Nov. 16, 2005
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2005 BIG EAST Conference ChampionshipFriday, Nov. 18 - Sunday, Nov. 20 • Kentucky International Convention Center • Louisville, KY- Real-Time Stats: Available for all matches via bigeast.org; ND matches linked on und.comQuarterfinals - Friday, November 18[4] Cincinnati (18-11, 9-5) vs. [5] St. John's (23-8, 9-5), 10 a.m. (EST)[1] #8 Notre Dame (24-2, 13-1) vs. [8] Villanova (21-10, 8-6), 12:30 p.m.[3] Syracuse (24-9, 11-3) vs. [6] Pittsburgh (16-11, 9-5), 3:30 p.m.[2] #7 Louisville (25-1, 13-1) vs. [7] Marquette (16-11, 8-6), 6 p.m. - Television: WHAS in LouisvilleSemifinals - Saturday, November 19Cincinnati-St. John's winner vs. Notre Dame-Villanova winner, 1 p.m.Syracuse-Pittsburgh winner vs. Louisville-Marquette winner, 3:30 p.m.Championship - Sunday, November 20Semifinal winners, 3 p.m. - Television: College Sports Television (live)
#8/7 NOTRE DAME VOLLEYBALL SEEKS NINTH BIG EAST TOURNAMENT TITLE: The University of Notre Dame women’s volleyball team (24-2, 13-1 BIG EAST) — ranked eighth by the AVCA and seventh by Volleyball magazine — will be in search of its ninth title in 11 years of league membership this weekend as it takes part in the 2005 BIG EAST Conference Championship, slated for Thursday-Sunday in the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville. The top-seeded Irish, co-champions in regular-season action along with #7 Louisville, will open action on Friday against eighth-seeded Villanova (21-10, 8-6) at 12:30 p.m. (EST). ND would play either Cincinnati or St. John’s in Saturday’s semifinals at 1 p.m., and the championship match is slated for 3 p.m. on Sunday and will be shown live by College Sports Television.
THE TELEVISION PLANS: Sunday’s tournament final will be shown live on College Sports Television. CSTV is available on channel 149 on Time-Warner cable in Mishawaka, as well as channel 610 on DirecTV and channel 152 on Dish Network. Jason Knapp will have the call.
Irish Items: Highlights of This Notes Package …
– Notre Dame remained #8 in this week’s CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25. It is an all-time high for ND at this point in the season. The Irish remained #7 in the Molten/Volleyball magazine poll.
– The Irish have matched the best 26-match start in program history, standing 24-2 for the second time. The 1994 squad was 32-2 en route to going 33-4 and finishing 12th (NCAA round of 16).
– The Irish began the year 7-0, upsetting #11 Texas (3-2), #8 USC (3-1), and #6 Florida (3-0), and then knocked off #6 Louisville (3-1) on Oct. 29. It is the first time ND has ever beaten more than two top-14 teams in the same regular season. The Irish have won five straight against ranked teams.
– ND was 13-1 in BIG EAST action and shared the regular-season title with Louisville. The Irish have won regular-season championships 10 times in 11 years of being a BIG EAST member, including in each of the last seven. ND beat Louisville 30-28, 30-28, 27-30, 30-27 at home on Oct. 29.
– ND is the top seed in the BIG EAST tournament for the ninth time in 11 years. The Irish are 19-2 in the tournament, with eight titles and two runner-up finishes (1999, 2003) and 10 finals appearances.
– ND has lost just twice this season, both in close five-game matches: 20-18 in the fifth against LSU on Sept. 16 in College Station, Texas, and 15-13 in the fifth at Pittsburgh on Nov. 6.
– ND is one of just 2 teams in DI (Nebraska, 8-0) to be unbeaten (4-0) against the top 25 of the RKPI.
– 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 (5th, 3.52 per game) and digging (24th, 18.05). ND was in the top five in Division I in blocking from 2001-04, including first in `03 (Brewster was the ind. champ).
– Notre Dame boasts 2 players in the top 6 in the BIG EAST in both blocks (Lauren Brewster, 2nd, 1.52 & Carolyn Cooper, 4th, 1.40) & digs (Meg Henican, 4th, 4.66 & Adrianna Stasiuk, 5th, 4.10). ND is the only team with 2 in the top 10 in points (Brewster, 4th, 5.11 & Lauren Kelbley, 7th, 4.56).
– Sophomore setter Ashley Tarutis leads the BIG EAST in assists (12.96) and is 27th in Division I.
– Brewster — a 2004 All-American and the `05 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year — is one of only two players to be listed in four categories in the conference-only leaders.
– ND’s offense — led by sophomore Tarutis, who is 44-10 as a starter (5-1 vs. top-15 teams) — has been much improved over the last 18 matches (16.77 K, .288) following a lineup shift (which included switching Henican to libero and Stasiuk to OH). In the first eight matches, ND had 14.81 kills on .200 hitting. ND is 1st in kills (16.78) and hitting (.288) in league play.
– ND led the league in assists (15.55) and digs (17.70; never higher than 6th before) in league play.
– ND is on pace to break the Irish record for opponent ace avg. (0.69, record-0.94 in `03). Henican has a .980 reception pct. (taking 50% of serves).Danielle Herndon is at .974 & Stasiuk is at .970.
– Henican needs just 61 digs to reach the ND career record of 1,640 by Christy Peters (1991-94).
– Brewster needs 29 blocks to reach the ND career record of 699 by Mary Kay Waller (1985-88).
– Brewster is a first-team Academic All-District selection, while Stasiuk was on the second team.
– Notre Dame has five seniors on its roster in 2005, making it just the third ND team ever to have that.
– ND holds an 81-10 (.890) all-time record against the BIG EAST tournament field (6-1 in 2005).
