Sept. 15, 2005
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Nokia Sugar Bowl ClassicCollege Station, Texas • G. Rollie White ColiseumFriday, September 16Louisiana State vs. Arizona State, Noon (CDT)Notre Dame vs. Tulane, 2 p.m.- Real-Time Statistics: aggieathletics.com (linked via www.und.com)Sunday, September 18Notre Dame vs. Louisiana State, 11 a.m.- Real-Time Statistics: aggieathletics.com (linked via www.und.com)Arizona State vs. Tulane, 1 p.m.
#8 IRISH HEAD BACK TO TEXAS FOR NOKIA SUGAR BOWL CLASSIC: The eighth-ranked University of Notre Dame women’s volleyball team, off to a 6-0 start for the first time since 1995 and sporting its second-highest ranking in program history, will head back to the Lone Star State this weekend, as it participates in the relocated Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic in College Station, Texas. The tournament, hosted by Tulane University, was originally scheduled to be played in New Orleans, but now will be on the campus of Texas A&M University, the new base of operations for the Green Wave volleyball team. The Irish will face the hosts — which have not played in three weeks due to the damage done by Hurricane Katrina — on Friday at 2 p.m. (CDT) and will then take on Louisiana State (8-1) on Sunday at 11 a.m.
REAL-TIME STATS: Live in-game statistics will available for all matches in the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic. They are accessible through official website of Texas A&M, www.aggieathletics.com, and also will be linked on the Irish athletics site, www.und.com.
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 350-118 (.748) 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 107-6 (.947) in regular-season BIG EAST play and 19-2 (.905) in conference tournament action. Notre Dame is 60-1 (.984) in BIG EAST regular-season matches in the Joyce Center. The 2005 Irish team returned nine of its top 10 players from last year’s squad that was 21-9, won both the regular-season and tournament titles in the BIG EAST and reached the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament. The Irish also were among the top five blocking teams in Division I for the fourth straight year (4th, 3.37 after being 1st in `03), and they returned eight of their top nine blockers from that group. This year’s squad is one of the most-veteran groups in program history, featuring five seniors. Plus, all nine returnees had been a starter at some point in the past. Up front, Notre Dame is led by a potent pair of senior fourth-year starters named Lauren: MB Lauren Brewster and OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (KELL-blee). Brewster, the 2003 NCAA blocking champ, became the second All-American in program history in 2004, earning third-team accolades from the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The 2005 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year after being a first-team all-conference pick twice and the `04 MVP of the league tournament, she has led the conference in blocking in each of the last three years and ranks second in Irish history in career hitting percentage and block average. Brewster has been the MVP of both tournaments she has played in this season (Shamrock Invitational and UTSA Dome Rally) last week, as well as the BIG EAST Player of the Week and Collegiate Volleyball Update’s National Player of the Week. 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 has played mostly libero over the past two campaigns, but has also seen time at outside hitter (where she played in the first three matches of `05). Henican turned in the top digging campaign ever by an Irish competitor in 2004, breaking the ND records for digs in a season (553) and season dig average (4.94), plus the marks for digs in any-length match (37 in four games vs. Seton Hall on 10/10/04) and digs in an NCAA-tournament match (27 vs. Valparaiso in the first round). Two other Irish hitters — senior MB/OPP Carolyn Cooper and sophomore OPP/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 22-2 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 returned at both libero and outside hitter last weekend, posting a career-high 29 digs vs. #8 USC. The graduation of four-year starter Emily Loomis — who played all across the front row and finished her career fifth in kills (1,321) — opened up one starting spot in the lineup, which was filled in the opener by sophomore OH Ellen Heintzman (HIGHNTZ-min). She started eight matches at that position in 2004 and was a spot contributor off the bench, as well. Following an injury to Heintzman, freshman OH Mallorie Croal (krole) has stepped into that spot. The rookie, a Volleyball magazine Fab 50 selection, responded with a pair of double-doubles (22 digs vs. Arizona State) in her first two collegiate starts and was the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Sept. 5. Back in the starting setting role again this season is sophomore Ashley Tarutis (tuh-ROO-diss), who took over as the team’s top setter in the third match of 2004 and helped the Irish lead the BIG EAST in hitting percentage in league matches (.254). She has a career record of 26-8 as a starter, including 4-1 against top-15 teams. Senior S Kelly Burrell (burr-ELLE) is the backup setter, as she has been throughout her career. When Henican is not in the libero jersey (which is green this season for the first time after being blue for two years and gold in `04), it will likely be filled by junior L/DS Danielle Herndon. She has been a regular throughout her career at both that spot and defensive specialist. Freshman DS/S Madison Clark has been a regular back-row sub for Notre Dame early this season.
