Notre Dame volleyball's annual Dig Pink match will be held on Oct. 28 against USF.

First Two Of Four Straight Home Matches Ahead For Irish Volleyball

Oct. 22, 2010

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NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Following a midweek loss at Western Michigan, Notre Dame returns to Purcell Pavilion at 2:00 p.m. (ET) on Saturday to face Syracuse, with Marquette coming to town one day later for BIG EAST Conference volleyball action.

Sunday will be the program’s `Dig Pink’ match, as the team will be raising money in a variety of ways to help support breast cancer awareness. More details regarding the event are available on the volleyball page at UND.com.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish
12-8 overall / 5-2 BIG EAST
[und.com – bigeast.org]

Syracuse Orange
21-3 overall / 3-3 BIG EAST
[suathletics.com – bigeast.org]
Saturday, Oct. 23 – 2:00 p.m. (ET)

Marquette Golden Eagles
13-7 overall / 4-2 BIG EAST
[gomarquette.com – bigeast.org]
Sunday, Oct. 24 – 2:00 p.m. (ET)

– Purcell Pavilion – Notre Dame, Ind.
– Live stats / chat: und.com
– Live video: und.com (Sunday only)
– Notre Dame Volleyball Twitter: @ndvolleyball
– Notre Dame Athletics Twitter: @und_com
– Irish Alerts (text messaging service): und.com

Bump, Set, Spike …
– Senior middle blocker Kellie Sciacca recorded her 1,000th career kill as Notre Dame pulled out a 3-1 win over DePaul (Oct. 15) … Sciacca, who finished the night with eight kills and seven blocks, delivered kill No. 1,000 in the second set to become the 19th player in Irish history to reach the milestone … she later ended the frame with one of her two solo blocks on set point.
– Freshman Andrea McHugh’s offense on the pipes also helped the Irish defeat DePaul, as the outside hitter went for a career-high 23 kills on 50 swings (.340) … McHugh had seven kills in both the second and third sets … with the output, McHugh was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the fourth time.
– Junior libero Frenchy Silva scooped a career-high 29 shots at Western Michigan (Oct. 19) to tie the 14th-best single-match performance in school history … it was the second straight 20+ dig performance for Silva and her third of the season.

Series Notes …

Marquette
Series history: Notre Dame leads, 10-2
(3-2 BIG EAST, 3-0 North Star, 1-0 Midwestern)
Series streak: Notre Dame, W1
First meeting: Oct. 5, 1985 – Notre Dame, 3-0
Last meeting: Nov. 6, 2009 – Notre Dame, 3-1
Notes: Notre Dame has been a member of three conferences over the history of its volleyball program and has handed Marquette a league loss in each of the three … the teams played as North Star Conference members from 1985-87 and were Midwestern Collegiate Conference foes for one season (1990) before Marquette joined the BIG EAST in 2004 … the schools first met in 1985 in Dayton, Ohio, with the Irish prevailing in three sets … the Irish and Golden Eagles will meet for the sixth time since 1997 and 13th time overall … Notre Dame holds a 10-2 mark over Marquette with a 33-10 advantage in set victories, although the Golden Eagles have won two of the last three matchups … in 2009, thirty ties and 13 lead changes marked Notre Dame’s 3-1 win over the Golden Eagles, as the Irish were aided by 15 blocks – including eight apiece from Hilary Eppink and Serinity Phillips … the Irish dropped the first set and came back to win for the second time on the season … Marquette hit .324 in the opener but posted respective averages of .087, .186 and -.054 in the ensuing sets … playing in its second five-set match in as many days, Notre Dame stumbled with a 3-2 loss when the programs met in 2008 … Phillips narrowly missed out on notching Notre Dame’s first triple-double since 2004, finishing with 25 kills on a .375 average, 10 digs and a career-high nine blocks … the match marked the first time Notre Dame played in consecutive five-set contests against a conference opponents since joining the BIG EAST in 1995 … 2002 Notre Dame graduate Marcie Wolbeck (Waukesha, Catholic Memorial / Milwaukee Sting) – now the head coach at Loyola-Chicago – remains the only Wisconsin native to ever play for the Irish … against the Golden Eagles on Oct. 3, 1986, Notre Dame finished with a .539 hitting percentage (52 kills, 4 errors, 89 attempts), which still stands as the highest mark in program history in any length match.