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 366-120 (.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 118-7 (.950) in regular-season BIG EAST play and 19-2 (.905) in conference tournament action. Notre Dame is 65-1 (.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 (.317) and block average (1.63). 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. She ranks among the BIG EAST leaders in kills, hitting percentage, blocks, and points, and already holds the ND record for career block assists and is 29 away from the mark of 699 total blocks by Mary Kay Waller (1985-88). 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. This season she has been Notre Dame’s most prolific server, notching 39 aces. Senior co-captain OH/L Meg Henican (HENN-ih-kin) is back for her third year in the starting lineup and is one of the top liberos in the country. She played mostly there over the previous two campaigns, but has also seen time at outside hitter (where she played 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 enters the BIG EAST tournament just 61 digs away from the Irish career digs record of 1,640 by Christy Peters from 1991-94. has had 20+ digs in a match on 25 occasions during her career and 10 or more in each of the last 21 (the second-longest streak in Irish history, behind her own string of 32 that was ended in September). She is also the team’s top passer, having taken 50% of opposing serves and recording a .980 reception percentage. She had a streak of 238 receptions in a row without an error from Sept. 25-Oct. 15. 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 39-4 record with her as a starter through her career. This year, she ranks fourth in the BIG EAST in blocking (1.34 per game). 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. Stasiuk joins Henican as the core of the serve-receiving unit that is on pace to break the Irish record for opponent ace average in a season. 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 13 times in `05, including in each of the last 11 contests. 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 44-10 as a starter, including 5-1 against top-15 teams, and leads the BIG EAST in assists (12.97), ranking 27th nationally. 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 368-120 (.754) mark, while holding a 485-203 (.705) 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 STAYS #8 IN CSTV/AVCA POLL: After sweeping Villanova and Rutgers last weekend, Notre Dame remained #8 in this week’s CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Poll, released on Monday by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. It is the highest listing at this point in the season ever for the Irish (previous best ranking on Nov. 18 was 11th in 1994). On Oct. 31, ND became the first team ever to enter the top five (progam-best ranking of fifth) in the AVCA poll after being unranked to begin the year. This week marks ND’s 17th 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 131 of the 210 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. Five of Notre Dame’s 2005 opponents – #4 Florida, #7 Louisville, #10 Texas, #14 Southern California, and #25 Tennessee – are also in the top 25. 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 dropped just one spot to seventh in the Molten/Volleyball magazine poll this week. The Irish are seventh in the RichKern.com poll and 14th in the Rich Kern Percentage Index (RKPI), which approximates the NCAA’s RPI.
BREWSTER NAMED TO ESPN THE MAGAZINE ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT FIRST TEAM; STASIUK ON SECOND TEAM: Senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) was one of six players named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 5 First Team this week, it was announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America. She will now move on to the Academic All-America ballot, which will include just nine players from teams currently in the AVCA top 25. Sophomore OH Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) was a second-team honoree, making the Irish the only squad with both a first- and second-team selection in District 5. Brewster carries a 3.37 cumulative grade-point average as a marketing and sociology double major, while Stasiuk has a team-high 3.61 GPA as a business major with a minor in mathematics. The duo became Notre Dame volleyball’s first CoSIDA academic all-district honorees since Lindsay Treadwell in 1998. Brewster was joined on the first team by the Ball State duo of Sarah Obras and Stephanie Bacon, plus Bradley’s Gillian Falknor, Liz Mikos from Valparaiso, and Megan Kennedy of Eastern Illinois. That group – along with the first-team honorees from each of the other seven districts – will be featured on the 48-player ballot for Academic America, which will be announced on Nov. 30. Brewster is aiming to be the third CoSIDA Academic All-American in program history. Jessica Fiebelkorn was as second-team selection in 1992 and Jaimie Lee earned second-team accolades in ’97.
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.
BIG EAST AWARDS: Notre Dame has a number of candidates for the BIG EAST Conference yearly awards, which will be announced on Thursday at the annual league banquet. The honors presented, all determined by votes of conference head coaches, will be Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, Libero of the Year, and two 12-member teams of all-conference selections. Notre Dame has had a history of success in the BIG EAST awards in its 10 previous seasons in the league, though last year it became the first outright regular-season champ ever to be shut out of the major awards. Head coach Debbie Brown is the only four-time BIG EAST Coach of the Year (1995, 2000, ’01, `03), and she has seen her players earn player-of-the-year honors six times (every year but ’98, ’02-04, most recently Malinda Goralski in 2001). Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) was the league’s best rookie in 2002, while 35 players have earned all-conference honors, including 21 on the first team (more than one-third of the total spots on the first team during the span). Among current Irish players, senior Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) has been a first-team all-league pick in each of the last two seasons after being honorable mention as a rookie. Kelbley was a first-team selection in 2003 and a second-team pick in both 2002 and `04.
STREAKS: The following streaks are active heading into this week: – ND has won 10 consecutive home matches [last loss: 11/16/04 vs. Northern Iowa, 2-3] – 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 25 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 17 consecutive matches when finishing with more digs than its opponent [last loss: 11/16/04 vs. Northern Iowa, 2-3, 83-81 digs] – ND has won 17 consecutive matches lasting three games [last loss: 12/4/04 at Wisconsin, NCAA second round] – ND has won nine consecutive matches lasting four games [last loss: 9/28/04 at Michigan] – ND has won five consecutive matches against nationally-ranked teams [last loss: 9/4/04 vs. #2 Nebraska, 2-3] – ND has allowed fewer than five service aces in 17 consecutive matches [last above: 9/25 vs. Seton Hall, 5] – ND has had at least one service ace in 196 consecutive matches [last without: 10/9/99 at Rutgers] – Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican has had 10+ digs in 21 consecutive matches [second-longest streak in ND history behind her own string of 32; last without: 9/10 vs. Oklahoma, 8 digs] – Senior MB Lauren Brewster has had 10+ points in 53 consecutive matches [last without: 9/3/04 vs. #2 Nebraska, 9.5 pts.] – Sophomore setter Ashley Tarutis has had 35+ assists in 21 consecutive matches [last without: 9/10 vs. Oklahoma, 33 assists] – Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican has played in each of the last 330 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 118 matches since stepping onto campus – Sophomore setter Ashley Tarutis has led Notre Dame in assists in all 56 matches as a collegian
Notes On This Week’s Matches …
BIG EAST BOASTS ONE OF TOP CONFERENCE TOURNAMENTS IN COUNTRY: The BIG EAST Conference Championship figures to be one of the top league tournaments in the country. It is the only conference championship that includes a pair of teams ranked among the national top 10 (#7 Louisville and #8 Notre Dame). In fact, just one other league tournament — that of the Southeastern Conference, with #4 Florida and #25 Tennessee — has a pair of nationally-ranked teams in its field. The BIG EAST Conference is currently ranked eighth out of 32 Division I conferences in the Rich Kern Percentage Index (RKPI), which approximates the NCAA’s RPI. Only two leagues ranked higher in conference RKPI are staging tournaments: the SEC (#5 in RKPI; this weekend in Tuscaloosa, Ala.) and the Western Athletic Conference (#6 in RKPI; Nov. 24-26 in Reno, Nev.).