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 350-118 (.748) mark, while holding a 467-201 (.699) overall record. Brown’s Notre Dame teams have earned 13 consecutive NCAA tournament berths, advancing to the quarterfinals in 1993 and the round of 16 in `94, `95, and `97. Her squads have won 20 or more matches 12 times. A nine-time conference coach of the year and the only four-time BIG EAST coach of the year (in addition to four honors in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference and one in the Pac-10), she has coached eight Irish players to All-America honors, while 35 have gained all-BIG EAST mention since 1995. The Irish also have claimed 13 regular-season conference titles (4 Midwestern Collegiate, 9 BIG EAST) and 12 league tournament crowns (4 MCC, 8 BIG EAST). A co-captain of the 1980 U.S. Olympic volleyball team after winning a pair of national championships and earning All-America honors twice while playing at USC, Brown graduated from Arizona State in 1982 and coached her alma mater from 1983-88, helping the Sun Devils to five NCAA tournaments.
ND JUMPS TO #8 IN CSTV/AVCA POLL: After knocking off #6 Florida and #8 USC en route to being the only 3-0 team in the UTSA Dome Rally, Notre Dame jumped 11 spots to #8 in this week’s CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Poll. The ranking is the highest for the Irish since Sept. 3, 1996, and is just one shy of the best listing in program history (Sept. 19, 1995), while the 11-place rise matches 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. 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 122 of the 201 polls since then (61%). Only 20 schools have been ranked on more occasions than the Irish since the AVCA rankings debuted in 1982, and just 16 have been in more polls since the commencement of the 1992 campaign. Despite a 3-0 triumph over the Gators on Sunday, Notre Dame came in two points behind the Gators in this week’s poll (1,061-1,059). In fact, five of the seven teams ahead of the Irish have already been defeated at least once. Notre Dame is also one of only three teams in Division I to own three or more victories over teams currently in the top 20 of the AVCA poll, joining #1 Nebraska (five) and #4 Penn State (three, though two came against the same team, #6 Hawai’i). The top five of the poll was unchanged this week – Nebraska (8-0, 57 first-place votes), Washington (7-0), Stanford (8-1), Penn State (6-2), and Minnesota (6-1) – while Hawai’i (5-3) and Florida (7-1) switched with each other for sixth and seventh places, respectively. Rounding out the top 10 are Louisville (6-0) and Missouri (6-0). The Cardinals and Irish combine to make this the first time ever that two BIG EAST Conference squads are both among the national top 10. Five of Notre Dame’s 2005 opponents – #7 Florida, #9 Louisville, #12 Southern California, #16 Tennessee, and #18 Texas – are also in the top 20, while Louisiana State is receiving votes (listed 33rd).
BREWSTER TABBED BIG EAST PRESEASON POY; KELBLEY ON ALL-LEAGUE TEAM: Senior middle blocker Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.), a third-team All-American and the conference-tournament MVP in 2004, was tabbed the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year and is joined by fellow senior OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) on the preseason all-BIG EAST team in voting by the league’s head coaches. Brewster is the fourth Notre Dame student-athlete – but first since 2001 – to be named the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year in the eight years since the award debuted in 1998. Other Irish competitors to enter the season with that distinction were setter Denise Boylan in both `98 and 2000 and OPP Kristy Kreher in 2001. Only two of the previous seven preseason players of the year have gone on to also be the postseason picks of the coaches as the BIG EAST’s best player in the same season: Boylan in 2000 and Pittsburgh’s now-graduated Megan Miller a season ago. Notre Dame has placed multiple players on the preseason all-BIG EAST teams in each of its eight years of existence.
BREWSTER NAMED NATIONAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) was named the CVU.com National Player of the Week by the Collegiate Volleyball Update on Sept. 6. It came on the heels of her being named the MVP of The Inn at Saint Mary’s Shamrock Invitational and the BIG EAST Player of the Week after leading the Irish to five-game victories against #11 Texas and Arizona State over the weekend to claim the tournament title. Brewster is the first Notre Dame player ever to earn the honor and the second to be tabbed national player of the week by any organization. The only two-time All-American in Irish history, OH Christy Peters, was recognized by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) on Sept. 27, 1993, after leading 14th-ranked Notre Dame to a three-game upset of #3 Nebraska in the Golden Dome Invitational, a victory that remains the highest-ranked win ever for the Irish. Brewster was the top Irish performer in both game fives over the weekend, combining for 10 kills on .381 hitting to go with four digs and two blocks in those decisive frames. For the tournament, Brewster led all players in both kills (46, 4.60 per game) and blocks (15, 1.50 per game) and was second in hitting percentage (.310). She also had 10 digs (1.00), two assists, and a service ace for 56.5 points (5.65).
