NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Charley Niego and Zoe Nunez each earned First Team All-ACC accolades, while Sydney Bent and Caroline Meuth were named Second Team All-ACC honorees, the conference announced Monday afternoon (Dec. 2). Meuth was also named to the ACC’s All-Freshman Team.
Notre Dame’s two First Team All-ACC selections are the most since the Irish joined the conference. The only other Irish to earn First Team All-ACC accolades was Ryann DeJarld in 2017.
Bent, Niego and Nunez all earn All-ACC honors for the second consecutive season after being named to the Second Team and All-Freshman Team in 2018.
ABOUT NIEGO
In 28 regular-season matches, Niego led the Irish with a career-high 401 kills, which ranks third in the ACC. The Chicago, Illinois, native also leads the Irish with 33 service aces and ranks second on the team with a career-high 313 digs. In the regular-season finale against Duke, Niego recorded 20 kills and 20 digs for the first 20-20 outing since Kristen Dealy did so in five sets against Delaware on Sept. 17, 2010. She posted 20+ kills in four matches in 2019, including three of her last four outings.
ABOUT NUNEZ
Nunez has earned a career-high 1,190 assists in 28 matches, which tops the ACC. Nunez also ranks second in the ACC with an average of 10.63 assists per set. The Rockford, Illinois, native has earned 50+ assists in eight matches, including a trio of 54-assist outings against Louisville (Oct. 16), Boston College (Nov. 3) and Miami (Nov. 10). Nunez has also reached career-highs with 51 kills and 280 digs for the Irish this season.
ABOUT BENT
Bent has posted a career-best 339 kills in 103 sets this season for an average of 3.29 kills per set. The Miami Shores, Florida, native earned a season-high 20 kills in Notre Dame’s five-set victory over Purdue on September 6th, and has earned at least 15 kills in seven contests this season. Bent has also racked up a career-high 182 digs in 26 matches.
ABOUT MEUTH
In her first season with the Irish, Meuth has started every contest while ranking second on the team with 355 kills. The San Antonio, Texas, native has reached the 20-kill mark in five matches, including a 26-kill, .423 hitting percentage effort at Virginia Tech on October 18th. Meuth has also earned 227 digs and 71 total blocks in her freshman campaign.
IRISH DANCING AGAIN
For the second time in three seasons, the Notre Dame volleyball team is heading to the NCAA Tournament. The Irish are heading to the Madison, Wisconsin, regional and will take on UCLA on Friday, Dec. 6th at 5:30 p.m. ET at the UW Field House.
Joining Notre Dame (19-9, 12-6 ACC) and UCLA in the Madison Regional are the fourth-seeded Wisconsin and Illinois State. The Badgers and Redbirds will meet on Friday following the Notre Dame/UCLA contest. The winners of those two matchups will meet on Saturday, December 7th at 7 p.m. ET with a spot in the round of 16 on the line.
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—ND—