Megan Fesl and the Notre Dame volleyball team play Marquette.

Irish Volleyball Returns Home For A Pair of Matches This Weekend

Oct. 3, 2006

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THIS WEEK: The Notre Dame volleyball team (9-5, 3-0 BIG EAST) continues their BIG EAST schedule with two home matches this weekend. The Irish are taking on Marquette (7-8, 3-1 BIG EAST) at 4 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 6. The match will precede the football pep rally. For the first time this season live video of the match will also be shown on und.com. Notre Dame football fans in town for Saturday’s game against Stanford will have one more opportunity to see the volleyball team in action as the Irish will face off with Syracuse (4-16, 1-3 BIG EAST) at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 8.

QUICK HITS ABOUT THE IRISH: Below are some highlights of the note package. For more details on any topic, consult the remainder of the release.

* With the victory over Seton Hall on Saturday, Sept. 30, head coach Debbie Brown became only the 28th NCAA volleyball coach to reach the 500-win milestone. Her record now stands at 500-210 in her 22 years as collegiate head coach at Arizona State and Notre Dame.

* The Fighting Irish after a win over Seton Hall over the weekend have started the conference season 3-0 for the eighth consecutive season.

* The Irish win over Seton Hall was their 12th in as many attempts.

* Junior Adrianna Stasiuk led the charge against the Pirates with 12 kills and 10 digs. She also tallied five blocks and three service aces.

* In holding the Pirates to a hitting percentage of .091, it was the lowest opponent hitting percentage since November 2005 when Notre Dame limited Cincinnati to a -.057 hitting percentage in the BIG EAST semifinals.

* Freshman Jamel Nicholas with her team-high 16 assists has now been the team leader in assist seven times this year.

* Notre Dame has now swept four matches this season.

* Adrianna Stasiuk has always played well against this week’s opponent Marquette with a career average of 3.50 kills per game to go along with 5.25 digs per game and a splendid hitting percentage of .355.Sophomore Mallorie Croal has solid career averages against Syracuse with career average of 5.67 kills per game and a hitting percentage of .400.

* Adrianna Stasiuk has been on a mission over the last three weeks in leading the Irish to a 5-1 record, she has tallied five double-doubles and led the team in kills four times over the last three weeks.

* Five Notre Dame volleyball players have played in all 51 games this season (Adrianna Stasiuk, Justine Stremick, Ashley Tarutis, Jamel Nicholas and Danielle Herndon). Other trends include three players that have started all 14 matches (Stasiuk, Fesl and Herndon) and that Notre Dame has used seven different lineups this season but has had the same seven starters for the last four matches.

* A few Notre Dame volleyball players are quickly moving up the career and season charts. Junior Adrianna Stasiuk with her 12 double digit digs this season now has 56 in her career, which is tied for fourth all-time in the double figure dig mark. She also has totaled 34 double-doubles, which is fourth all-time on that list.

* Ashley Tarutis with her 323 assists this season now has 3,046 assists in her career, which is fourth all-time having just passed Taryn Collins.

* Freshman Christina Kaelin with five 20+ kill matches this year is just out of the top-10 all-time for matches with 20+ kills for the Irish.

* Adrianna Stasiuk has recorded 10 double-doubles in the first 14 matches.

* The Irish continue to alternate their two setters this season with both Ashley Tarutis and Jamel Nicholas earning playing time. Each setter has started and lead the team in assists in seven matches this season.

* No individual Notre Dame player is ranked among the top-10 in the BIG EAST in assists, yet the Irish thanks to both setters, Jamel Nicholas and Ashley Tarutis, are third in the conference in assists (14.42).

* Justine Stremick currently is third in the conference in blocks per game with an average of 1.45.

* Justine Stremick’s 74 total blocks this year is more than her next two teammates combined.

* Danielle Herndon is third in the BIG EAST with her average of 5.14 digs per game.* Christina Kaelin is ninth in the conference in kills per game (kpg) at 3.93. She is the only freshman to rank among the top-10 in the conference in this category. The Irish as a team are second in the conference in kills per game 15.65.

* In BIG EAST play only the Irish lead in league in hitting percentage (.325) and service aces per game (2.40) while placing second in blocks per game (3.30).

* Adrianna Stasiuk was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week for the second time in her career on Sept. 25. She led the Irish to a 2-0 start in conference play with a team best 26 kills (3.71) and 25 digs (3.57) while hitting a solid .434 from the field for the week. Stasiuk was also named one of und.com’s Primetime Performers of the Week.