Notes On This Week’s Matches …
LONE STAR STARS: Notre Dame heads to College Station, Texas, this weekend after playing in San Antonio last weekend. It is the first time Irish volleyball has ever made multiple trips to the Lone Star State in the same season. Notre Dame has had tremendous success in Texas, posting a 10-1 record in matches there under head coach Debbie Brown. The lone defeat came in a 3-1 match at #9 Texas in 1997.
ND-TULANE SERIES NOTES: This will be just the second-ever meeting between Notre Dame and Tulane in women’s volleyball … the first match came in the 1986 Hackerman Showcase in Houston, Texas, with Notre Dame prevailing 15-9, 15-8, 15-6 … it was scheduled to be in the first-ever trip for the Irish volleyball team to New Orleans, as well as its first appearance in the state of Louisiana since 1989 … instead this will be the first trip to College Station for the Irish since 1994 … Notre Dame holds a 7-5 all-time record against current members of Conference USA … Debbie Brown boasts a 6-1 mark vs. C-USA, including a 4-0 record while at ND … senior co-captain Meg Henican (New Orleans, Isidore Newman H.S., Cajunland Juniors VBC) is the second Louisiana native ever to play volleyball for the Irish, following Kaitlin McEwen (1999, Baton Rouge, Bishop Sullivan H.S., Cajunland Juniors VBC).
ND-TULANE MATCH-BY-MATCH: See below the game scores of the previous contest between the Irish and the Green Wave.
Date Place W/L Ranks Scores (ND first)9-12-86 N! W 15-9, 15-8, 15-6! - at Hackerman Showcase (Houston, Texas)
Note: Ranks column has Notre Dame rank-Tulane rank at time of match.
ND-LSU SERIES NOTES: Notre Dame and the Tigers will play for the first time since 2001 and the sixth time overall … LSU has won three of the previous five contests, but the Irish prevailed in the most-recent one, a three-game affair in the 2001 Florida Volleyball Challenge in Buena Vista … that was the only previous neutral-site meeting between the schools, but the Tigers beat Notre Dame twice before in the state of Louisiana … one of the schools has carried a national ranking in each of the last three matches … the Tigers hold a 10-8 advantage in games won … the schools played one five-game match, in which LSU rallied from being down 2-1 to prevail at home in 1989 (15-2 in the fifth) … the schools first met in 1983, with the Tigers winning 3-0 at home … in 1988, the Irish earned a 3-1 win at home, but LSU’s second trip to the Joyce Center (in 1990) produced a three-game win … Debbie Brown holds a 14-12 career record against current members of the Southeastern Conference, including an 11-8 mark while at Notre Dame … senior co-captain Meg Henican (New Orleans, Isidore Newman H.S., Cajunland Juniors VBC) is the second Louisiana native ever to play volleyball for the Irish, following Kaitlin McEwen (1999, Baton Rouge, Bishop Sullivan H.S., Cajunland Juniors VBC) … ND’s Mary Kay Waller had five solo blocks against LSU in 1988, a total which still stands as the most-ever for an Irish player in a four-game contest and tied for the most-ever in any-length match … the ’90 match still stands as the largest margin of defeat ever for ND in the Joyce Center (35 points, 15-5, 15-5, 15-0) … the Tigers finished that match with a .473 hitting percentage (44 kills, 8 errors, 76 attempts), which is the highest-ever for an opposing team in the Joyce Center.
ND-LSU MATCH-BY-MATCH: See below the match scores of all four previous contests between the Irish and Tigers. LSU holds a 3-2 advantage in the series, though Notre Dame won the only match at a neutral site and the only one during the Debbie Brown era.
Date Place W/L Ranks Scores (ND first)11-27-83 A L 5-15, 1-15, 3-1510-29-88 H W 14-16, 15-13, 15-5, 15-109-23-89 A L -18 3-15, 15-8, 15-7, 10-15, 2-1510-6-90 H L -17 5-15, 5-15, 0-1511-23-01 N@ W 25- 30-24, 30-15, 30-25
@ – Univ. of Florida Volleyball Challenge (Buena Vista, Fla.) Note: Ranks column has Notre Dame rank-LSU rank at time of match.