Syracuse
Series history: Notre Dame leads, 17-1 (15-0 BIG EAST)
Series streak: Notre Dame, W17
First meeting: Oct. 22, 1981 – Syracuse, 3-1
Last meeting: Nov. 8, 2009 – Notre Dame, 3-1
Notes: Syracuse downed Notre Dame, 3-1, in the two program’s first-ever meeting in 1981, but its been all Irish since then … head coach Debbie Brown collected her 400th win since taking over the Irish program with a 3-1 victory over Syracuse in 2007 … the win was No. 517 overall for Brown … Notre Dame has won the last 17 contests as the two teams will meet for the 16th consecutive season and 19th time overall … the first five-set affair between the schools came in the 1990 Rhode Island Invitational in Providence, with Notre Dame coming out on top, 16-14, for its first-ever win over Syracuse … the 2008 matchup also lasted five sets as Notre Dame posted a .377 hitting percentage to set a school record for a five-set match … the previous Notre Dame record for hitting percentage in a five-set match was .346, set versus San Francisco in 1991 … Notre Dame leads 52-11 in sets won, including 48-6 in the BIG EAST era … Syracuse recorded eight blocks and held Notre Dame to a season-low 15 points in the opening frame of the 2009 match, but the Irish rallied back to sweep the remaining sets while snapping the Orange’s 10-match home winning streak … the win made Notre Dame 7-0 in four-set matches on the season … the Irish notched five consecutive 3-0 wins over the Orange from 2002-06 … Angie Harris had nine aces in the first BIG EAST contest between the teams (Oct. 20, 1995), a record that still stands despite accomplishing the feat in just three sets … the Irish made just one service error in the 1996 matchup, which is tied for the lowest total in a match … the Irish won by 37 points in 2001 at the Joyce Center, the third-largest margin of victory for Notre Dame under the 30-point format … former Notre Dame libero Meg Henican recorded the school’s second highest dig total (26) in a three-set match against Syracuse on Sept. 30, 2005.

Streak Comes To An End …
Notre Dame once sported the nation’s sixth-best regular-season conference winning streak, which was snapped at 19 matches after a loss at Louisville (Oct. 9) … the Irish had won their last BIG EAST contest of the 2008 season, went 14-0 in 2009, and swept their first four league matches in 2010 … the program is accustomed to such winning streaks in BIG EAST action, having once won 45 (Oct. 1, 1999-Nov. 9, 2002) and 35 (Sept. 30, 1995-Oct. 4, 1995) straight league matches.

First Four …
Each of Notre Dame’s first four BIG EAST wins were 3-0 sweeps … it was the first time the program won its first four league matches by a 3-0 count since 1999.

Advantage, Irish …
The Irish were not out-hit in 21 straight regular-season league matches until Louisville did so on Oct. 9 … previously, Marquette was the last team to out-hit the Irish, which happened during the 2008 campaign (the Golden Eagles won the battle of attack percentages, .251 to .191).

McHugh Ties Record With Latest BIG EAST Honor …
For the third time this season, outside hitter Andrea McHugh was named the BIG EAST Conference Freshman of the Week on Oct. 4 … McHugh is now tied with senior Kellie Sciacca for the most Freshman of the Week honors earned by an Irish player, as Sciacca also notched three during her 2007 rookie campaign … McHugh set a new career high with 19 kills – the most by an Irish player in a three-set match since 2006 – at Georgetown (Oct. 3) on a .562 clip, which was her best hitting pct. on the season … the effort came on the heels of posting 13 kills and five aces at USF (Oct. 1), making her the first Irish player with five aces in a contest since 2007 … on the weekend, she hit .475 with 5.33 kills/set and 0.83 aces/set while leading the Irish to a pair of wins.

The Sun Helps …
Notre Dame’s 11 aces at USF (Oct. 1) marked the second time in school history the Irish had at least 11 serves drop for scores in a three-set affair (Notre Dame recorded 17 during a 3-0 win at Valparaiso on Sept. 12, 1984) … Andrea McHugh had a career-high five aces against the Bulls, becoming the first player to do so since 2007 (Kim Kristoff accomplished the feat against DePaul on Oct. 19, 2007).

It’s Been a Grand …
Notre Dame played in the 1,000th match in program history when it took the court at USF (Oct. 1), and won the contest in three sets.

Beginning the BIG EAST …
With wins over West Virginia (Sept. 24) and Pittsburgh (Sept. 26), Notre Dame went 2-0 on the opening weekend of BIG EAST Conference play for the third straight year and 15th time in 16 seasons since joining the league in 1995 … the Irish are 15-1 in BIG EAST openers, with the lone loss coming at Pittsburgh in 2007 … the win over the Panthers was also the first sweep against Pittsburgh for the Irish since 2004.

Something About South Florida …
Kellie Sciacca hit .412 with nine kills at USF (Oct. 1), which was surprisingly her lowest output ever against the Bulls during the regular season … Sciacca is now hitting .556 in four career matches against the Bulls (.500 in 2007, .643 in 2008 and .667 in 2009).