THE EYES OF THE NATION: If #7 Louisville and #8 Notre Dame meet in the final of the BIG EAST Championship, it will be the biggest volleyball match in the country this week. No other top-10 squads will face each other all week.
IRISH IN THE BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP: For the 11th consecutive year, Notre Dame has earned a berth in the BIG EAST Championship, to take place Friday-Sunday in the Kentucky International Convention Center. The tournament expanded this season to include the top eight teams in the conference, as determined by winning percentage in league matches, taking part in a single-elimination tournament. The winner receives the BIG EAST’s automatic berth in the NCAA Championship, which begins at campus sites on Dec. 1. The Irish are 19-2 in the league tournament, having won eight championships. Notre Dame’s only defeats came in the title matches in 1999 (3-0 loss to Georgetown) and 2003 (3-0 loss to Pittsburgh). The Irish come into the BIG EAST tournament as the No. 1 seed for the ninth time in 11 years (No. 3 in `98, No. 2 in `03).
ANOTHER TOP-10 SHOWDOWN POSSIBLE: If #8 Notre Dame meets #7 Louisville in Sunday’s tournament final, it will be just the fourth time ever that the Irish have participated in a matchup of top-10 teams. See below the results of the previous ones: Date W/L Opponent Location ND Rank Opp. Rank Game Scores (ND first) 10/16/95 L Stanford A 8 4 15-11, 4-15, 7-15, 5-15 9/4/96 L Stanford H 8 2 2-15, 12-15, 15-17 10/30/05 W Louisville H 7 6 30-28, 30-28, 27-30, 30-28
ND-VILLANOVA SERIES NOTES: The Irish and Wildcats will meet for the 15th time overall and third time in the BIG EAST Championship … Notre Dame has won all 14 previous contests, including a 30-13, 30-25, 30-23 match last weekend in the Joyce Center … the teams once played a five-game match, as 12th-ranked Notre Dame rallied from a 2-0 deficit to prevail (15-12 in the fifth) in 1996 in the Joyce Center … the schools met once prior to the Irish becoming a BIG EAST member in 1995: Notre Dame won 15-7, 16-14, 15-4 in 1982 at Villanova … ND beat VU 15-3, 15-9, 15-12 in the semifinals of the 1995 BIG EAST tournament (at Notre Dame) and 9-15, 15-3, 15-10, 15-4 in the title match of the `97 event (in South Orange, N.J.) … the Irish lead in games won 42-5, including having won each of the last nine … Notre Dame’s 14 victories against Villanova are the most without a defeat against any opponent … in 1999, the Irish turned in their fourth-highest hitting percentage in school history against VU, with 60 kills and just eight errors on 102 swings for a .510 mark … libero Meg Henican had 26 digs in last year’s match, which is tied for the second-highest total ever by an ND player in a three-game match.
CURRENT IRISH vs. VILLANOVA: Below are statistics of current Irish players in career matches against Villanova. Brewster 4 MS/MP, 12 GP, 40/3.33 K, .337 (7 E, 98 TA), 16/1.33 D, 2 BS/20 BA/1.83, 2/0.17 A, 52/4.33 PTS Burrell 4 MP, 10 GP, 1 K, .000 (1 E, 8 TA), 11/1.10 D, 3/0.30 BA, 1/0.10 SA, 19/1.90 A, 4/0.40 PTS Cooper 4 MP/2 MS, 10 GP, 18/1.80 K, .255 (5 E, 51 TA),4/0.40 D, 6 BS/12 BA/1.80, 1 SA, 31/3.10 PTS Croal 1 MP, 1 GP, 3 K, .222 (1 E, 9 TA), 3 PTS Heintzman 2 MP/1 MS, 4 GP, 9/2.25 K, .033 (8 E, 30 TA), 1 D, 1 BS/3 BA/1.00, 11.5/2.9 PTS Henican 4 MP, 11 GP, 3/0.27 K, .182 (1 E, 11 TA), 64/5.82 D, 1 BS/1 BA/0.18, 1 SA, 6/0.55 A, 5.5/0.50 PTS Herndon 3 MP/1 MS, 9 GP, 1 TA, 3/0.33 SA, 18/2.00 D, 3/0.33 PTS Kelbley 4 MS/MP, 14 GP, 46/3.29 K, .265 (16 E, 113 TA), 7/0.50 D, 6 BS/17 BA/1.64, 1/0.07 SA, 1 A, 61.5/4.39 PTS Stasiuk 2 MS/MP, 6 GP, 9/0.67 K, .200 (3 E, 30 TA), 21/3.50 D, 1 SA, 3 A, 5/0.83 BA, 12.5/2.08 PTS Tarutis 2 MS/MP, 6 GP, 6/1.00 K, .286 (2 E, 14 TA), .219 team hitting (89-32-260), 13/2.17 D, 4/0.67 BA, 2/0.67 SA, 72/12.00 A, 10/1.67 PTS
ND-VU MATCH-BY-MATCH: See below the match scores of all 14 previous contests between the Irish and Wildcats. ND has won each of them, including two in the BIG EAST tournament. Date Place W/L Ranks Scores (ND first) 10-25-82 A W 15-7, 16-14, 15-4 10-1-95 A+ W 10- 15-10, 15-4, 15-12 11-18-95 H@ W 14- 15-3, 15-9, 15-12 10-6-96 H+ W 12- 13-15, 9-15, 15-9, 15-12, 15-12 10-31-97 A+ W 15-8, 15-7, 15-7 11-23-97 N^ W 9-15, 15-3, 15-10, 15-4 11-8-98 H+ W 15-13, 15-5, 15-9 11-13-99 A+ W 15-5, 15-6, 15-6 9-29-00 H+ W 21- 15-5, 15-2, 15-9 10-12-01 H+ W 21- 30-19, 30-20, 30-21 10-13-02 A+ W 30-25, 28-30, 30-28, 30-17 9-26-03 H+ W 17- 33-35, 30-16, 30-26, 30-15 10-31-04 A+ W 30-27, 30-24, 30-22 11-12-05 H+ W 8- 30-13, 30-25, 30-23 @ – BIG EAST Championship (Notre Dame, Ind.) ^ – BIG EAST Championship match (South Orange, N.J.) Notes: Ranks column has Notre Dame rank-Villanova rank at time of match.