Notre Dame Team Notes …
START ME UP: With victories over Michigan (3-0), #11 Texas (3-2), Arizona State (3-2), #8 USC (3-1), Oklahoma (3-0), and #6 Florida (3-0), Notre Dame is 6-0 for the fourth time in program history and first since 1995. That team began 8-0, while the `92 team won its first seven, and the `94 squad began with 11 consecutive victories before losing.
DE-FENSE, DE-FENSE: Heading into this week, Notre Dame was the only team to rank among the top 10 in Division I in both blocks per game and digs per game. The Irish, who have finished in the top five in the category for four straight years, came in sixth in blocking, at 3.61 per game. 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 ninth in Division I (and first in the conference) with 19.04 digs per game.
BLOCK PARTY: The Irish appear poised to again be one of the top blocking teams in the nation in 2005. Notre Dame, which has led the BIG EAST Conference in each of the last four years and has been among the top five blocking teams in the NCAA in each of those seasons, returned eight of its top nine blockers from last year’s squad that averaged 3.37 per game, good enough for fourth nationally. After being fifth in 2001 (3.53) and second in ’02 (3.66), the Irish led Division I in team blocking in 2003 (3.72). Senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.), the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, has led the conference in blocking in both overall and league action in each of her three collegiate seasons. After setting Notre Dame freshman records in both total blocks (175) and block average (1.68) and coming in fourth nationally in 2002, she was the NCAA blocking champ in 2003 (1.78) and finished 21st last season (1.54). Through six matches, Notre Dame is averaging 3.61 blocks per game, which is tops in the BIG EAST and sixth in the nation. Brewster and fellow senior MB Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) rank first and second in the conference with averages of 1.70 and 1.57, respetively.
NOT HERE, NOT THERE … ANYWHERE ELSE: Notre Dame enters the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic boasting a nine-match winning streak in neutral-site contests. The last defeat came in the opening round of the 2003 NCAA tournament, a loss to Louisville in Urbana, Ill. In 2004, Notre Dame beat Fresno State, Sacramento State, Michigan State, Boston College, UC Irvine, and Valparaiso on neutral courts. This season, the Irish topped #8 USC, Oklahoma, and #6 Florida last weekend.
SENIOR CITIZENS: Notre Dame has five seniors on its roster in 2005: MB Lauren Brewster, S Kelly Burrell, MB Carolyn Cooper, L/OH Meg Henican, and OH/MB Lauren Kelbley. The last Irish volleyball team to feature five seniors was the 2000 squad, which boasted S Denise Boylan, OH Christi Girton, S/DS Michelle Graham, MB/OPP Jo Jameyson, and OH Adrienne Shimmel. That team went 26-7 and finished ranked 21st after losing in five games at Ohio State in the round of 32 of the NCAA tournament. This is just the third time in the 26-year history of the varsity program that a team has featured five or more seniors. The other squad was the `92 one, which had DS Andrea Armento, OH Marilyn Cragin, MB Jessica Fiebelkorn, MB Cynthia May, MB Majenica Rupe, OH Jen Slosar, and OH Alicia Turner. That team went 30-8 and finished 22nd, falling in the round of 32 of the NCAAs.
THE IRISH EXPERIENCE: Notre Dame has one of its most-experienced teams in 2005, as the Irish return nine of their top 10 players (in terms of games played) from last year’s squad. All nine of Notre Dame’s returnees have been starters in the past, heading into the year having combined for 284 career starts (31.6 per person). A pair of fourth-year starters – seniors MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) and OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) – lead the Irish veterans, along with third-year starter L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.), as well as three other returning starters: senior MB/OPP Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) and sophomores S Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) and OPP Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.).
WIDE RECEIVERS: Notre Dame’s serve-receiving corps — senior OH/L Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.), junior L/DS Danielle Herndon (Plant City, Fla./Durant H.S.), sophomore OH/L Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.), and freshmen DS/S Madison Clark (Sturgis, Mich./Sturgis H.S.) and OH Mallorie Croal (Villa Park, Calif./Mater Dei H.S.) — has allowed just 19 aces in 23 games this season, an average of 0.83 per game. Notre Dame surrendered just eight service aces in its first three matches of the season, an average of 0.62 per game. ND has not allowed an ace in 12 of the games thus far. 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.
