NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Lindsey Miller was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association East Coast Region Freshman of the Year and was joined by Caroline Meuth, Charley Niego and Zoe Nunez in earning AVCA East Coast All-Region accolades, the AVCA announced Tuesday morning (April 13).
Miller becomes the fourth player in program history to earn All-Region Freshman of the Year honors while Niego earns her third consecutive All-Region recognition and Nunez earns an All-Region nod for the second straight year.
All four players earned All-ACC honors last week, with Nunez and Niego being named to the First Team and Miller and Meuth earning Second Team recognition. Miller was also tabbed to the ACC’s All-Freshman Team.
ABOUT NIEGO
Niego racked up 224 kills and 152 digs in 55 sets during the regular season to go with a hitting percentage of .266. The Chicago, Illinois, native finished with eight double-doubles in the shortened season, including seven in the final 10 matches. Niego’s efforts included a trio of 15-15 performances, including a 19 kill, 18 dig effort against Syracuse on October 2. Niego’s mark of 4.07 kills per set ranked third in the ACC and she also led the Irish with 23 service aces to go with 20 total blocks.
ABOUT NUNEZ
Nunez ranked second in the ACC with a mark of 10.92 assists per set and third with 699 total assists in 64 regular-season sets. In the regular season finale vs. Duke, Nunez became just the eighth player in program history to hit the 3,000 career assists mark. Nunez hit the 50-assist mark on two occasions this year, including a 51-assist effort vs. Syracuse and season-high 57 assists against Valparaiso. The Rockford, Illinois, native also ranked second on the Irish with 200 digs and 22 service aces in addition to notching 32 blocks.
ABOUT MEUTH
Meuth ranked second on the Irish with 189 kills and 61 total blocks in 63 sets this season. The sophomore reached double-digit kills on 10 occasions, including a trio of 17-kill performances against Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Valparaiso. The San Antonio, Texas, native earned five double-doubles this year, including a 17-kill, 17-dig performance in a five-set triumph over Pittsburgh. Meuth also added 114 digs and nine service aces.
ABOUT MILLER
Miller ranked fourth in the ACC and 11th in the nation with a .442 hitting percentage while racking up 119 kills as a freshman in 59 sets. The San Diego, California, native also notched 59 total blocks, including three six-block efforts against Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech and Duke. Miller hit over .600 on four occasions in 2020-21, including a season-best .647 (11-0-17) at Florida State.
IRISH DANCING AGAIN
For the third time in the past four seasons, the Notre Dame volleyball team is headed to the NCAA Tournament.
The Irish (14-3, 13-3 ACC) will meet Army (6-2, 4-2 Patriot League) in the first round at noon ET this Wednesday, April 14 and the winner of that matchup will take on tenth-seeded Oregon in the second round at noon ET on Thursday, April 15. Both of those matches will be streamed live via ESPN3.
The entirety of the tournament will be played in Omaha, Nebraska, with the first two rounds set for April 14-15, the regional semifinals and finals set for April 18-19, the national semifinals set for April 22 and the national championship set for April 24.
For a complete tournament bracket, click here.
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