Oct. 5, 2017
By Robby Hamman
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The Irish, fresh off a thrilling five-set victory over No. 21 Florida State, are back on the road this weekend for a pair of matches against programs from the state of Virginia. Notre Dame opens the weekend at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Oct. 6 against Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia. The team then travels to Blacksburg, Virginia, to face the Hokies of Virginia Tech at noon ET on Sunday, Oct. 8.
WEEKEND MATCHUPS
Location: Charlottesville, Virginia | Blacksburg, Virginia
Schedule: Friday, Oct. 6 — 7 p.m. EST vs. Virginia |
Sunday, Oct. 8 — Noon EST vs. Virginia Tech | LIVE STATS | LIVE STREAM
Twitter Updates: @NDVolleyball
SERIES HISTORY VS. VIRGINIA & VIRGINIA TECH
The Irish and Cavaliers will meet for the seventh time this season. Virginia leads Notre Dame in the all-time series by a mark of 5-1. The Cavaliers have won each of the last five matchups in the series. Notre Dame’s win came in the first meeting between the two sides in 1986.
Notre Dame leads Virginia Tech in the all-time series by a mark of 4-3. The Irish recorded a 3-0 win over the Hokies in the only meeting last season in Blacksburg, Virginia. Notre Dame is 1-3 when playing at Virginia Tech with the lone win coming in 2016.
IRISH THRIVE AGAINST RANKED OPPONENTS
Notre Dame has gone 3-1 versus top 25 teams in 2017. The three victories have come over No. 24 Ohio State (3-1), No. 23 Michigan State (3-0) and No. 21 Florida State (3-2). Notre Dame’s three wins over ranked teams are the most of any program in the ACC this season.
1,000 DIG CLUB
Notre Dame has a pair of student-athletes with over 1,000 career digs on the 2017 squad. Junior Ryann DeJarld leads the team with 1,418 career digs while senior Natalie Johnson became the 15th player in program history to accomplish the feat, as she recorded her 1,000th dig this season vs. Florida State (10/1). Johnson has 1,008 digs in her career.
The Irish are ranked second nationally in digs per set with an average of 19.05. DeJarld paces the team with an average of 6.38 digs per set to rank third in the country in the statistical category.
BLOCK PARTY
The Irish have been a force at the net defensively this season, pacing the ACC in blocks per set and ranking 14th nationally with an average of 2.94. Notre Dame has finished in double figures for team blocks in seven of its last eight outings and recorded a season-high 18.0 against Miami (9/30).
Meg Morningstar and Sam Fry rank first and third, respectively, in the ACC for blocks per set. Morningstar leads the way with an average of 1.51 and Fry is right behind with a mark of 1.30. Morningstar recorded a program season-high 11 blocks in the win over Florida State.
SOPHOMORE SENSATION
Jemma Yeadon has been the catalyst to the Irish attack, averaging a team-high 4.08 kills per set to rank second in the ACC. Yeadon has reached double figures in kills in all 13 matches she has appeared in during the 2017 season. The sophomore posted a career-high 23 kills in the victory over No. 21 Florida State.
THE ONE AND ONLY
Notre Dame head coach Jim McLaughlin is the only volleyball head coach to have captured an NCAA title on both the men’s and women’s sides. McLaughlin began his coaching career as a men’s coach and won the championship with USC during the 1989-90 season, his first season as a head coach. McLaughlin claimed a title on the women’s side with Washington in 2005, posting a 32-1 record en route to the championship.
— ND —
Robby Hamman joined Fighting Irish Media as athletics communications assistant director in September 2016, coordinating efforts for the volleyball and men’s lacrosse program. Hamman is a 2010 graduate of Bethel College, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in sport management and business administration, and earned his master’s degree in business administration from Defiance College in 2013.