Make It Two for McHugh …
Outside hitter Andrea McHugh was named the BIG EAST Conference’s Volleyball Freshman of the Week on Sept. 27 … the honor was the second for McHugh in the first five weeks of the season … Notre Dame rallied behind McHugh’s arm during a 3-0 sweep of West Virginia (Sept. 24), as she came through with 16 kills and 13 scoops for the fifth double-double of her early career … seven of those kills came in the third set when Notre Dame rallied from a 24-20 deficit to capture the win … more importantly for the Irish, the win over the Mountaineers snapped a three-match losing streak … McHugh went on to post nine kills and seven digs in a 3-0 win against Pittsburgh (Sept. 26) … she wrapped up the weekend with 4.17 kills/set and 3.33 digs/set.

The 500 Club …
Senior libero Megan Dunne shelved the 500th dig of her career against West Virginia (Sept. 24) in the BIG EAST Conference opener at Purcell Pavilion … Dunne became the third player on the Irish roster with at least 500 career digs (joining Kristen Dealy and Frenchy Silva).

Dealy Does It …
Junior outside hitter Kristen Dealy was named to the Notre Dame Invitational all-tournament team, which was hosted by the Irish Sept. 17-19 … she averaged 3.64 kills/set and 4.36 digs/set in three matches and went for 24 kills and 25 digs against Delaware (Sept. 17), career-high numbers in both categories … her final totals signified the 19th time in 31 seasons of varsity competition at Notre Dame that a player posted a 20-20 output (kills, digs or assists) … the last to do so was Adrianna Stasiuk against Cincinnati in 2006.

She Can Dig It …
Junior libero Frenchy Silva had a career-high 24 digs against Delaware (Sept. 17) … as Kristen Dealy notched 25 in the contest, the duo became the first pair of Irish players to record 20+ digs in a match since 2007 … Megan Dunne (23) and Adrianna Stasiuk (21) replicated the feat at LSU in 2007 … Silva leads all active players with five career 20+ dig performances (Megan Dunne – 3, Kristen Dealy – 3) … Silva is also one of four players in Irish history to average +3.00 digs/set in a career.

Start It Up …
Notre Dame’s 7-2 record through the first nine matches was the team’s best start since 2005 … that season, the Irish won their first seven contests before falling to LSU at the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic in College Station, Texas, before winning the next 15 matches on the slate.

Brown Earns No. 450 …
Irish head coach Debbie Brown earned her 450th career win to start Denver’s Pioneer Classic with a 3-0 sweep of Gonzaga (Sept. 10) … Brown, now in her 20th season at the helm of the Notre Dame program, has a record of 452-175 (.724) with the Irish.

Hit ‘Em Hard …
Notre Dame posted a .488 hitting pct. in a 3-0 sweep of Denver (Sept. 12), the program’s best single-match average since Nov. 4, 2001 (when the Irish hit .495 in a 3-0 win over Pittsburgh).

Hit ‘Em High …
Senior middle blocker Kellie Sciacca averaged 3.70 kills/set on a blistering .582 average across the three matches at the Pioneer Classic to earn her third straight all-tournament accolade … she became the first player since 2007 to finish a match with a clip over .700 after hitting .722 against Denver.

Quick and Easy …
Notre Dame’s win over Denver (Sept. 12) spanned just 1:10, tying the program record for the second-quickest match played in the 25-point era.

Three of a Kind …
Notre Dame posted 2-1 marks at each of the first two tournaments to open the season before going 3-0 at Denver’s Pioneer Classic (Sept. 10-12) … it was the program’s first sweep of a three-match invite since 2005, when the Irish downed No. 8 USC, Oklahoma and No. 6 Florida at the UTSA Dome Rally in San Antonio, Texas … the 2005 team finished 30-4 and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament … the Irish won each of their two contests at the 2009 Notre Dame Invitational with wins over New Mexico State and Wisconsin.

CVU.com, BIG EAST Deal Honors To Sciacca …
Senior middle blocker Kellie Sciacca missed out on the BIG EAST’s top weekly award, but was recognized nationally as a Top Performer by CVU.com on Sept. 14 … the award came on the heels of being named to Denver’s Pioneer Classic all-tournament team after hitting .582 on the week and leading the Irish to three wins … the BIG EAST placed Sciacca on its weekly honor roll … Kristen Dealy was the last Irish player to earn recognition from CVU.com after doing so in November 2009.

More All-Tournament Nods …
Senior middle Blocker Kellie Sciacca hit .582 across 10 sets in three matches at Denver’s Pioneer Classic (Sept. 10-12) with 3.70 kills/set and 1.30 blocks/set … sophomore Hilary Eppink wasn’t too far behind with a .561 average, nine blocks and a pair of aces … both were named to the event’s all-tournament team.