UNBEATABLE CONFERENCE: A total of 18 Division I teams entered this week having yet to suffer a defeat in the 2005 season. The BIG EAST is the lone conference to boast a trio of unbeatens: Villanova (10-0), Louisville (6-0), and Notre Dame (6-0). The Wildcats headed into the week tied for the Division I lead in victories this season, along with Middle Tennessee, which is 10-1.
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. This week, the teams took it one step further, as Notre Dame rose to eighth in the AVCA rankings and Louisville is right behind at ninth. It is 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 10-2 in games decided by four points or fewer (8-0 last weekend in the UTSA Dome Rally), as well as 6-2 in two-point games, including winning all three games against #6 Florida by exactly two points.
IRISH TO FACE FIVE PRESEASON TOP-15 TEAMS: Ten teams that earned bids to last year’s NCAA Championship, including five that were in the top 15 of the `05 AVCA preseason poll, highlight the 2005 schedule. The marquee matches include showdowns with Texas (11th in AVCA poll, NCAA round of 16), USC (7th, semifinals), Florida (8th, second round), Louisville (14th, round of 16), and Tennessee (9th, round of 16). Among the other highlights of the schedule are three high-level tournaments, four home matches on ND football weekend, as well as some notable trips. In all, the Irish will play matches in 10 states and 12 different cities and will make their first-ever visits to San Antonio and New Orleans. Notre Dame also will play in Chicago for the first time since 1996, Louisville for the first time since ’94, and Milwaukee for the first time since ’86.
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.
INVINCIBLE IRISH: The first half of the third game of Notre Dame’s 3-0 win over Oklahoma featured some of the finest play ever by an Irish team, as Notre Dame sprinted to a 17-2 lead en route to a 30-17 game victory. The run featured six blocks (after the Irish had just five in the first two games combined), four kills, and two aces from Notre Dame for 12 points. Five of the points came on OU errors (four attacking and one ball handling). The first Sooner point came on a service error by sophomore Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) after she had won the first five points of the game on her serve, including one ace. The other point also came as the result of another Irish miscue, as senior co-captain Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) was called for interfering with the opposing setter over the net and charged with a block error that made it 6-2. The run featured 10 consecutive points on the serve of senior OH Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.). Senior MB Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) was in on all six of those blocks and had eight in the game (10 in the three-game match), while the Irish defense held OU to no kills and 10 errors on 16 attempts for a -.625 hitting mark in the opening 19 points of the game. Cooper and senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) had two kills apiece.
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 last weekend. The only other class to do that was the duo of OH Brett Hensel and S Shannon Tuttle, which graduated in 1996 after being part of teams that beat #13 New Mexico in 1992, #9 Illinois, #3 Nebraska, and #8 Nebraska in `93, #15 Colorado and #9 Florida in `94, and #9 USC as well as #15 Colorado twice in `95.
NOTRE DAME WINS FIVE STRAIGHT FOR 15TH CONSECUTIVE SEASON: By prevailing in the opening five matches in 2005, Notre Dame made this the 15th consecutive season in which the Irish have had a winning streak of at least five matches, a span that covers every year since head coach Debbie Brown took over the program.
KNOCKING THEM OFF: In the 26-year history of Notre Dame volleyball, the Irish have knocked off teams ranked among the national top 12 on 11 occasions, with three of those upsets coming already this season. See 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, 15-106 Florida 9/11/05 San Antonio, TX 19 3-0 30-28, 31-29, 30-287 Kentucky 10/8/88 A -- 3-1 15-13, 12-15, 15-9, 16-148 USC 9/9/05 San Antonio, TX 19 3-1 23-30, 32-30, 30-26, 30-278 Nebraska 12/2/93 H* 17 3-0 15-11, 15-10, 15-89 USC 9/2/95 H 11 3-1 15-2, 11-15, 15-13, 15-69 Florida 10/26/94 A 12 3-1 9-15, 15-8, 15-8, 15-79 Illinois 9/10/93 Chicago, IL 19 3-2 15-13, 8-15, 13-15, 15-6, 15-1310 Arizona 8/29/03 Malibu, CA -- 3-1 30-18, 28-30, 30-20, 30-2610 Pepperdine 9/14/02 H -- 3-2 30-32, 30-24, 29-31, 30-25, 15-1011 Texas 9/3/05 H -- 3-2 30-21, 31-29, 28-30, 22-30, 15-10
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 serveArizona 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 27-25Oklahoma 1 28-28 30-28 Block by Cooper and Kelbley and error by Eliane Santos; ND playing 16 hrs. after beating USCOklahoma 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
BIG POINTS MAKE BIG SEASONS: See below a list of some of the most important points that have led to Notre Dame’s early 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 LonghornsArizona 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 1995Oklahoma 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
LET’S PLAY FIVE: In the Shamrock Invitational, Notre Dame beat both Texas and Arizona State in five-game matches. The Irish are 71-60 (.542) all-time in five-game affairs, including 9-7 since the current ND seniors stepped on campus (against some of the top programs in the country). See below all of the 3-2 matches played by them.
