Sept. 19, 2017
By Erin Locascio
Erin Locascio is a fall photography and graphic design intern for the University of Notre Dame. Throughout the fall she will have a weekly post about her favorite five photos from the week’s events. This week Locascio is highlighting Notre Dame volleyball’s win over No. 23 Michigan State on Sept. 15 inside Purcell Pavilion.
In each post Locascio will give background information on the photo and why she selected it.
Jemma Yeadon With The Block
There are a few reasons I chose this picture as one of my favorites. The first is because it is usually hard to tell if a ball is blocked in a picture, but in this one, you can see the ball is clearly on the other side of the net. I also love how Jemma, who is only 5’9”, has both of her arms completely over the net. I also chose this because Notre Dame outblocked the much taller Michigan State 13.5 to 13.0.
Lauren Woodard Rises For The Kill
I love this photo because of what it shows and for the situation on the court. I love how it looks like the lights in the arena are giving Lauren the spotlight and you can see all her teammates around her, ready to help if the ball happens to be blocked. However, I know this specific attack resulted in Lauren’s one kill, which came in the first point she was on the floor. Notre Dame was down 17 – 11 when Lauren entered and this kill and then a solo block she had shortly after sparked a Notre Dame 9-0 run which helped the Irish win the second set.
Point Irish
Considering the immensity of the match, there were many celebration moments throughout the evening, however, this photo tops them all. Jemma (12) is perfectly captured mid-jump and you can see the excitement and intensity on every girl’s face cheering along with her. It’s rare to capture a moment so perfectly, as usually there is some sort of obstruction or players are facing away from the camera.
The Setter-Attacker Connection
This may be a typical volleyball picture, but that is why I love it so much. In volleyball, there is a lot of teamwork and you can’t effectively attack without a quality set. That’s why I love this so much, it shows the moment the ball goes from the setter to the hitter. You can see the concentration from Sam Fry to time it perfectly and the extension of Caroline Holt’s arms to set the ball in just the perfect spot.
Down Goes No. 23 Michigan State
This may be another celebration picture, however, this was the one after the Irish knocked off the Spartans and the players got to let out their excitement of beating a ranked team. The fact that almost every girls’ face is visible makes this the best game-ending celebration picture. Jemma jumping makes a great focus, as the girls are looking in her direction, screaming, smiling and celebrating their second-straight win over a ranked opponent.
