Oct. 25, 2005
Sophomore outside hitter 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 the University of Notre Dame women’s volleyball team (18-1, 8-0) 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.
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. She was outstanding in all three matches, first leading Notre Dame to a school-record-tying eighth consecutive win on an opponent’s home court with a career-high 20 kills on .349 hitting to go with 16 digs at Illinois State. In Friday’s contest with USF – which drew a crowd of 5,541, the second-largest volleyball attendance in Joyce Center history – she had nine kills on just 17 swings for a .471 attack percentage, while adding 13 digs, four blocks (three solo), and two service aces. On Sunday, Stasiuk fell just short of a triple-double, ending with 14 kills on .419 hitting to go with 10 digs and seven blocks.
An illustration of her all-around excellence was the fact that Stasiuk posted match-high numbers in a particular statistical category on eight occasions – and in five different categories – last week. She was tops among all players in kills, hitting, and points vs. the Redbirds; in digs, blocks, and points against USF; and in kills and points vs. Georgetown.
She was the defensive leader for the Irish – ranking second on the team in both digs and blocks for the week – who held opponents to just 13.10 kills on .097 hitting for the week. Prior to last week, Stasiuk had just seven total solo blocks on the season, but she piled up eight in those three matches. Her career high in block solos had been two before she registered three against the Bulls and then four vs. the Hoyas.
Stasiuk also led Notre Dame in kills in a week that saw the Irish average 16.40 kills per game on .338 hitting. Her passing also aided the Irish attack, as she made just two reception errors in 57 attempts (.965 reception percentage), as ND allowed only six service aces on the week (1.00 per game).
It marked just the third in Irish history that a player was tabbed national player of the week by any organization. Senior All-American MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) was recognized by CVU.com on Sept. 6 after keying the Irish upset of #11 Texas en route to the championship of The Inn at Saint Mary’s Shamrock Invitational. The only two-time All-American in Irish history, OH Christy Peters, was the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Player of the Week 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.
Stasiuk – who was a “Fab 50” selection by Volleyball prior to college – missed the first three matches of the season due to an offseason injury, but then came back to key Notre Dame’s huge weekend of upsets in the UTSA Dome Rally. She has been a big performer at both libero and outside hitter since then, registering six double-doubles and posting 20+ digs on four occasions.
Stasiuk, a native of Park Ridge, Ill., has been Notre Dame’s top all-around player this season, as she ranks among the top four on the Irish in every statistical category, coming in second in digs (232/4.30) and reception percentage (.969), third in kills (143/2.65) and assists (23/0.43), and fourth in service aces (13/0.24), blocks (39/0.72), and points (183/3.39). She ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in digs and is the only non-libero among the top 10. In league action, she is sixth in service aces (11/0.42) and eighth in points (120.5/4.63).
Since making the full-time switch to playing all the way around, Stasiuk has keyed a major resurgence in Notre Dame’s offense. In the last 11 contests, the Irish are averaging 16.83 kills on .310 hitting, and Stasiuk is averaging 3.61 kills on .303 hitting to go with 3.44 digs and 0.92 blocks. She also has a reception percentage of .986 over the last seven affairs.
Formerly a four-time All-American and six-time national champion for the vaunted Chicago-area Sports Performance Volleyball Club and the first-ever all-state player for Maine South High School, Stasiuk was an immediate contributor when joining the Irish last season. She started all 30 matches in 2004 at opposite. She led the team and used her jump serve to rank second in the BIG EAST in aces (41/0.37), becoming just the second Irish rookie ever to serve up 40+ in a season. Stasiuk also combined with current senior co-captain Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) for 884 digs, the highest total ever for Notre Dame teammates in the same season. She posted the first Irish triple-double since 1998 in last year’s match vs. Illinois State, finishing with 14 kills, 11 digs, and 11 blocks. Stasiuk also was a huge reason the Irish allowed only 0.96 aces per game, the second-best mark in program history.
Notre Dame has now won a total of five national-player-of-the-week honors this fall, across three different sports. In addition to the volleyball duo, football quarterback Brady Quinn was recognized on Oct. 2 by The Sporting News while women’s soccer players Kerri Hanks (Aug. 31) and Katie Thorlakson (Oct. 25) also have been honored.
Stasiuk and the Irish have a big home weekend of BIG EAST play ahead, as they will first take on co-league leader and sixth-ranked Louisville (20-0, 8-0) on Saturday at 2 p.m. (EST/CDT) and then Cincinnati (15-7, 6-2) on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. (EST).