* Notre Dame has high hopes for the upcoming 2006 campaign as the squad returns three starters and seven monogram winners.

* Joining the strong nucleus this season is one the highest ranked freshman classes in the country (third by Volleyball Magazine and fifth by PrepVolleyball.com).

* Head Coach Debbie Brown returns for her 16th season at the helm of volleyball program and signed a new contract extension in the off-season.

* Two additions to the coaching staff this season are former Virginia Tech head coach Greg Smith and Kevin Lane.* Notre Dame takes on nine teams in 10 matches this season that were participants in the 2005 NCAA Volleyball Tournament.

* Notre Dame has four matches on home football weekends this season two of which are this weekend, Oct. 6-8.

* Danielle Herndon is the lone senior on the team, the first time since 1983 that the Notre Dame roster will only have one senior.

* Over the last 16 years Notre Dame is an impressive 184-31 (.856) at the Joyce Center.

* The Fighting Irish have compiled an overall record of 123-7 (.945) including a record of 67-1 at the Joyce Center during regular season play against BIG EAST competition since joining the conference in 1995.

* This is the 35th anniversary of women’s athletics at Notre Dame, in celebration the volleyball team and the female athletic teams at Notre Dame will wear special patches on their uniforms this season. There will also be a special celebration in April. For more information see the info located toward the back of this notes package.

SCOUTING MARQUETTE: The Golden Eagles are riding a two match conference winning streak after having downed Georgetown and South Florida over the weekend … In the South Florida five game win, freshman Leslie Bielski tied a school record with 12 block assists … Each of the last four wins by the Golden Eagles has been in five games … Leading the offensive charge for Marquette has been junior Kimberly Todd … She leads the team with 276 kills (4.84 per game) and is second on the team in digs (141) … Todd is also the teams leading blocker with 63 blocks on the year … She also has recorded 14 double-doubles in 15 matches this season … Senior outside hitter Jamie Mueller has also played well as she is averaging 3.98 kills per game (227) and has a team best 303 digs … Marquette is coached by Pati Rolfs … Rolfs is in her fifth season in control of Marquette and led the Golden Eagles to their first back-to-back winning seasons as Division I program last year.

SERIES VS. MARQUETTE: The Irish and Golden Eagles are rivals in the same conference for the third different time and will play for the second time since 1997 and the ninth time overall … Notre Dame has won all eight previous matches, holding a 24-2 advantage in game victories … the most-recent match saw the Irish triumph 30-24, 28-30, 30-21, 30-27 at the Al McGuire Center in ’05 … Notre Dame has never dropped a game at home to the Golden Eagles in three previous appearances at the Joyce Center … Marquette is the only school that has been in all three of Notre Dame’s volleyball conferences with the Irish … the teams played as North Star Conference members from 1985-87 and then were Midwestern Collegiate Conference foes for one year (1990) before Marquette joined the BIG EAST in 2004 … the Irish won 15-3, 15-4, 15-5 at the Joyce Center in 1986 … the schools first met in 1985 in Dayton, Ohio, with the Irish prevailing in three games … the teams played five times as NSC members and then once in ’90, but have met just twice since Marquette left the MCC … 2002 graduate Marcie Bomhack (Waukesha, Catholic Memorial H.S., Milwaukee Sting VBC) – now the head coach at Loyola University Chicago – remains the only Wisconsin native ever to play volleyball for the Irish … on Oct. 3, 1986, in the Joyce Center, ND finished with a .539 hitting percentage (52 kills, 4 errors, 89 attempts), which still stands as the highest in program history in any-length match.

SCOUTING SYRACUSE: The Orange defeated Georgetown in five games on Sunday, Oct. 1 … The win ended the 11 match losing streak Syracuse found themselves going through … Leading the attack for Orange is Cheryl Cobbina who leads the team in kills (293) and is second in service aces (29) and digs (176) … Freshman Sarah Morton has made an immediate impact with 66 blocks including 15 solo blocks this season … The Orange are coached by Jing Pu, whose is in his 12th year in control of the Syracuse … SU has a pair of matches still to be played on Tuesday, Oct. 3 before making the trip to Notre Dame … Syracuse are 1-12 this season away from the friendly confines of Manley Fieldhouse.

