.70) & 38-9 as a starter — has been much improved over the last 11 matches (16.83 K, .310) following a lineup shift (which included switching Henican to libero and Stasiuk to OH). In the first 8 matches, ND had 14.81 kills on .200 hitting. ND is 1st in hitting (.334) and kills (17.04) in league play.
– ND is on pace to break the Irish season records for dig avg. (18.25, record-18.23 in `92) and opponent ace average (0.78, record-0.94 in `03). Henican (.981 rec. pct.) & Stasiuk (.969) lead the way.
– ND leads the all-time series with Louisville (12-3) and Cincinnati (3-0).
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 362-119 (.753) 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 115-6 (.950) in regular-season BIG EAST play and 19-2 (.905) in conference tournament action. Notre Dame is 63-1 (.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 (.313) and block average (1.65). 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 been the BIG EAST Player of the Week twice (bringing her career total to a program-best eight), 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 played a lot early 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). She has had 20+ digs in a match on 22 occasions during her career and 10 or more in 43 of the last 44.
Two other Irish hitters — senior MB/OPP Carolyn Cooper and sophomore 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 33-3 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. She was the league’s Player of the Week and the CVU.com National Player of the Week on Oct. 24.
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 of late by sophomore Ellen Heintzman (HIGHNTZ-min). She started eight matches there last year and has done so six times in `05, including in each of the last four contests (hitting over .400 in three of them).
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 38-9 as a starter, including 4-1 against top-15 teams, and leads the BIG EAST in assists (12.70). Senior S Kelly Burrell (burr-ELLE) is the backup setter, as she has been throughout her career, and also contributes as a back-row substitute.
Junior DS/L Danielle Herndon has played in every game this season at either libero or defensive specialist, where she has played of late. She has been a regular throughout her career in that role. Freshman OH Mallorie Croal (krole), a Volleyball magazine Fab 50 selection, also has seen time as a regular, starting 11 matches at outside hitter. She was the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Sept. 5. Freshman DS/S Madison Clark has been a frequent back-row sub for Notre Dame this season, while the two other rookies — MB/OPP 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 362-119 (.752) mark, while holding a 479-202 (.703) 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 TO #7 IN CSTV/AVCA POLL, MATCHING PROGRAM BEST: After three more victories extended its current winning streak to 11 matches, Notre Dame rose two spots to #7 in this week’s CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Poll, released on Monday by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. It matches the highest-ever listing for the Irish in the poll, first accomplished on Sept. 19, 1995. Notre Dame began the season as the second team receiving votes outside of the AVCA top 25, then moved to 19th on Sept. 5 and to eighth on Sept. 12. A loss dropped the Irish to 11th on Sept. 18, and they edged upward since. This week marks ND’s 14th all-time ranking in the top 10. 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 128 of the 207 polls since then (62%). 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. Four of Notre Dame’s 2005 opponents – #4 Florida, #6 Louisville, #14 Texas, and #17 Southern California – are also in the top 20, while Tennessee is receiving votes (listed 32nd). 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. Notre Dame also moved up two spots to a season-high eighth in the Molten/Volleyball magazine poll this week.
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.
STASIUK TABBED CVU.COM NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK, MAKING ND FIRST SCHOOL TO HAVE MULTIPLE HONOREES: Sophomore OH Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) was named the CVU.com National Player of the Week on Tuesday by the Collegiate Volleyball Update. It came on the heels of her being tabbed the BIG EAST Player of the Week after helping Notre Dame to a trio of wins that keyed its rise to #7 in the latest national rankings – matching the program best. Notre Dame is the first school to earn the honor on multiple occasions in the history of the accolade, after senior All-American MB Lauren Brewster won it on Sept. 5. In victories against Illinois State, South Florida, and Georgetown, Stasiuk turned in outstanding all-around numbers, averaging 4.30 kills on .396 hitting to go with 3.90 digs and 1.50 blocks for 5.75 points per game. She tallied a total of 43 kills to go with 39 digs, 15 blocks (including eight solos), six assists, and three service aces for 57.5 points. An illustration of her all-around excellence was the fact that Stasiuk posted match-high numbers in a particular statistical category on eight occasions – and in five different categories – last week. She was tops among all players in kills (20), hitting (.349), and points (22.5) vs. the Redbirds; in digs (13), blocks (4), and points (14.5) against USF; and in kills (14) and points (20.5) vs. Georgetown.