SERIES NOTES vs. POTENTIAL OPPONENTS: Notre Dame holds an 81-10 (.890) all-time record against the other seven teams in the BIG EAST Championship. See below the breakdown of those matches. Should the Irish win one or more matches in the tournament, series notes for the upcoming opponents will be posted on und.com at the end of the previous day’s match story. Team Total BIG EAST BIG EAST Championship Neutral Sites Cincinnati 4-0 1-0 0-0 2-0 Louisville 13-3 1-0 0-0 3-1 (in Louisville) Marquette 8-0 1-0 0-0 3-0 Pittsburgh 18-6 9-2 5-1 1-0 St. John’s 11-0 11-0 0-0 0-0 Syracuse 13-1 11-0 1-0 2-0 Villanova 14-0 11-0 2-0 1-0 Total 81-10 45-2 8-1 12-1
MOST-COMMON OPPONENTS IN IRISH HISTORY: See below the list of most-common opponents faced by Notre Dame in its 26 years of varsity volleyball.BIG EAST tournament participants are in bold. School Matches ND Record Pittsburgh 24 18-6 Valparaiso 23 20-3 Butler 19 13-6 Illinois State 18 12-6 Purdue 18 7-11 Loyola Chicago 17 14-3 Georgetown 16 15-1 Connecticut 16 15-1 Kentucky 16 7-9 Louisville 16 13-3
MOST WINS AGAINST ONE SCHOOL: See below the list of teams Notre Dame has defeated most in its 26 years of varsity volleyball. BIG EAST tournament participants are in bold. School ND Record Valparaiso 20-3 Pittsburgh 18-6 Connecticut 15-1 Georgetown 15-1 Loyola Chicago 14-3 Villanova 14-0 Butler 13-6 Louisville 13-3 Rutgers 13-0 Syracuse 13-1
MOST WINS WITHOUT A LOSS: See below the list of teams Notre Dame has defeated most without suffering a defeat in its 26 years of varsity volleyball. BIG EAST tournament participants are in bold. School ND Record ND Record (Games) Villanova 14-0 42-5 Rutgers 13-0 39-1 Seton Hall 11-0 33-1 St. John’s 11-0 33-2 Marquette 8-0 24-2 Providence 8-0 24-3 Northern Illinois 7-0 21-3 Eastern Michigan 6-0 18-8
Notre Dame Team Notes …
BIG EAST CHAMPS … AGAIN: Notre Dame won a share of the BIG EAST Conference regular-season title — its 10th in 11 years — by posting a 13-1 record in league play, a mark matched by Louisville. Both schools brok the conference record for wins in BIG EAST play in a season, which was held by the 2001 Irish team that went 12-0 in BIG EAST action. Since Notre Dame joined the BIG EAST Conference in 1995, the Irish have failed to win at least a share of the regular-season championship on only one occasion: 1998. ND has won eight outright titles and a pair of co-championships (also 2003 with Pittsburgh). Since ’95, no other school has managed to capture more than just a portion of a single BIG EAST regular-season title. Georgetown and Connecticut shared the ’98 crown, while Pittsburgh and Louisville also have earned co-championships.
START ME UP: Notre Dame has begun the season 24-2, matching the best 26-match start in Irish history, done previously by the `94 squad. That team began 32-2 en route to a program-best 33-4 record and a program-best #12 final ranking, losing in the NCAA round of 16.
LATEST IRISH TOP-10 APPEARANCE: Notre Dame is ranked eighth in this week’s CSTV/AVCA Coaches Top 25. It is the first time the Irish have ever been ranked in the top 10 this late in the season. The previous best ND ranking on Nov. 18 was 11th in 1994.
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 fifth in blocking, at 3.52. 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 24th in Division I (and first in the conference) with 18.05 digs per game. Among schools from the 10 conferences that sent multiple teams to last year’s NCAA tournament (ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12, Big West, Mountain West, Pac-10, SEC, WAC, West Coast), the Irish are fifth in digs, behind Duke (5th, 19.45), North Carolina (11th, 18.99), USC (12th, 18.95), and Loyola Marymount (18th, 18.61).
BLOCK PARTY: The Irish are once again one of the top blocking teams in the nation, coming into the weekend ranked fifth nationally, at 3.46 per game. (Louisville is third, making the BIG EAST the only conference with two teams among the top five.) 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 the last 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 second and fourth, respectively, in this week’s conference leaders at 1.52 and 1.40 blocks per game. Brewster is 21st nationally.
TOUGH TO KNOCK OUT: Notre Dame has been outstanding when facing game point this season, winning 24 points and losing just 15 (62%) when the opposition is on the verge of winning the game. The Irish are 6-2 when facing match point (saved four vs. LSU and two vs. Pittsburgh). On three occasions this year, ND has been down game point, but then won the game (game two vs. Texas & USC, game one vs. Valparaiso). Plus, the Irish saved five game points in the first game at St. John’s before losing 30-28.
HUGE HITTING: After struggling early in the season, Notre Dame’s offense has caught fire of late, posting the five of the six highest attack percentages of the season over the past month and hitting over .350 in six of the last 12 (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. ND then hit .417 against Saint Louis on Nov. 2 and .308 at West Virginia three days later. Over those 14 matches, the Irish have hit over .300 in 22 of the 47 games, including over .400 in 14 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 below Irish teams with the most combined career games played heading into the season: Year Games W-L, Ranking Team Leaders (kills, assists, digs, blocks) 1992 1,824 30-8, 22nd Christy Petes, Janelle Karlan, Jessica Fiebelkorn, Fiebelkorn 2003 1,809 23-7, 24th Emily Loomis, Kristen Kinder, Meg Henican, Lauren Brewster 2005 1,790 18-1, 7th Lauren Brewster, Ashley Tarutis, Meg Henican, Brewster 2000 1,680 26-7, 21st Christi Girton, Denise Boylan, Kristy Kreher, Malinda Goralski 1996 1,679 22-12, 25th Jenny Birkner, Carey May, Birkner, Mary Leffers
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 16.77 kills and 15.52 assists on .288 hitting over the last 18 matches.
WIDE RECEIVERS: Notre Dame’s serve-receiving corps has allowed just 63 aces in 91 games this season, an average of 0.69 per game (the Irish record is 0.94 in 2003). ND has not allowed an ace in 49 games (54%), and the Irish held Syracuse — which led the BIG EAST at the time — 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 50% of the opposing serves this season and has made just 19 errors for a 98.0% reception percentage or one error every 4.79 games. 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 30% of the serves with a 97.0% success ratio, while junior DS Danielle Herndon (Plant City, Fla./Durant H.S.) is at 97.4%. 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 was a big part of both of those marks, while Stasiuk also was a key in last year’s serve receiving.