SERIES VS. SYRACUSE: ND and SU will meet for the 12th consecutive season and 15th time overall … Syracuse won the first match between the schools, but Notre Dame has won each subsequent affair, including 30-17, 30-23, 30-23 last season in Syracuse … the lone five-game affair between the schools came in the 1990 Rhode Island Invitational in Providence, with ND winning 16-14 for its first-ever win over SU … the teams had met just twice prior to ND joining the BIG EAST Conference in ’95 … the schools also played in the ’96 BIG EAST tournament, with the Irish winning 3-0 … ND leads 40-7 in games won, including 36-2 in the BIG EAST era … ND has won 15 heading into this season, notching four consecutive 3-0 victories (SU’s last game win was in 2000) … New York has produced five Irish volleyball players, making it one of just six states to do so … most recently Cynthia May (’89-92, Roslyn, Roslyn, LIBA) … in the first BIG EAST contest (10/20/95) between the teams, Angie Harris had nine aces, which still stands as the most in any length match in ND history, even though she accomplished the feat in just three games … in ’96, the Irish made just one service error, which is tied for the fewest ever for a Notre Dame team in a match … the Irish won by 37 points in ’01 at the Joyce Center, which is tied for the third-largest margin of victory for Notre Dame under the 30-point format … ND has won all five previous matches at the Joyce Center and the only game that went more than the necessary three games was the Oct. 31, 1998 match, which went four … on Sept. 30, 2005, former Notre Dame libero Meg Henican totaled the school’s second highest dig total, 26, in a three-game match against Syracuse.

A STRONG START TO THE CONFERENCE SEASON: The Fighting Irish continued their 2006 conference-winning streak with a victory over Seton Hall (3-0). This was the eighth year in a row the Notre Dame have opened the conference season with a 3-0 mark.

AN UNFORGETABLE MILESTONE: With the victory over Seton Hall, head coach Debbie Brown has now won 500 career matches in her 22-year career. She becomes only the 28th NCAA volleyball coach to ever attain 500 or more victories in a career.

A FAMILIAR TREND: The Irish with win over Seton Hall have extended their winning streaks over the Pirates to 12 matches. The Irish have won 36 of the 37 games these two schools have played since Notre Dame joined the BIG EAST in 1995.

NOTES FROM THE SETON HALL MATCH: Notre Dame had several record setting performances from the Rutgers match.

* Junior Adrianna Stasiuk led the charge against the Pirates with a match best 12 kills to go along with 10 digs. It was Stasiuk’s 10th double-double of the season and her third in as many matches in BIG EAST play this season.

* Stasiuk also led the defensive effort as she tied sophomore Justine Stremick for the team lead with five blocks, while leading the squad with three service aces.

* Notre Dame as a team had a strong defensive effort against the Pirates. The Irish held Seton Hall to a team hitting percentage of .091, which was the lowest for an ND opponent since Cincinnati hit -.057 in the BIG EAST semifinals in November 2005.

* With 16 assists, freshman Jamel Nicholas led the squad in helpers for the seventh time this season, which tied junior Ashley Tarutis for the team lead.

* Tarutis did have 15 assists in the match against SHU, so she now stands alone in fourth place on the Notre Dame career assist list with 3,046 career helpers.

* Notre Dame has now swept four matches this season, including two in conference play.

AGAINST THIS WEEK’S OPPONENTS:

* Junior Adrianna Stasiuk has always played well against Marquette with a career average 3.50 kills per game with a .355 hitting percentage and an average of 5.25 digs per game.

* Sophomore Mallorie Croal has a career average of 2.75 kills per game against MU.

* Setter Ashley Tarutis is average 12.75 assists per game in her career against the Golden Eagles.

* Croal has played well against Syracuse with a career average of 5.67 kills per game and a hitting percentage of .400 in her three career games against the Orange.

* Notre Dame has never lost a match to Marquette. During the Debbie Brown era Notre Dame is 3-0, overall the Irish are 8-0 against the Golden Eagles. The Irish are 13-1 with 13 consecutive wins against SU.

A WOMAN ON A MISSION: Over the last three weeks Adrianna Stasiuk has been taking her game to another level. The Irish have gone 5-1 mark over the last three weeks with the junior leading the way. In those six matches Stasiuk had tallied five double-doubles while leading the team in kills four times. Her 77 kills (3.85 per game) and 4.95 points per game are team best efforts in both categories and she is second on the squad in digs with 70 (3.50 per game).

THE IRON GROUP: Five Fighting Irish players have taken the court in all 51 games this season (Adrianna Stasiuk, Justine Stremick, Ashley Tarutis, Jamel Nicholas and Danielle Herndon). This group of five can be dubbed the Iron Woman for taking the court in every game played this season.

THEY WILL BE ON COURT: With some many young players on the team this season seven different lineups have being used but three players have stayed consistent and started all 14 matches this season in Adrianna Stasiuk, Megan Fesl and Danielle Herndon.