STREAKS: The following streaks are active heading into this week:
– ND has won 11 consecutive matches [last loss: 9/18 vs. Louisiana State, 2-3]
– ND has won seven consecutive home matches [last loss: 11/16/04 vs. Northern Iowa, 2-3]
– ND has won 26 consecutive matches when winning game one [last loss: 10/20/04 at BYU, 2-3]
– ND has won 53 consecutive matches when winning the first two games [last loss: 9/18/02 at Purdue]
– ND has won eight consecutive matches when splitting the first two games [last loss: 11/16/04 vs. Northern Iowa, 2-3]
– ND has won 36 consecutive matches when finishing with a higher hitting percentage than its opponent [last loss: 11/16/03 at Pittsburgh, 2-3, .215-.170 hitting]
– ND has won 29 consecutive matches when finishing with more kills than its opponent [last loss: 11/16/03 at Pittsburgh, 2-3, 69-63 kills]
– ND has won 21 consecutive matches when finishing with more blocks than its opponent [last loss: 11/16/04 vs. Northern Iowa, 2-3, 18.5-15 blocks]
– ND has won 12 consecutive matches lasting three games [last loss: 12/4/04 at Wisconsin, NCAA second round]
– ND has won eight consecutive matches lasting four games [last loss: 9/28/04 at Michigan]
– ND has won 15 consecutive matches not played on neutral courts [last loss: 12/4/04 at Wisconsin, NCAA second round, 0-3]
– ND has won 12 consecutive matches against BIG EAST teams [last loss: 11/7/04 vs. Boston College, 0-3]
– ND has won 12 consecutive matches against the AVCA’s Northeast Region [last loss: 11/7/04 vs. Boston College, 0-3]
– ND has won four consecutive matches against nationally-ranked teams [last loss: 9/4/04 vs. #2 Nebraska, 2-3]
– ND has won all three meetings with Cincinnati
– ND has had 50+ kills in 10 consecutive matches [last below: 9/25 vs. Seton Hall, 48]
– ND has hit .375+ in six consecutive games [last under: 10/17 at Illinois State, .270 in 4th game]
– ND has held its opponent below .200 hitting in four consecutive matches [last above: 10/8 at Connecticut, .203]
– ND has had five or more blocks in five consecutive matches [last below: 10/9 at St. John’s, 8]
– ND has allowed fewer than five service aces in 10 consecutive matches [last above: 9/25 vs. Seton Hall, 5]
– ND has had at least one service ace in 189 consecutive matches [last without: 10/9/99 at Rutgers]
– Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican has had 10+ digs in 14 consecutive matches [last without: 9/10 vs. Oklahoma, 8 digs]
– Senior MB Lauren Brewster has had 10+ points in 46 consecutive matches [last without: 9/3/04 vs. #2 Nebraska, 9.5 pts.]