DYNAMITE DIGGING: Notre Dame has put up some outstanding dig numbers this season, averaging a BIG EAST best 18.05 per game (the Irish came into the week ranked 24th nationally in the category). The Irish have posted a higher season dig average just once in program history (18.23 in 1992). Leading the way are two players that rank among the top six 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 and is nearing the ND record for career digs — is fourth with an average of 4.66per game, while Stasiuk, who missed the first three matches of the season, ranks sixth at 4.10. Sophomore S Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) is averaging 2.57 per game, while junior DS/L Danielle Herndon (Plant City, Fla./Durant H.S.) is at 2.43 per game.
SERVE IT UP: Notre Dame has been a prolific squad at the service line this season, as the Irish have 146 aces (1.60) and just 187 service errors (2.05). The ace-to-error ratio of 0.781 would rank as the second-best output in program history, behind only the 1996 (1.030) team. The Irish have had more aces than errors in 11 matches after doing that just five times in 2004. Leading Notre Dame is senior OH Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.), who is fifth in the BIG EAST in aces (39, 0.43). Sophomore S Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) is averaging 0.27 per game (25 aces), while senior MB Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) is at 0.25 and senior L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) is at 0.21. All of the top three have more aces than errors this season (something no Irish player has done in a season since Janie Alderete in 2000), as Cooper leads the way with 23 aces and 16 errors for a 1.44 ratio, while Tarutis is at 1.09, and Kelbley is at 1.08.
IRISH STRONG IN BIG EAST CONFERENCE-ONLY STATS: With the completion of BIG EAST play for the 2005 season, Notre Dame earned a pair of conference statistical titles and was the only school to end up among the top three in the league in every team statistical category (a first in program history). The Irish finished first in the BIG EAST in both assists and digs. Sophomore setter Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) led ND to an average of 15.55 assists per game, while St. John’s came in next at 15.51. It is the third time the Irish have led the BIG EAST in assists in league play, having also done so in 2000 (with starting setter Denise Boylan) and ’01 (Kristen Kinder). ND has been among the top three in the category in nine of 11 seasons. Tarutis just missed her first BIG EAST individual statistical title, finishing second in assists (13.17) to Cincinnati’s Noel Olson (13.35). The digs title was much more notable, as Notre Dame had never before finished better than sixth in the BIG EAST in dig average in conference matches. The Irish held that spot in each of the last two seasons, but averaged 17.70 in league play this year to easily out-distance runner-up West Virginia (16.76). The Irish were the only team to have a pair of players among the individual leaders in digs, as senior co-captain and libero Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) ended third (5.04) and sophomore OH Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) was eighth (3.70) and the only non-libero among the top 10 in the conference in digs. Notre Dame finished second to Louisville in four statistical categories: hitting percentage (.289, Louisville – .338), opponent hitting percentage (.145, .142), kills (16.79, 16.84), and blocks (3.26, 3.83). The Irish were third in the only other category, service aces (1.66), behind Villanova (1.69) and Louisville (1.68). In conference play, senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) – the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year – averaged 4.02 kills per game (7th in league leaders) on .396 hitting (3rd) to go with 1.43 blocks (5th) for 5.03 points (4th). She joined Louisville senior OH Lena Ustymenko as the only players to be listed among the BIG EAST leaders in four categories. Senior OH Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) averaged 3.53 kills on .308 hitting in league play and was tied for eighth in service aces per game at 0.36. Senior MB Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) finished ninth in blocking (1.23), while Stasiuk averaged 3.28 kills and 3.70 digs per game to go with 0.94 blocks. In addition to her prolific digging, Henican made just 10 reception errors in 512 attempts (taking 52% of opposing serves) in BIG EAST play for a .980 reception percentage.
ND SNAPS LOUISVILLE’S 20-MATCH WINNING STREAK: Notre Dame won 30-28, 30-28, 27-30, 30-27 on Oct. 29 against Louisville in the Joyce Center after the Cardinals had begun the year with a 20-0 record. It marked the second straight year the Irish ended a long streak as 14th-ranked Utah had won 12 straight before getting swept by ND at home last October.
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.
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 27-11 (.711) 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 and winning three games over #6 Louisville by a combined seven 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, #6 Florida, and #6 Louisville 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).
IRISH HIT 20 WINS FOR SEVENTH STRAIGHT YEAR: Notre Dame’s win against Cincinnati on Oct. 30 was the 20th on the season, making 2005 the seventh consecutive year in which the Irish have registered at least 20 victories. In the 15 years under head coach Debbie Brown, Notre Dame has failed to win 20 matches on just one occasion, finishing 18-13 in 1998.
