Oct. 12, 2004
Freshman opposite Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) was named the BIG EAST Conference Rookie of the Week on Monday after helping the University of Notre Dame volleyball team to a pair of conference victories on the road last weekend against Rutgers and Seton Hall. The Park Ridge, Ill., native averaged 3.43 kills per game on a .302 hitting mark, while contributing 3.29 digs to an Irish defense that held its opponents to an attack percentage of only .166.
Stasiuk was a key factor in Notre Dame holding Rutgers – which came into the match ranking second in the BIG EAST in hitting percentage – to below .100 hitting in every game and a .081 mark for the match. Her nine digs were the second-highest total accumulated by any player, while she also took part in a pair of blocks. Offensively, Stasiuk had nine kills – tied for the third-highest total for all players – to end up with 10 points.
On Sunday, Stasiuk helped Notre Dame outdig Seton Hall – who was second in the conference in digs – by a 76-67 margin. She again was second on the team, this time with 14 digs, marking the ninth time in 13 matches this season that she has had 11 or more digs. The 2004 Maine South High School graduate was one of four Irish players with 14 or more kills, ending with 15 – one shy of her season high – on a .344 hitting percentage. Stasiuk also served up a pair of aces (the sixth time she has had multiple service aces in a match in ’04) and took part in three blocks to finish with 18.5 points, her second-highest match total as a collegian.
Stasiuk, formerly a four-time All-American and six-time national champion for the vaunted Chicago-area Sports Performance Volleyball Club, has been an immediate contributor for the Irish, starting every match at opposite. One of the top all-around players on the team, she ranks among the top three Notre Dame players in six different categories. Stasiuk, who boasts a powerful jump serve, shares the team lead in service aces, with an average of 0.36 per game (18 in 50 games) that ranks seventh in the BIG EAST leaders. She is second on the Irish in digs (149/2.98) and third in kills (124/2.48), points (164.5/3.28), blocks (42/0.84), and assists (35/0.70). She has contributed 12 or more kills on five occasions, and her collegiate debut saw Stasiuk become the first Notre Dame player in nearly three years to serve up five aces in a match.
In three BIG EAST matches, Stasiuk is averaging 3.00 kills on a .268 attack percentage to go with 3.50 digs, 1.00 blocks, and 0.40 aces per game (tied for eighth in the league leaders).
Stasiuk, who was named to Volleyball magazine’s elite “Fab 50” list of the top prep players in the nation last year, is the seventh Notre Dame player ever to be honored as the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week. The last Irish student-athlete to be so tabbed was current junior Lauren Brewster, who earned the accolade on Oct. 28, 2002.
Boston College sophomore libero Allison Anderson, who averaged 9.2 digs per game in three matches last week – including posting the second-highest total ever in an NCAA Division I match (57 against Villanova) – was named player of the week by the conference on Monday.
After the longest mid-season road trip in school history, Stasiuk and Notre Dame (8-5) finally return home this week, as they will play host to Illinois State (12-4) on Wednesday at 7 p.m. in the Joyce Center. The match will feature live internet audio provided by former Bethel College head coach Dr. Lorne Oke and Stephen Hinkel, available to subscribers of College Sports Pass via www.und.com.