– Senior MB Lauren Brewster has hit .320+ in six consecutive matches [last below: 10/5 vs. Valparaiso, .179]
– Sophomore OH Adrianna Stasiuk has hit .290+ in five consecutive matches [last below: 10/8 vs. St. John’s, .167]
– Senior MB Carolyn Cooper has hit .250+ in six consecutive matches [last below: 10/5 vs. Valparaiso, .222]
– Sophomore setter Ashley Tarutis has had 35+ assists in 14 consecutive matches [last without: 9/10 vs. Oklahoma, 33 assists]
– Senior MB Lauren Brewster has had 10+ kills in eight consecutive matches [last without: 9/30 at Syracuse, 4 kills]
– Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican has played in each of the last 306 Irish games, the longest streak in school history [last game missed: 11/15/02 at Miami]
– Senior co-captain MB Lauren Brewster has played in all 111 matches since stepping onto campus
– Sophomore setter Ashley Tarutis has led Notre Dame in assists in all 49 matches as a collegian
Notes On This Week’s Matches …
RARE TOP-10 SHOWDOWN IN THE JOYCE CENTER: Saturday’s match between #7 Notre Dame and #6 Louisville will be just the second-ever contest between top-10 volleyball teams in the Joyce Center. The only previous affair came on Sept. 4, 1996, when #2 Stanford prevailed 15-2, 15-12, 17-15 over #8 Notre Dame. That match featured three current AVP beach volleyball professionals: Angie Harris and Jaimie Lee from Notre Dame and Olympic gold medalist Kerri Walsh from the Cardinal. This will be just the third-ever match between top-10 foes involving Notre Dame. The first one saw #4 Stanford win 11-15, 15-4, 15-7, 15-5 over #8 ND on Oct. 16, 1995, in Palo Alto, Calif. Notre Dame has never before been involved in a matchup of two teams ranked among the national top seven. The Joyce Center’s south dome, which also is the home to the Irish men’s and women’s basketball teams, is no stranger to top-10 drama. In fact, Notre Dame has won each of the last seven contests on that floor between teams ranked in the national top 10, a streak dating back to Dec. 8, 1998, when #1 Connecticut beat #6 ND in women’s basketball. Following that match, the Irish women beat #5 Purdue, #10 Rutgers, and #1 Connecticut in 2000-01, as well as #6 Duke, #9 Ohio State, and #7 Rutgers in 2004-05. Notre Dame’s men’s team, ranked 10th at the time, knocked off #4 Pittsburgh in the 2002-03 season.
LIVE FROM NOTRE DAME …: Sunday’s match will mark the first-ever live telecast of a volleyball match from the Joyce Center. The Irish have been featured on television at various times over the past few seasons, and will have three home matches televised this season: Sept. 3 vs. Texas (W, 3-2), Sunday vs. Cincinnati, and Nov. 26 vs. Tennessee. College Sports Television (CSTV) has televised two matches at Notre Dame, while WHME-TV also has done several matches in the past, but all of those have been shown on a tape-delayed basis.
CONNECTIONS: Louisville has one Indiana native — freshman OH/L Nicole Bateman (Columbus, Columbus East H.S.) — on its roster, as does Cincinnati: sophomore L/DS Natalie Dossman (Indianapolis, Bishop Chatard H.S.) … Notre Dame has one Louisville native — sophomore OH Ellen Heintzman (Sacred Heart Academy) — and one Ohio native — senior OH Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) — on its roster … Heintzman was high school teammates with Louisville freshman libero Kristie Wetterer.
ND-LOUISVILLE SERIES NOTES: The Irish and Cardinals will meet for the second time in three seasons and the 16th time overall … ND holds a 12-3 advantage in the all-time series, but then-#19 Louisville prevailed in the most-recent match over the #21 Irish, 32-30, 30-21, 30-21 in the opening round of the `03 NCAA Championship in Urbana, Ill. … the last ND victory was a 16-14, 15-13, 15-4 decision in the `99 Shamrock Invitational in the Joyce Center, which was U of L’s last visit to the facility … ND has faced U of L more times than any of the other new members of the BIG EAST Conference … the Irish are 6-1 all-time at home against the Cardinals, with the lone blemish a five-game affair in the `96 Big Four Classic (15-12 in the fifth for #19 U of L over #8 ND) … at least one team has carried a national ranking in 10 of the last 12 matches between the squads (including this year’s) … Notre Dame is 5-2 when ranked higher than Louisville, while the Cards are 1-1 when being higher-ranked … the Irish lead 39-19 in games won … the schools have played three 5-game matches, coming in consecutive years from 1994-96 (ND won first 2) … the schools first played in `86, with the Irish winning 3-0 in Louisville … after six consecutive ND wins, U of L broke through at home in `92 with a 3-1 upset of #20 ND … the teams played 14 times in regular-season action from 1986-99, but have not met since then other than in the ’03 NCAAs … sophomore Ellen Heintzman (Louisville, Sacred Heart Acad., KIVA) is just the second Kentucky native ever to play volleyball for the Irish, following another Louisville product, Andrea Armento (1991-92, Sacred Heart Academy, KIVA) … if ND qualifies for the BIG EAST Championship, it will be the first time the Irish have played in Louisville since 1994 … ND had 94 kills in the ’94 affair, which is the fifth-most ever by any team in the Joyce Center.