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 a dozen occasions, with four of those upsets coming already this season. See below a list of the top all-time Irish victories, sorted by ranking of the opponent. Rk. School Date Location ND Rk. Score Game Scores (ND first) 3 Nebraska 9/25/93 H 14 3-1 15-8, 15-7, 3-15, 15-10 6 Louisville 10/29/05 H 7 3-1 30-28, 30-28, 27-30, 30-27 6 Florida 9/11/05 San Antonio, TX 19 3-0 30-28, 31-29, 30-28 7 Kentucky 10/8/88 A — 3-1 15-13, 12-15, 15-9, 16-14 8 USC 9/9/05 San Antonio, TX 19 3-1 23-30, 32-30, 30-26, 30-27 8 Nebraska 12/2/93 H/NCAA 17 3-0 15-11, 15-10, 15-8 9 USC 9/2/95 H 11 3-1 15-2, 11-15, 15-13, 15-6 9 Florida 10/26/94 A 12 3-1 9-15, 15-8, 15-8, 15-7 9 Illinois 9/10/93 Chicago, IL 19 3-2 15-13, 8-15, 13-15, 15-6, 15-13 10 Arizona 8/29/03 Malibu, CA — 3-1 30-18, 28-30, 30-20, 30-26 10 Pepperdine 9/14/02 H — 3-2 30-32, 30-24, 29-31, 30-25, 15-10 11 Texas 9/3/05 H — 3-2 30-21, 31-29, 28-30, 22-30, 15-10
RANKED WINS: See below the list of most wins over nationally-ranked teams in a season for Notre Dame: Year Wins Opponents 1993 5 #24 Washington (9/7), #9 Illinois (9/10), #24 New Mexico (9/18), #3 Nebraska (9/25), #8 Nebraska (12/2) 2005 4 #11 Texas (9/3), #8 USC (9/9), #6 Florida (9/11), #6 Louisville (10/29) 1995 3 #9 USC (9/2), #15 Colorado (9/23), #15 Colorado (9/24) 1994 3 #15 Colorado (9/15), #15 Texas (10/14), #9 Florida (10/26) 1992 3 #17 Kentucky (9/5), #13 New Mexico (10/18), #21 Hawai’i (10/22) 1988 3 #7 Kentucky (10/8), #14 Pacific (10/18), #20 Penn State (12/3) 2000 2 #15 Brigham Young (9/2), #22 Loyola Marymount (9/21) 1991 2 #16 Ohio State (9/13), #20 Louisville (10/30)
FINISHING OFF GAMES: Notre Dame has saved its best volleyball for the ends of games this season. See below some examples. Opponent Game Was Final Notes #11 Texas 2 27-28 & 28-29 31-29 ND saves game point and gets block by Brewster on Dariam Acevedo on game point to to up 2-0 #11 Texas 5 6-8 15-10 Brewster has 3 kills and 2 blocks in final 11 points to give ND upset; 7-pt. run on Kelbley’s serve Arizona State 5 5-5 15-10 ND has 7 kills in final 15 points to stave off upset bid less than 24 hours after upsetting Texas #8 USC 2 16-22 & 27-29 32-30 9 K, 3 B, 1 SA after 22-16; 2 kills from Kelbley at 27-29; Cooper kill, Henican solo block at 30-30 #8 USC 3 4-12 & 24-24 30-26 8 points on Kelbley’s serve to go up 13-12; Kills from Kelbley on 3 of last 4 points after 27-25 Oklahoma 1 28-28 30-28 Block by Cooper and Kelbley and error by Eliane Santos; ND playing 16 hrs. after beating USC Oklahoma 2 11-16 & 27-26 30-27 Kills by Stasiuk and Cooper (match point) and OU error put ND up 2-0 #6 Florida 1 28-28 30-28 Kills by Croal and Kelbley to end game after Florida scored four straight to tie score #6 Florida 2 29-29 31-29 Kill by Henican and attack error by Amber McCray put ND up 2-0 #6 Florida 3 28-28 30-28 Kill and solo block by Kelbley hand Florida its first 3-0 loss in more than two years Tulane 1 4-12 & 21-21 30-23 9-2 run to end game; ND had six aces in second half of game LSU 3 23-23 30-23 Stasiuk serve keys 7-0 run to end game, which included 2 Croal kills & 2 blocks (Kelbley/Tarutis) LSU 4 27-26 30-26 Kills by Cooper and Kelbley and LSU error force fifth game LSU 5 6-10 18-20 ND saves four match points and fails to convert on one of its own before dropping tight match Seton Hall 3 24-24 30-26 ND completes sweep; Kelbley had two kills during the run, plus a block (w/Cooper) on match point Loyola Chicago 3 1-11 30-24 ND uses 16-2 run to take control after facing largest deficit of season Valparaiso 1 27-29 34-32 ND saves 4 game points and gets two kills by Stasiuk at 32-32 for first two-point lead of game #6 Louisville 1 26-26 30-28 Kill by Brewster ignites run, which also includes Henican ace and Stasiuk kill on game point #6 Louisville 2 27-26 30-28 Brewster gets kills on three of final five points of game to put ND up 2-0 #6 Louisville 4 25-25 30-27 Kills by Brewster and Kelbley give ND control of game; Stasiuk gets kill on match point
BIG POINTS MAKE BIG SEASONS: See below a list of some of the most important points that have led to Notre Dame’s success this season: Opponent Game Score Result/Notes #11 Texas 2 (ND 1-0) 30-29 Solo block by Brewster on Dariam Acevedo; ND goes up 2-0 after being down 29-28 #11 Texas 5 6-8 Kill by Cooper, assist by Tarutis; ignites 8-0 run that put ND in control of game #11 Texas 5 14-10 Kill by Brewster, assist by Tarutis; ND converts on third game point to upset Longhorns Arizona State 5 5-5 Solo block by Croal on Colette Meek; sparks 10-5 match-ending run; ND survives scare 1 day after UT win #8 USC 2 (SC 1-0) 27-29 Kill by Kelbley, assist by Tarutis; ND one point away from going down 2-games-to-0 #8 USC 2 (SC 1-0) 28-29 Kill by Kelbley, assist by Tarutis; ND saves game point #2; seventh kill of game for Kelbley #8 USC 2 (SC 1-0) 30-30 Kill by Cooper, assist by Tarutis; only kill of game for Cooper (was 1 K, 1 E, 8 AT to that point in match) #8 USC 2 (SC 1-0) 31-30 Solo block by 5-10 Henican on 6-3 Staci Venski (20 kills in match); 14th career solo block for Henican #8 USC 4 (ND 2-1) 29-27 Kill by Kelbley, assist by Tarutis; ND converts on third match point for first win over Trojans since 1995 Oklahoma 1 28-28 Block by Cooper and Kelbley; gives ND game point (converted); Irish playing 16 hrs. after beating #8 USC #6 Florida 1 28-28 Kill by Croal, assist by Tarutis; stops 4-0 Florida run that tied score; gave ND game point #6 Florida 1 29-28 Kill by Kelbley, assist by Tarutis; hands ND first game-one win ever against the Gators #6 Florida 2 (ND 1-0) 29-29 Kill by Henican, assist by Tarutis; gives ND game point #3, which it converted to