Sept. 4, 2014
Golden Dome Invitational Notes
Washington State @ Notre Dame
Live Stats: Free / WatchND: Free
Friday, Sept. 5, 2014 – 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Purcell Pavilion
Records: Notre Dame (0-2, 0-0 ACC), Washington State (2-1, 0-0 Pac 12)
IUPUI @ Notre Dame
Live Stats: Free / WatchND: Free
Saturday, Sept. 6, 2014 – 3:30 p.m. (ET)
Purcell Pavilion
Records: Notre Dame (0-2, 0-0 ACC), IUPUI (1-3, 0-0 Horizon)
Western Michigan @ Notre Dame
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Sunday, Sept. 7, 2014 – 2 p.m. (ET)
Purcell Pavilion
Records: Notre Dame (0-2, 0-0 ACC), Western Michigan (2-1, 0-0 MAC)
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NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The University of Notre Dame volleyball team opens the home portion of its 2014 season this weekend as Washington State (2-1), IUPUI (1-3) and Western Michigan (2-1) invade Purcell Pavilion for the Golden Dome Invitational.
The Irish (0-2) face off with the Cougars at 7:30 p.m. Friday, the Jaguars at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and the Broncos at 2 p.m. Sunday. Fans can follow all six Golden Dome Invitational matches through live stats or WatchND’s free online video stream.
Tickets are available at the door for Friday and Sunday, while Saturday’s two matches are free. Parking for Saturday’s contests is available for free at the White Field North lot with a volleyball ticket. The lot is located just off campus on Juniper Road. A free shuttle will drop fans off at the Notre Dame library for the short walk to Purcell Pavilion.
Notre Dame is coming off a tough opening weekend at the ACC/Big Ten Challenge in Minneapolis, Minn., where it dropped a pair of 3-0 decisions to No. 12 Minnesota and No. 6 Wisconsin. The Irish gave the Golden Gophers all they wanted as the visitors held set point in each of the first two frames before stumbling down the stretch.
Five of the six freshmen on the roster saw action in week one, with middle blocker Sam Fry and libero Natalie Johnson earning starts in both matches. Fry had an especially good weekend as she totaled a match-high nine blocks against the Golden Gophers to finish with 12 total blocks for the weekend, placing her second in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Among the returnees, senior All-American Jeni Houser had team highs in kills (11), digs (9) and attack percentage (.320) against the Golden Gophers.
Washington State had an interesting first weekend as it suffered a sweep at the hands of Wyoming only to turn around and sweep Montana and defeat Cal Poly in five sets to finish 2-1 at the Montana Invitational. Sophomore outside hitter Kyra Holt led the way for the Cougars as she posted 33 kills (3.30 per set) and 18 digs (1.80 per set) in totaling 37.5 points for the weekend.
Western Michigan took down Oakland in five sets and swept Louisiana Tech to start the year off 2-0 before falling to IPFW in five frames last weekend. Sophomore outside hitter Alysia Baznik totaled 42 kills (3.23 per set) and 38 digs (2.92 per set) to lead the Broncos in the first weekend. Setter Lexie Pawlik averaged 11.15 assists per frame to go along with a 2.08 digs per set average.
IUPUI opened the year with a sweep of Toledo, but has since suffered three-straight losses to No. 9 BYU (3-0), West Virginia (3-0) and Valparaiso (3-2). Juniors Kelly Wachtel (3.00 per set) and Kaitlyn Hickey (2.93 per set) led the Jaguars in kills. IUPUI has rotated between setters Alexis Mapes and Ashley Hacker in the opening week.
With a storied history, the Golden Dome Invitational began back in 1988 as the Golden Dome Classic. That first season, the Irish swept Duke and Northwestern to take home the tournament victory. The tournament has been played off and on since then, having a multi-year run from 1988-90, 1992-94 and then 2011-present in addition to a couple of one-year stints in the 1990’s and 2000’s.
Notre Dame is 3-0 all-time against IUPUI, but hasn’t played the Jaguars since 1984. The two teams met in 1981 and 1983 previously, with 1981 marking Notre Dame’s second year fielding a varsity team.
The Cougars hold a slim 3-2 lead over the Irish, but Notre Dame has won the last two in a row – a pair of 3-0 sweeps in 1999 and 2008. The two teams first met in 1990.
Notre Dame and Western Michigan have a long history as the two schools first met in 1985. The Broncos controlled the series early by winning the first four meetings. However, Notre Dame has won nine of the last 13 showdowns, including a 3-1 victory in 2011.
To follow the Irish this weekend, be sure to check out Notre Dame volleyball on Facebook (/NDVolleyball), Twitter (@NDVolleyball) and Instagram (NDVBall).
Tournament Schedule
Friday
IUPUI vs. Washington State, 12 p.m.
Western Michigan vs. IUPUI, 5 p.m.
Washington State vs. Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday
Washington State vs. Western Michigan, 1 p.m.
IUPUI vs. Notre Dame, 3:30 p.m.
Sunday
Western Michigan vs. Notre Dame, 2 p.m.
–Russell Dorn, Assistant Media Relations Director
–ND–