CURRENT IRISH vs. LOUISVILLE: See pdf for statistics of current Irish players in career matches against Louisville.
ND-LOUISVILLE MATCH-BY-MATCH: See pdf for the match scores of all 15 previous contests between the Irish and Cardinals. ND holds a 12-3 all-time edge, including 9-3 under head coach Debbie Brown and 6-1 at home.
ND-UC SERIES NOTES: The Irish and Bearcats will play for the third time since 2000 and the fourth time overall … Notre Dame has won all three previous matches … the most-recent match came in the 2002 Shamrock Invitational in the Joyce Center, with the #25 Irish winning 30-19, 30-24, 30-23 … current senior Lauren Kelbley had 12 kills and 0 errors for .600 hitting in the contest … that was Cincinnati’s only other visit to the Joyce Center … ND has been ranked in the top 25 at the time of each of the last two contests … the Irish hold a 9-2 advantage in games won in the series … the first-ever match between the teams was a five-game affair in the 1987 Eastern Kentucky Colonel Invitational in Richmond (15-10 in the fifth) … the schools then did not play again until ND won 15-2, 15-12, 15-10 in the opening round of the 2000 NCAA tournament in Columbus, Ohio … senior Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Hopewell-Loudon H.S., Black Swamp VBC) is the fourth Ohio native to play volleyball for the Irish … one of the top players in the early history of ND’s program hailed from Cincinnati: OH Mary Jo Hensler (1981-84, Mother of Mercy H.S.) … another Cincinnati native, S/H Jenny Reilly (St. Ursula H.S.), was on the Irish roster in 1990, but did not see action … ND’s Zanette Bennett cranked 31 kills against the Bearcats in the ’87 match, a total which stands tied for the third-highest ever by an Irish player in any-length match … she finished with a .529 hitting mark (4 errors, 51 attempts) in that match, which is the second-highest mark in program history in a five-game affair.
CURRENT IRISH vs. CINCINNATI: See pdf for statistics of current Irish players in career matches against Cincinnati.
ND-CINCY MATCH-BY-MATCH: See pdf for the match scores of all three previous contests between the Irish and Cincinnati.
MOST-COMMON OPPONENTS IN IRISH HISTORY: See pdf for the list of most-common opponents faced by Notre Dame in its 26 years of varsity volleyball.
MOST WINS AGAINST ONE SCHOOL: See pdf for the list of teams Notre Dame has defeated most in its 26 years of varsity volleyball.
Notre Dame Team Notes …
11 IN A ROW: Notre Dame has won 11 consecutive matches since losing to LSU on Sept. 16 (20-18 in the fifth). It is the seventh time in program history the Irish have won 10 or more matches in a row. It is the longest streak since a 14-match winning streak from Sept. 17-Nov. 9 in 2003. That is the second-longest string in ND history, behind only a 17-match streak from Oct. 24-Nov. 21, 1986.
START ME UP: Notre Dame has begun the season 18-1, matching the best 19-match start in Irish history, done previously by the `94 squad. That team began a program-best 20-1 en route to a program-best 33-4 record and a program-best #12 final ranking, losing in the NCAA round of 16.
DE-FENSE, DE-FENSE: Heading into this week, Notre Dame is the only team to rank among the NCAA Division I leaders (30 teams are ranked) 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, are third in blocking, at 3.64. 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 20th in Division I (and first in the conference) with 18.25 per game.
EXCELLENCE IN ALL ARENAS: Heading into this week, Notre Dame holds the BIG EAST lead in both blocks and digs in overall action and is first in league-only play in hitting percentage, kills, and service aces. In other words, Notre Dame is first in the BIG EAST in either overall or league-only leaders in six of the seven official statistical categories. The only category that the Irish do not hold a conference lead in is opponent hitting percentage, in which they are second in both overall (.152) and conference (.140) action.