go up 2-0 #6 Florida 3 (ND 2-0) 28-28 Kill by Kelbley, assist by Tarutis; gives ND match point #6 Florida 3 (ND 2-0) 29-28 Solo block by Kelbley on Marcie Hampton; UF swept for first time in 2+ yrs.; 2nd-highest-ranked win by ND LSU 3 (LSU 2-0) 23-23 Kill by Brewster, assist by Tarutis; begins 7-0 run for ND to win game and avoid sweep LSU 5 14-15 Kill by Henican, assist by Tarutis; erases the second of LSU’s five match points LSU 5 15-15 Block by Brewster and Croal; erases four-point final-game deficit and gives ND a match point LSU 5 16-17 Kill by Brewster, assist by Tarutis; saves LSU match point #3 Valparaiso 1 28-29 Block by Brewster and Tarutis; saves game point #2 Valparaiso 1 29-30 Kill by Brewster, assist by Tarutis; saves game point #3 Valparaiso 1 30-31 Kill by Tarutis, assist by Henican; saves game point #4 Valparaiso 1 33-32 Kill by Stasiuk, assist by Tarutis; gives ND first two-point lead of match; Irish go on to 3-0 win #6 Louisville 1 29-28 Kill by Stasiuk, assist by Tarutis; Irish convert on second game point #6 Louisville 2 29-28 Kill by Brewster, assist by Tarutis; ND goes up 2-0 on Cardinals in battle of top-10 teams #6 Louisville 4 29-27 Kill by Stasiuk, assist by Tarutis; ND completes victory in first matchup of top-7 teams in program history
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 and then at Pittsburgh on Nov. 6. The Irish are 71-62 (.534) all-time in five-game affairs, including 9-9 (against some of the top programs in the country) since the current ND seniors stepped on campus. See below all of the 3-2 matches played by them. Date W/L Opponent Location ND Rank Opp. Rank Game Scores (ND first) 11/6/04 L Pittsburgh A 5 — 30-23, 30-15, 27-30, 28-30, 13-15 9/18/05 L Louisiana State College Station, TX 8 — 28-30, 22-30, 30-23, 30-26, 18-20 9/4/05 W Arizona State H — — 30-20, 28-30, 21-30, 30-23, 15-10 9/3/05 W Texas H — 11 30-21, 31-29, 28-30, 22-30, 15-10 11/27/04 W Long Beach State A — — 30-28, 22-30, 25-30, 30-22, 16-14 11/16/04 L Northern Iowa H — — 28-30, 30-28, 31-29, 22-30, 13-15 10/20/04 L Brigham Young A — — 31-29, 23-30, 30-20, 26-30, 11-15 10/13/04 W Illinois State H — — 30-25, 34-32, 25-30, 23-30, 15-10 9/10/04 W Fresno State San Luis Obispo, CA — — 30-21, 27-30, 30-20, 31-33, 15-12 9/7/04 L Valparaiso H — — 30-26, 24-30, 26-30, 30-24, 12-15 9/4/04 L Nebraska H 25 2 23-30, 30-26, 30-24, 19-30, 10-15 11/16/03 L Pittsburgh A 12 — 30-20, 26-30, 25-30, 30-13, 13-15 11/7/03 W Virginia Tech H 12 — 30-22, 25-30, 29-31, 30-24, 15-13 9/13/03 W Utah H 15 — 34-32, 16-30, 30-26, 26-30, 15-12 9/5/03 W Houston Austin, TX 21 — 24-30, 25-30, 30-21, 30-21, 15-11 11/15/02 L Miami A — — 25-30, 28-30, 30-25, 30-22, 7-15 9/18/02 L Purdue A — — 30-18, 31-29, 27-30, 26-30, 6-15 9/14/02 W Pepperdine H — 10 30-32, 30-24, 29-31, 30-25, 15-10
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 below. Opponent Game Was Final Notes #11 Texas 2 (ND 1-0) 28-29 31-29 Service error by Lauren Paolini ties score; solo block by Brewster on game point puts ND up 2-0 #8 USC 2 (SC 1-0) 27-29 32-30 Two kills by Kelbley erase game points to put USC up 2-0; Solo block by Henican ends 32-30 win LSU 5 16-15 18-20 Croal error erases only ND match point; LSU finally converts on fifth match point for upset win Valparaiso 1 27-29 34-32 ND saves four game points; back-to-back Stasiuk kills at 32-32 give Irish first 2-point lead of game
Notre Dame Player Notes …
BIG EAST HONORS: See below a summary of Notre Dame’s BIG EAST weekly honors in 2005 (POW – Player of the Week; ROW – Rookie of the Week): Date Player Honor Team Results Individual Stats 8/29 Brewster Honor Roll d. Michigan (3-0) 3 GP, 16 K, .412, 1 SA, 6 B, 22 pts. 9/5 Brewster POW d. #11 Texas (3-2) & Arizona State (3-2) 10 GP, 46 K, .310, 15 B, 10 D, 56.5 pts. 9/5 Croal ROW d. #11 Texas (3-2) & Arizona State (3-2) 10 GP, 30 K, .212, 32 D, 5 B, 34.5 pts. 9/12 Brewster POW d. #8 USC (3-1), Oklahoma (3-0), #6 Florida (3-0) 10 GP, 52 K, .243, 18 B, 63.5 pts. 9/26 Tarutis Honor Roll d. Seton Hall (3-0) 3 GP, .319 team hitting, 40 A, 10 D 10/3 Kelbley Honor Roll d. Loyola Chicago (3-0), Syracuse (3-0), Marquette (3-1) 10 GP, 52 K, .413, 11 D, 9 B, 64 pts. 10/10 Brewster Honor Roll d. Valparaiso (3-0), St. John’s (3-1), Connecticut (3-0) 10 GP, 44 K, .355, 11 D, 14 B, 55 pts. 10/17 Tarutis Honor Roll d. DePaul (3-0) 3 GP, .522 team hitting, 38 A, 2 K, .333, 4 D 10/24 Stasiuk POW d. Illinois State (3-1), South Florida (3-0), Georgetown (3-0) 10 GP, 43 K, .396, 39 D, 15 B, 57.5 pts. 10/31 Brewster Honor Roll d. #6 Louisville (3-1), Cincinnati (3-0) 7 GP, 29 K, .294, 10 B, 35.5 pts. 11/7 Brewster Honor Roll d. Saint Louis (3-0), West Virginia (3-0), l. Pittsburgh (2-3) 11 GP, 46 K, .416, 13 B, 54 pts. 11/14 Brewster Honor Roll d. Villanova (3-0), Rutgers (3-0) 6 GP, 19 K, .452, 9 B, 24 pts.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: See below a summary of Notre Dame’s all-tournament honors in 2005: Player Tournament Honor Team Results Individual Stats Brewster Shamrock Invitational MVP d. #11 Texas (3-2) & Arizona State (3-2) 10 GP, 46 K, .310, 15 B, 10 D, 56.5 pts. Croal Shamrock Invitational All-Tournament d. #11 Texas (3-2) & Arizona State (3-2) 10 GP, 30 K, .212, 32 D, 5 B, 34.5 pts. Henican Shamrock Invitational All-Tournament d. #11 Texas (3-2) & Arizona State (3-2) 10 GP, 22 K, 34 D, 9 D, 29.5 pts. Tarutis Shamrock Invitational All-Tournament d. #11 Texas (3-2) & Arizona State (3-2) 10 GP, 116 A, 28 D Brewster UTSA Dome Rally MVP d. #8 USC (3-1), Oklahoma (3-0), #6 Florida (3-0) 10 GP, 52 K, .243, 18 B, 63.5 pts. Kelbley UTSA Dome Rally All-Tournament d. #8 USC (3-1), Oklahoma (3-0), #6 Florida (3-0) 10 GP, 40 K, 5 SA, 10 B, 51 pts.