Date W/L Opponent Location ND Rank Opp. Rank Game Scores (ND first)9/4/05 W Arizona State H -- -- 30-20, 28-30, 21-30, 30-23, 15-109/3/05 W Texas H -- 11 30-21, 31-29, 28-30, 22-30, 15-1011/27/04 W Long Beach State A -- -- 30-28, 22-30, 25-30, 30-22, 16-1411/16/04 L Northern Iowa H -- -- 28-30, 30-28, 31-29, 22-30, 13-1510/20/04 L Brigham Young A -- -- 31-29, 23-30, 30-20, 26-30, 11-1510/13/04 W Illinois State H -- -- 30-25, 34-32, 25-30, 23-30, 15-109/10/04 W Fresno State San Luis Obispo, CA -- -- 30-21, 27-30, 30-20, 31-33, 15-129/7/04 L Valparaiso H -- -- 30-26, 24-30, 26-30, 30-24, 12-159/4/04 L Nebraska H 25 2 23-30, 30-26, 30-24, 19-30, 10-1511/16/03 L Pittsburgh A 12 -- 30-20, 26-30, 25-30, 30-13, 13-1511/7/03 W Virginia Tech H 12 -- 30-22, 25-30, 29-31, 30-24, 15-139/13/03 W Utah H 15 -- 34-32, 16-30, 30-26, 26-30, 15-129/5/03 W Houston Austin, TX 21 -- 24-30, 25-30, 30-21, 30-21, 15-1111/15/02 L Miami A -- -- 25-30, 28-30, 30-25, 30-22, 7-159/18/02 L Purdue A -- -- 30-18, 31-29, 27-30, 26-30, 6-159/14/02 W Pepperdine H -- 10 30-32, 30-24, 29-31, 30-25, 15-10
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 Stats8/29 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.
ALL-TOURNAMENT HONORS: See below a summary of Notre Dame’s all-tournament honors in 2005 (POW – Player of the Week; ROW – Rookie of the Week):
Player Tournament Honor Team Results Individual StatsBrewster 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 DBrewster 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 Shamrock Invitational All-Tournament d. #8 USC (3-1), Oklahoma (3-0), #6 Florida (3-0) 10 GP, 40 K, 5 SA, 10 B, 51 pts.
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 Opponent31 Zanette Bennett 9/19/87 5 vs. Cincinnati (at Richmond, KY)28 Lauren Brewster 9/4/05 5 vs. Arizona State28 Molly Stark 10/23/93 5 at Northern Arizona28 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.
JUST CALL HER “MISS GAME FIVE”: Senior co-captain MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) was outstanding last weekend 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 2.71 kills per game on .386 hitting (38-11-70) to go with 18 digs and 10 blocks for 43.5 points (3.11). [Note: Statistics unavailable from two game fives.]
IRISH 22-2 WHEN COOPER STARTS: Notre Dame has posted a 22-2 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 5-0 this season.
KELBLEY SERVING UP RUNS: Senior OH Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) has been Notre Dame’s most-effective server early in the 2005 campaign. In addition to leading the team with 11 aces (0.48 per game), coupled with only seven service errors (1.57 aces per error), she has consistently served up several long Irish runs. (Note: Kelbley is helped that her service rotation is the only one that features both Irish middle blockers, seniors Lauren Brewster and Carolyn Cooper, in the front row together.) Through six matches, she has served 143 times, and Notre Dame has won 84 of those points (58.7%). In all, her rotation has come up 60 times, and she has served an average of 2.83 points on each occasion; in other words, Notre Dame is winning nearly 1.83 points every time her service rotation comes up. Kelbley has served six or more times on four occasions already this season. See below chart:
Opponent Game Points Served Aces Score After Final Game Score#11 Texas 5 8 1 14-8 15-10Arizona State 1 6 0 18-11 30-20#8 USC 3 9 2 13-12 30-26Oklahoma 3 11 1 17-2 30-17
HENICAN ON PACE TO BREAK ND CAREER DIG AVERAGE RECORD: Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) heads into this weekend averaging 3.81 digs per game throughout her career, which is on pace to break the Notre Dame record of 3.72 by Christy Peters (1991-94). She also needs 398 digs to reach Peters’ record for career digs (1,640).