BLOCK PARTY: The Irish are once again one of the top blocking teams in the nation, coming into the weekend ranked third nationally, at 3.64 per game. 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 all 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). Brewster and fellow senior MB Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) rank first and third, respectively, in this week’s conference leaders at 1.58 and 1.42 blocks per game. Brewster is 11th nationally.
HUGE HITTING: After struggling early in the season, Notre Dame’s offense has caught fire of late, posting the three highest attack percentages of the season over the past four matches and hitting over .350 in four of the last five (after doing that just once in the first 14 matches of 2005). The Irish hit .355 at Connecticut on Oct. 9 and then posted the highest mark in 20 years and the second-highest all-time on Oct. 15, with a .522 hitting mark at DePaul. After hitting .231 at Illinois State, Notre Dame hit .451 against South Florida on Oct. 21 and .393 vs. Georgetown two days later. Over those five matches, the Irish have hit over .300 in 13 of the 16 games, including over .400 in eight of them.
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 returned nine of their top 10 players (in terms of games played) from last year’s squad. All nine of Notre Dame’s returnees had 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.). Heading into this season, Notre Dame’s roster had players who had combined to play in 1,790 career games. See pdf for list of Irish teams with the most combined career games played heading into the season:
LINEUP SWITCH LEADS TO OFFENSIVE FIREWORKS: After eight matches, Notre Dame’s offense was averaging just 14.81 kills per game (10th out of 15 in the BIG EAST) on a .200 attack percentage (10th), plus 13.52 assists per game (8th). Head coach Debbie Brown responded by shifting her lineup, using mostly the same players, but altering rotations, sliding senior co-captain Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) into the libero and moving sophomore Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) from there to outside hitter, and using junior DS/L Danielle Herndon (Plant City, Fla./Durant H.S.) and senior S Kelly Burrell (Phoenix, Ariz./Xavier College Prep School) as back-row substitutes. The alterations have resulted in a much-improved Irish attack, as sophomore setter Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) has Notre Dame averaging 16.83 kills and 15.47 assists on .310 hitting over the last 11 matches.
DYNAMITE DIGGING: Notre Dame has put up some outstanding dig numbers this season, averaging a BIG EAST best 18.25 per game (the Irish came into the week ranked 20th nationally in the category). The season average is higher than the ND record in the category (18.23 in 1992). Leading the way are two players that rank among the top five in the BIG EAST, senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) and sophomore OH/L Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.). Henican — who broke the Irish individual record for digs in a season in 2004 — is fourth with an average of 4.51 per game, while Stasiuk, who missed the first three matches of the season, ranks fifth at 4.30. Sophomore S Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) is averaging 2.63 per game, while junior DS/L Danielle Herndon (Plant City, Fla./Durant H.S.) is at 2.45 per game.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Notre Dame’s serve-receiving corps has allowed just 52 aces in 67 games this season, an average of 0.78 per game (the Irish record is 0.94 in 2003). ND has not allowed an ace in 35 games (52%), and the Irish held Syracuse — which led the BIG EAST — without an ace in a 3-0 win on Sept. 30. The Irish are led by senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.), who has taken 48% of the opposing serves this season and has made just 13 errors for a 98.1% reception percentage. That included a streak of 238 in a row without an error from Sept. 25-Oct. 15. Sophomore OH/L Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) is next, having taken 31% of the serves with a 96.9% success ratio, while junior DS Danielle Herndon (Plant City, Fla./Durant H.S.) is at 96.6%. 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.
SERVE IT UP: Notre Dame has been a prolific squad at the service line this season, as the Irish have 112 aces (1.67) and just 149 service errors (2.22). The ace-to-error ratio of 0.752 would rank as the third-best output in program history, behind only the 1996 (1.03) and `92 (0.757) teams. The Irish have had more aces than errors in six matches. Leading Notre Dame is senior OH Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.), who is fifth in the BIG EAST in aces (30, 0.45). Sophomore S Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) is averaging 0.33 per game (22 aces), while senior MB Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) is at 0.22. None of them have more errors than aces this season, as Cooper leads the way with 15 aces and 11 errors for a 1.34 ratio, while Tarutis is at 1.22, and Kelbley is at 1.00.