HENICAN 61 AWAY FROM ND CAREER DIGS RECORD: Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) enters the weekend with 1,579 career digs, which places her just 61 away from the Notre Dame career record of 1,640 done by two-time All-American OH Christy Peters from 1991-94. She also is on pace to break Peters’ record for career dig average, as she is at 4.01 digs per game. Peters averaged 3.72 during her career.
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 562. She also stands second on the Irish lists for career block average (1.63, record is 1.68 by Mary Kay Waller) and total blocks. She is 29 blocks shy of Waller’s (1985-88) record of 699.
BREWSTER, KELBLEY UNMATCHED AMONG BIG EAST SCORING 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 points, making ND the only squad with two on that list. Brewster is fourth at 5.11 per game, while Kelbley is seventh at 4.56.
BREWSTER, COOPER AMONG TOP FOUR 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 second and fourth in the BIG EAST Conference blocking leaders, averaging 1.52 and 1.40, respectively. 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 second in the team conference leaders in blocking (3.52), as well as fifth nationally. Brewster is 21st in the individual NCAA leaders.
HENICAN, STASIUK IN BIG EAST LEADERS 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 sixth, respectively, among the BIG EAST leaders in dig average, at 4.66 and 4.10 per game. No other school has multiple players in the top 10, and Stasiuk is the only non-libero in the leaders. They helped Notre Dame lead the BIG EAST in digs per game in conference action (17.70) for the first time.
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 12.97, as well as 27th nationally. She helped the Irish lead the league in assists per game in conference action (15.55).
BREWSTER, STASIUK BOTH POUND 20 KILLS vs. #6 LOUISVILLE: Sophomore OH Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) and senior All-American MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) turned in 21 and 20 kills, respectively, in Notre Dame’s four-game victory against #6 Louisville on Oct. 29. They were the first Irish duo to pound 20 kills apiece in the same match since Brewster and current senior OH Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) registered 22 each in a five-game win against Virginia Tech on Nov. 7, 2003. It was just the eighth time in program history that two Notre Dame players have had 20 kills in a match shorter than five games, with the most-recent occurrence coming on Oct. 8, 2000, when Christi Girton had 30 and Kristy Kreher accounted for 22 in a four-game win at Pittsburgh.
BREWSTER DEADLY AND ACCURATE: Senior All-American MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) currently stands as the only player to rank among Notre Dame’s all-time top five in both hitting percentage (2nd, .317) and kill average (5th, 3.35). The next-best combination of efficiency and power in Irish history is Zanette Bennett (1985-88), who ranks third in career kills (1,471) and kill average (3.44), as well as sixth in hitting percentage (.289).
STASIUK & BREWSTER 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 nine occasions – and in six 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), aces (2), and points (14.5) against USF; and in kills (14) and points (20.5) vs. Georgetown. Brewster won it 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 59 of the last 60 games in the libero jersey after starting the season at outside hitter. As the Irish libero, she is averaging 5.19 digs (306 total) and has made just 12 reception errors in 656 attempts (.981)
IRISH 39-4 WHEN COOPER STARTS: Notre Dame has posted a 39-4 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 22-2 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.
BREWSTER, KELBLEY HIT 1,300 KILLS: Senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) posted the 1,300th kill of her career on Oct. 29 against #6 Louisville, becoming the sixth Irish player to reach that mark, as well as the only one who was primarily a middle blocker. Her classmate, OH Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.), joined the 1,300-kill club on Nov. 2 against Saint Louis. Only one set of classmates — Angie Harris and Jaimie Lee (1994-97) — has accomplished that feat before.
TARUTIS GETS 2,000th ASSIST: Sophomore setter Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) brought her career assist total to 2,000 with her final one against Georgetown on Sunday. She is the sixth Notre Dame player to record 2,000 career assists.
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 .284 hitting (39-16-81) to go with 18 digs and 13 blocks for 46 points (2.88). [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 weekend having played in each of the last 324 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 116 Notre Dame matches since joining the team in 2002. 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). Brewster has participated in 411 of the 425 games Notre Dame has played over the past four seasons, which is 96.7%. That is on pace to break Birkner’s record for percentage of games played (96.5%).
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 below the list of top kill totals by Irish middles: Kills Name Date Games Opponent 31 Zanette Bennett 9/19/87 5 vs. Cincinnati (at Richmond, KY) 28 Lauren Brewster 9/4/05 5 vs. Arizona State 28 Molly Stark 10/23/93 5 at Northern Arizona 28 Zanette Bennett 10/24/87 4 vs. Wisconsin
… 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.
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 MUCH 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 on Sept. 12. 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. On Oct. 31, Notre Dame moved up to a program-best fifth in the AVCA poll, making it the first school ever to crack the top five in the AVCA poll after beginning the year unranked. Twice before (Minnesota in 2002, Ohio State in `04) teams had peaked at sixth in the listing after being unranked in the regular season.
NOTRE DAME RANKS 17TH NATIONALLY IN HOME ATTENDANCE: Heading into the week, Notre Dame ranked 17th in Division I in home volleyball attendance this season, averaging 1,700 for the first 12 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 27th-largest in Division I this season). On Oct. 29, a crowd of 2,597 watched the Irish knock off #6 Louisville, which marked the second-largest non-pep rally crowd for volleyball in Joyce Center history. Overall, 14 of ND’s 26 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 177-28 (.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 15 ranked teams – including five top-10 squads – at home, also hold a 167-9 (.948) record against unranked teams in the Joyce Center, including a 52-match winning streak. Notre Dame is 12-0 at home this year, including upsets of #11 Texas and #6 Louisville.
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 120-7 (.950) regular-season mark, highlighted by nine titles and winning streaks of 45 and 35 consecutive matches. Notre Dame is 67-1 (.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, football is sixth, and volleyball is eighth.
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.