HENICAN AND THE HURRICANE: Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.), a native of New Orleans, has been the center of some media attention of late, as Hurricane Katrina hit the gulf coast of the United States. Henican has been on campus since early August, while her parents — Marge and Joe — made the trip north for last weekend’s season-opening match against Michigan and had previously planned to stay in South Bend last week and for The Inn at Saint Mary’s Shamrock Invitational. Henican’s older brother Joe evacuated from New Orleans to Houston, while her older sister Colleen traveled north to Tennessee in order to avoid the storm.
IRON WOMAN I: Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) enters the UTSA Dome Rally having played in each of the last 262 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 23 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 98 Notre Dame matches since joining the team in 2002, starting 95 of them. She has a chance to be the third Irish player ever to play in every match during her career, following in the footsteps of Janelle Karlan (1990-93, 145 matches) and Jenny Birkner (1993-96, 140 matches).
HENICAN, STASIUK ANCHOR STELLAR SERVE-RECEIVING UNIT: Notre Dame’s 2004 serve-receiving unit, which was anchored by then-junior captain L Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) and freshman OPP Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.), proved to be one of the best in Irish history. Opponents averaged just 0.96 service aces per game in 2004, the second-best mark in Irish history, behind the 0.94 mark in `03, which also was led by Henican. Stasiuk made just 45 receiving errors this season, or one in every 2.49 games. Henican was even more solid, committing only 37 reception errors, an average of one in every 3.03 games. Only six times in 30 matches did Henican make multiple reception errors.
HENICAN REWRITES DIG RECORDS: During the 2004 season, current senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) make quite an impact on the Irish digging records. She broke the Notre Dame marks for digs in a season (553) and season dig average (4.94), while combining with current sophomore OPP Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) for 884 digs, the most-ever by teammates in a campaign. Henican also set Irish records for digs in any-length match (37 in four games vs. Seton Hall on Oct. 10, 2004) and digs in an NCAA tournament contest (27 vs. Valparaiso in the first round).
DYNAMIC DIGGING COMBO: Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) and sophomore OPP Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) combined for 884 digs (553 by Henican, 331 by Stasiuk) in 2004, marking the highest single-season sum ever by Notre Dame teammates. The previous mark, bested by just one, was 883 by Jessica Fiebelkorn (474) and Christy Peters (409) in 1992.
HENICAN, BREWSTER TABBED CO-CAPTAINS: Seniors MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) and OH/L Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) will serve as Notre Dame’s co-captains this season. Henican is back for her second season in the role, after serving as the lone captain during the 2004 campaign. She is the 10th multiple-year captain in program history and just the fourth to have been a solo captain in at least one of those seasons.
LOCAL INTEREST: Freshman DS/S Madison Clark (Sturgis H.S.) hails from Sturgis, Mich., which is just across the state line and less than 50 miles east of Notre Dame. She is the most-local player for the Irish volleyball team since South Bend native Dyan Boulac wound up her career in 1993.
TOGETHER AGAIN: Sophomore S Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) and freshman OH Mallorie Croal (Villa Park, Calif./Mater Dei H.S.) are teammates once again with the Irish this season. Both played for the Golden West Volleyball Club prior to coming to Notre Dame,helping it to the bronze medal at the 2004 Junior National Olympics.
Miscellaneous Notes …
UPSET OF FLORIDA GIVES BROWN 350th WIN AT NOTRE DAME: The 3-0 victory over #6 Florida on Sunday was the 350th for the Irish with Debbie Brown as head coach. Since first stepping onto campus in 1991, she holds a 350-118 (.748) 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.
BIG CROWD ON OPENING DAY: A crowd of 1,574 took in Notre Dame’s three-game, season-opening sweep of Michigan on Saturday. It was the largest crowd for a home opener in program history, besting the prior mark of 1,083 in last year’s lidlifter vs. Loyola Chicago. The attendance was the eighth-highest total in program history for any match, as well as the fourth-largest crowd to take in a contest not staged prior to a football pep rally. After one weekend of action, the Irish ranked fourth in Division I in average attendance, behind Nebraska (10,576 per match), Illinois State (3,259), and Texas A&M (2,242).