IRISH HIT .522 AT DePAUL, INCLUDING .812 IN FINAL GAME: On Oct. 15, Notre Dame posted its highest hitting percentage in a match in 20 years and its second-best all-time, finishing with 53 kills and six errors on 90 attempts for a .522 mark in a three-game win at DePaul. The only better hitting match in the 26-year history of the program came on Oct. 3, 1986, against Marquette, when ND hit .539. In game three, which ND won 30-10, the Irish had 14 kills and just one error on 16 swings (DePaul dug just one ball) for an .812 hitting mark. It is the highest in the 15-year Debbie Brown era (previous records inconclusive). The prior high was .750 (9-0-12) in game one against DePaul on Sept. 26, 1995.
QUICK BIG EAST START: Notre Dame has continued its tradition of quick starts in BIG EAST Conference play, opening 8-0. It is the ninth time in 11 years of league membership (not `98 or `04) that the Irish have started BIG EAST action with an 8-0 mark.
IRISH NEAR TO CLINCHING 11th STRAIGHT BERTH IN BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP: Notre Dame, which stands 8-0 in BIG EAST play with six matches remaining, could clinch one of the eight spots in the 2005 BIG EAST Conference Championship, set for Nov. 18-20 at the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville, Ky., as early as Friday. The Irish have a “magic number” of one for clinching a spot in the event, meaning that one more ND victory would do that, as would a loss by ninth-place Marquette on Friday against Villanova. If the Wildcats should beat the Golden Eagles, only the Irish would clinch a spot, as co-leader Louisville’s magic number is two, since it has not yet played Marquette. The Irish have been in the title match of the BIG EAST tournament every year since joining the conference in 1995, winning eight championships.
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. The following 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 21-7 (.750) 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.
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.
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.
A SEPTEMBER TO REMEMBER: Notre Dame finished the month of September with a 10-1 record, marking the fourth time in program history — and second time in three seasons — the Irish were beaten just one time in the month. ND also was 14-1 in 1994, 12-1 in `95, and 8-1 in 2003. This September also marked just the third time in program history that the Irish beat a trio of nationally-ranked teams in the same month. Notre Dame also did that in Septembers of both 1993 (four wins: #3 Nebraska, #9 Illinois, #24 Washington, #24 New Mexico) and `95 (#9 USC, #15 Colorado, #15 Colorado).
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.
RANKED WINS: See pdf for the list of most wins over nationally-ranked teams in a season for Notre Dame:
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: Three times this year — twice 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 four situations in pdf.
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):
BREWSTER, KELBLEY UNMATCHED AMONG BIG EAST OFFENSIVE DUOS: Seniors MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) and OH Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) rank among the BIG EAST’s top 10 in both kills and points, while no other school has multiple players on either of those lists. Brewster is fourth in points (5.25) and eighth in kills (4.07), while Kelbley is seventh in points (4.69) and 10th in kills (3.69).
BREWSTER, COOPER AMONG TOP THREE BLOCKERS IN BIG EAST: Seniors MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) and MB/OPP Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) enter the week ranked first and third in the BIG EAST Conference blocking leaders, averaging 1.58 and 1.42, respectively. They will take on the player in between them, Louisville’s Jennifer Hoffman (1.45), on Saturday. Brewster 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 (3.64), as well as third nationally. Brewster is 11th in the individual NCAA leaders.
HENICAN, STASIUK IN BIG EAST TOP FIVE IN DIGS: Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) and sophomore OH/L Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) rank fourth and fifth, respectively, among the BIG EAST leaders in dig average, at 4.51 and 4.30 per game. No other school has multiple players in the top 10, and Stasiuk is the only non-libero in the leaders.