All-All-Tournament-Tournament …
Doubling up on all-tournament honors for the 2010 were senior Kellie Sciacca and freshman Andrea McHugh, who earned the distinction at the Nevada Invitational (Sept. 3-4) … each were also named to the Shamrock Invitational all-tournament team to begin the season … McHugh totaled 43 kills (3.31/set) in three matches with 2.00 digs/set and 0.69 blocks/set … she led Notre Dame in scoring with 52.0 points … Sciacca was her usual steady self with 2.46 kills/set on a .338 clip and 1.31 blocks/set … against Weber State (Sept. 4), Sciacca tied a career best with three solo blocks in three sets.

Reno Aces …
Freshman Nicole Smith did not take many risks from behind the service line during the Nevada Invitational in Reno, Nev., but her performance would have caused plenty of envy from the blackjack players down the way from Virginia Street Gym … Smith fired in a match-high four aces in three sets against Weber State (Sept. 4), including back-to-back-to-back daisies to blow the match open in the opening frame … she is the first Irish freshman to knock down four aces in a single match since Beth Wildermuth, who also had four against California during her freshman season in 2008.

Early Five-Setters …
Through six matches to start the 2010 season, Notre Dame stretched it to the limit with three five-set affairs, winning two of the contests … the three five-setters are the most since 2004, when that squad went the distance in three of its first five matches while dropping two of three.

Sciacca Shreds Shamrock Invite …
Senior middle blocker Kellie Sciacca was named to the Shamrock Invitational all-tournament team for the second straight year after finishing the three-match weekend with 4.00 kills/set and a .429 hitting pct. … she posted a career-high 21 kills on a .645 hitting clip – the fourth-best average ever by a Notre Dame player in a four-set match – on 31 swings with just one error against Marshall (Aug. 27) … Sciacca then came back to help Notre Dame defeat Cal Poly (Aug. 28) with 17 kills and tacked on 10 more versus No. 18 Arizona (Aug. 29) for her third-straight double-figure kill total.

McHugh Has Huge Opening Weekend …
Freshman outside hitter Andrea McHugh was named the BIG EAST Conference Freshman of the Week (Aug. 30) one day after wrapping up her first weekend in an Irish uniform … McHugh registered a pair of double-doubles as her 11 kills and 16 digs against Marshall (Aug. 27) came before 14 kills and 18 digs against Cal Poly (Aug. 28) … she blistered No. 18 Arizona (Aug. 29) with 12 kills and a solo block … McHugh also had an ace in each of her three matches … on the weekend, she averaged 3.08 kills/set and 3.17 digs/set with 3.42 points/set … furthermore, McHugh is the first Irish player to earn the award after the season’s opening weekend since Christina Kaelin did so in 2006.

Wide Openers …
Notre Dame is now 24-7 (19-1 under head coach Debbie Brown) in home openers … the Irish are 20-9 (.689) in the month of August and 18-6 (.750) at home in August.

Preseason Honors …
Notre Dame was picked to finish third in 2010 BIG EAST Conference regular season play, according to a vote of the league’s 15 head coaches … for the first time since joining the BIG EAST in 2005, Cincinnati emerged as the favorite in the BIG EAST Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll … the Bearcats were unanimously selected, receiving 196 points and all 14 first-place votes. Louisville, the defending tournament champion, was picked second … since the inception of round-robin play in 1990, 19 of the last 20 preseason favorites have advanced to the finals of the BIG EAST Championship … of those favorites, 15 have captured the tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Championship, while 13 have taken the regular-season title … however, the last team to be selected first in the preseason poll and win the regular-season crown was Notre Dame in 2004 … Kristen Dealy and two-time all-BIG EAST choice Kellie Sciacca both earned spots on the all-BIG EAST preseason team … Sciacca led the conference in league play with a .429 hitting percentage in 2009.

Freshman Class Regarded By PrepVolleyball.com …
Notre Dame’s six-person freshman class – Maggie Brindock, Sam Brown, Sammie Brown, Andrea McHugh, Andie Olsen and Nicole Smith – was tabbed by PrepVolleyball.com as the nation’s 13th-best recruiting class … the newcomers will help replace six departing seniors which led the Irish to the 2009 BIG EAST Conference regular-season title and a national ranking … Notre Dame received the highest ranking of any BIG EAST member … USC, Penn State and Stanford held the top three spots, respectively, in the rankings … Notre Dame’s departed six-person class from the 2009 season was ranked fifth by PrepVolleyball.com in 2006.

Brown Knows How To Win …
Entering 2010, Debbie Brown is first among BIG EAST head coaches with 562 career wins … Louisville’s Leonid Yelin is second with 457 wins in 20 seasons.

–ND–