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 168-28 (.857) home record. The Irish have pieced together a variety of impressive winning streaks on their home floor, winning 14 or more in a row on five occasions, highlighted by streaks of 27 (1993-95) and 36 (2000-02) straight home victories. Notre Dame also won 74 in a row in regular-season action against conference opposition from 1991-2004. The Irish, who have topped 14 ranked teams – including four top-10 squads – at home, also hold a 159-9 (.946) record against unranked teams in the Joyce Center, including a 52-match winning streak.
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 98-5 (.951) regular-season mark, highlighted by nine titles and winning streaks of 45 and 35 consecutive matches. Notre Dame is 60-1 (.984) in BIG EAST regular-season contests in the Joyce Center, and the Irish have won eight BIG EAST tournament championships, posting a 19-2 mark and reaching the final every year. Notre Dame also has dominated the conference awards, winning player-of-the-year honors six times, the coach-of-the-year award on four occasions, and the league tournament’s most-outstanding-player award seven times. Also, Notre Dame student-athletes have garnered 35 all-conference accolades, including 21 first-team honors, which account for more than one-third of the first-team selections during the span. After being the preseason favorite 10 years in a row, the Irish were picked by the league head coaches to finish second to newcomer Louisville in 2005. Senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) was chosen as the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, and she was joined on the preseason all-BIG EAST team by senior OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.), a unanimous selection.
ALL SIX ND FALL TEAMS IN NATIONAL TOP 15: The volleyball team is not the only Notre Dame team off to a hot start, as all six Irish fall sports head into this weekend ranked among the national top 15. The four team sports have combined for a 16-2 record, including 8-2 against nationally-ranked teams (4-1 vs. top-10 foes). Women’s cross country leads the way in the rankings at third, while women’s soccer is fifth, men’s cross country is seventh, volleyball is eighth, football is 10th, and men’s soccer is 14th.
IRISH HAVE FOUR MATCHES ON HOME FOOTBALL WEEKENDS: Notre Dame football fans will have four chances to also take in Irish volleyball while they are on campus for home games this season. For the fifth time in six years, there will be a match immediately preceding a football pep rally, as the Oct. 21 contest with South Florida (4 p.m. EST/CDT) will be before the pep rally for the Brigham Young game. Football-weekend visitors will have three other chances to see the Irish, all against BIG EAST competition. The day after the BYU football game (Sunday, Oct. 23) Notre Dame will play host to Georgetown at 2 p.m. (EST/CDT), while the Navy football weekend (Nov. 12) will also see the Irish in action twice: Saturday at 10 a.m. (EDT) vs. Villanova and Sunday at 2 p.m. against Rutgers.
ACADEMIC ACHIEVERS: The Notre Dame women’s volleyball team posted its highest grade-point average on record for an academic year in 2004-05 and was rewarded as a recipient of a Game Plan/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award. The Irish, who had a team GPA of 3.362, were one of just four Division I squads to earn the Team Academic Award and also win at least one match in the 2004 NCAA Championship (also Kansas State, Ohio, and Wichita State). The AVCA Team Academic Award honors college and high-school teams that display excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team GPA on a 4.0 scale. Notre Dame was one of 45 Division I programs to be so recognized. The Irish previously copped the honor in 2001-02 and 2002-03.
TV STARS: Notre Dame will be featured on television at least two times during the 2005 season. The Irish beat Texas on Sept. 3 in The Inn at Saint Mary’s Shamrock Invitational in the Joyce Center, which was part of the AVCA’s national match-of-the-week package on College Sports Television (CSTV). Also part of that package will be the BIG EAST Championship title match on Nov. 20 in Louisville (ND has played in that match all 10 seasons since becoming a league member). Additionally, the Irish will play host to Tennessee on Nov. 26 in the Irish Thanksgiving Invitational, and that will be televised by Comcast Sports Net. A year ago, Notre Dame was on TV three times in road matches (CSTV at South Carolina, Comcast at Michigan, BYU TV at Brigham Young). The Irish — who played host to Miami in 2003 in a CSTV match — are one of just 10 schools who have been on the regular-season slate of CSTV’s match-of-the-week series in all three years since it debuted. The others are Colorado State, Florida, Hawai’i, Nebraska, Pepperdine, Santa Clara, Stanford, Texas, and Utah.
TOTAL ACCESS ON CSTV BEGINS OCT. 9: College Sports Television will feature a special monthly 30-minute original program called Total Access that concentrates solely on Notre Dame athletics. The show will air on Oct. 9 and then on the first Sunday of every month for the rest of 2005 and returning on Jan. 8, 2006.
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.