BREWSTER IN ELITE TRIO APPEARING FOUR TIMES IN CONFERENCE-ONLY LEADERS: Senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) is one of just three players — along with Louisville’s Lena Ustymenko and Hui Ping Huang of St. John’s — to appear in the BIG EAST leaders for conference matches in four different categories. She is second in hitting percentage (.415), fourth in blocks (1.50), fifth in points (5.19), and eighth in kills (4.00).
TREMENDOUS TARUTIS: Sophomore setter Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) entered the week ranking first in the BIG EAST Conference in assists per game, at 12.70. She will take on the setter right behind her, Cincinnati’s Noel Olson (12.58), on Sunday. Tarutis also has put her offense first in the conference-only leaders in both hitting percentage (.334) and kills per game (17.04).
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 was the first Notre Dame player ever to earn the honor (sophomore OH Adrianna Stasiuk won it on Oct. 24) 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 in the Shamrock Invitational, 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).
HENICAN BACK IN LIBERO JERSEY: Senior Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) has played 35 of the last 36 games in the libero jersey after starting the season at outside hitter. As the Irish libero, she is averaging 5.26 digs (184 total) and has made just six reception errors in 383 attempts (.984).
IRISH 33-3 WHEN COOPER STARTS: Notre Dame has posted a 33-3 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 16-1 this season.
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.
KELBLEY, BREWSTER NEAR 1,300 KILLS: Seniors MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) and OH Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) enter the week with 1,282 and 1,269 career kills, respectively. They will soon become the sixth and seventh Irish players ever to hit the 1,300-kill plateau. Only one set of classmates — Angie Harris and Jaimie Lee (1994-97) — has accomplished that feat before.
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 3.94 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 184 digs to reach Peters’ record for career digs (1,640).
BREWSTER BREAKS ND CAREER RECORD FOR BLOCK ASSISTS, NEARS TOTAL BLOCKS MARK: Senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) broke the Notre Dame career record for block assists with her first one against DePaul on Oct. 15. That allowed her to pass former record holder Mary Leffers, who had 516 from 1996-99. Brewster enters the weekend with 537. She also stands second on the Irish lists for career block average (1.65, record is 1.68 by Mary Kay Waller) and total blocks. She is 61 blocks shy of Waller’s (1985-88) record of 699.
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.]
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 pdf for the list of top kill totals by Irish middles:
… 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.
IRON WOMAN I: Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) enters the weekend having played in each of the last 306 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 67 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 111 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).
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: See pdf for a summary of Notre Dame’s all-tournament honors in 2005:
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 …
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).
NOTRE DAME RANKS 15TH NATIONALLY IN HOME ATTENDANCE: Heading into the week, Notre Dame ranked 15th in Division I in home volleyball attendance this season, averaging 1,820 for the first seven home matches of the 2005 campaign. The season opener against Michigan drew 1,574 fans — the most ever for a campaign lidlifter and one of the top 100 crowds in the nation this year — and the crowd of 5,541 that watched ND beat South Florida on Oct. 21, just before the ND-BYU football pep rally, is the second-largest volleyball crowd in facility history (and 26th-largest in Division I this season). Overall, 10 of ND’s 19 matches this season have been played in front of crowds of more than 1,000. Notre Dame has finished among the top 25 in home attedance in each of the last three years: 25th in 2002, 16th in `03, 17th in `04.
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 362-119 (.752) 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 172-28 (.860) 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 163-9 (.948) record against unranked teams in the Joyce Center, including a 52-match winning streak. Notre Dame is 7-0 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 115-6 (.950) regular-season mark, highlighted by nine titles and winning streaks of 45 and 35 consecutive matches. Notre Dame is 63-1 (.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.
FIVE ND FALL TEAMS IN NATIONAL TOP 10: The volleyball team is not the only Notre Dame team off to a hot start, as five of the six Irish fall teams head into this week ranked among the national top 10. Women’s cross country leads the way in the rankings at fourth, while women’s soccer and men’s cross country are fifth, volleyball is seventh, and football is ninth.
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 three 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 make their ESPNU debut on Oct. 30 against Cincinnati and then play host to Tennessee on Nov. 26 in the Irish Thanksgiving Invitational in a match to 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.
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.