Nov. 11, 2005
Notre Dame senior All-American MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) was one of six players named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 5 Volleyball First Team, it was announced this week by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). She will move on to the Academic All-America ballot. 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. The duo became Notre Dame volleyball’s first CoSIDA academic all-district honorees since Lindsay Treadwell in 1998.
Brewster, who carries a 3.37 cumulative grade-point average as a marketing and sociology double major, 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.
CoSIDA’s district 5 includes schools in Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, as well as the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario. The team was voted on by members of CoSIDA from District 5. Members from across the country will vote for the Academic All-America team, which will be released on Nov. 30.
Brewster is a three-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star and a CoSIDA academic all-district nominee on three occasions, as well. She is one of the most-decorated players in program history, having been a third-team All-American in 2004 after being tabbed honorable mention as a sophomore. The ’05 BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, Brewster was the Collegiate Volleyball Update National Player of the Week on Sept. 5, as well as the MVP in both the Shamrock Invitational and the UTSA Dome Rally. She was the ’04 BIG EAST tournament MVP and has been a first-team all-league pick in each of the last two campaigns. Brewster is an eight-time BIG EAST Player of the Week (tops in program history) and has led the conference in blocking in both overall and league matches in each of the last three campaigns. She also was the NCAA blocking champ in 2003 and has had the Irish rank among the top five nationally in each of the last three seasons. This year, she is among the BIG EAST leaders in kills, attack percentage, blocks, and points in both overall and conference matches. She currently ranks 20th nationally in blocking (1.52), while the Irish are eighth (3.46). Brewster ranks among the Notre Dame career leaders in 11 categories, including ranking second in hitting percentage (.315) and block average (1.63). She also is fifth in career kills (1,357).
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.
Stasiuk boasts a team-high 3.61 grade-point average as a business major with a minor in mathematics. She is a member of Notre Dame’s Academic Honors Program for Student-Athletes and was a BIG EAST Academic All-Star last season. On the court, she has been a starter for the Irish from when she first stepped on campus a year ago. In 2004, she started all 30 matches at opposite, but she has played at both libero and outside hitter this season. Stasiuk is among the top four on the Irish in every statistical category this season. She was tabbed the National Player of the Week by Collegiate Volleyball Update on Sept. 25 and is the only non-libero to rank among the BIG EAST leaders in digs (5th at 4.04 per game). Stasiuk has six double-doubles this season to bring her career total to 15, and she became the first ND player since 1998 to notch a triple-double last year against Illinois State. She has been a key to Notre Dame’s outstanding serve receiving this season, holding a .972 reception percentage while ranking second on the team in total receptions. The Irish have allowed only 0.68 service aces per game this season, with the current ND record standing a 0.94 in 2003.
Brewster and Stasiuk will lead the Irish into their final weekend of conference play this week. Notre Dame, ranked eighth nationally with a 22-2 record and tied for the BIG EAST lead at 11-1, takes on Villanova on Saturday morning at 10 a.m. (EST) in the Joyce Center and then plays host to Rutgers on Sunday at 2 p.m. (EST).