A FORMULA THAT WORKS: The Irish after numerous lineups have started the same group of seven players (Serinity Phillips, Kim Kristoff, Ashley Tarutis, Megan Fesl, Adrianna Stasiuk, Justine Stremick and libero Danielle Herndon). The group is 3-1 overall but has won each of their last three matches.

A WEEKLY WATCH: These are the individual player both season and career stats to be on the lookout for this week.

* Junior Adrianna Stasiuk with her 12 double figure digs matches this season now has 56 in her career, which is fourth all-time. Her 10 double-doubles this season move her to into a tie for fourth with 34.

* Junior Ashley Tarutis with 323 assists this season now has 3,046 assists in her career, which is fourth on the Notre Dame assist list having just passed Taryn Collins for fourth place.

* Freshman Christina Kaelin with five 20+ kill matches this season, is creeping up on the top-ten all-time at Notre Dame for 20+ kill matches in a career. Three former Notre Dame players (Christi Girton, Kathy Cunningham and Mary Kay Waller) hold the career mark of six 20+ kill matches.

GETTING HER GROOVE BACK: Junior Ashley Tarutis has led the team in assists in 71 of the last 77 matches.

DOUBLING UP: Junior Adrianna Stasiuk has had a double-double in kills and digs in 10 of the first 14 matches this season.

AN INTERESTING SITUATION: Notre Dame has switched up their two-setters junior Ashley Tarutis and Jamel Nicholas through the first 14 matches, where each one of them has led the team in assists in at seven matches this season. Due in part to the two-setter approach no individual setter is ranked among the top-10 in the BIG EAST, but Notre Dame as a team is third (14.27) in the conference in assists.

SENDING THEM BACK: Sophomore Justine Stremick is third in the conference with her average of 1.45 blocks per game. Her 15 solo blocks are the second most in the BIG EAST.

A POINT SAVER: Senior Danielle Herndon is third in the conference in digs per game at 5.14. Herndon and the Irish are third in the conference in digs per game (17.35).

MAKING AN IMPACT: Christina Kaelin is ninth in the conference in kills per game with her average of 3.93. She is the only freshman in the BIG EAST Conference to rank in the category. As a team the Irish are second in the conference in kills per game at 15.65.

SHE STANDS ABOVE ALL: Justine Stremick is not only the tallest player on the team at 6’3″, she also has more than double the amount of blocks with 74 this season than her next two closest teammates combined (Adrianna Stasiuk and Mallorie Croal), who total 67 together.

A DIFFERENT SEASON: Since the beginning of conference play the Irish lead the BIG EAST in hitting percentage (.325) and service aces per game (2.40). During league play only Notre Dame is also second in conference in blocks per game (3.30).

FOUR IS ABOUT RIGHT: Notre Dame is undefeated this season, 5-0, when playing four games, so losing a game somewhere in the first three has ultimately been a key ingredient to success.

SIZZLING STASIUK NAMED BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Junior Adrianna Stasiuk was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week for the first time this season on Sept. 25. In both conferences matches that weekend, Stasiuk posted double-doubles (kills-digs). Stasiuk started her weekend with 14 kills and 10 digs in a sweep of Rutgers, while hitting a sizzling .737 (14-for-19) from the field. Stasiuk’s 14 kills led the team for the third time this season, while her 10 digs were the team best for the first time. Stasiuk’s .737 hitting percentage, with 14 kills, was the most kills with that high of a percentage since Mary Leffers hit the same percentage with the same number of kills against Rutgers in 1999.

This was the second time that Stasiuk has been named the BIG EAST Player of the Week in her career, as she previously took home the honors on Oct. 24th of last season. This was the fourth weekly BIG EAST award bestowed upon Stasiuk, with her also twice being named Freshman of the Week during her rookie season (Oct. 11 & Oct. 18, 2003).

A MEDIA FRIENDLY TEAM: For the second time this season, Notre Dame volleyball made a television appearance. The Irish-Northern Iowa match on Saturday night, Sept 9, was taped delayed and shown on Mediacom, a local cable station in Iowa. The first was the CSTV match against then No. 13 Missouri. Unfortunately both matches’ were thrilling five-game sets that have not ended up in Notre Dame’s favor. The Irish have three more matches on TV. Comcast Local will show Notre Dame’s home matches against DePaul on Oct. 13 and St. John’s on Oct. 22. Further, Notre Dame’s road game against Louisville on Oct. 29 is schedule to be shown on ESPNU. If you count the two matches from earlier this season that five regular season total matches on television for the year.

NEW LEADERS: With the graduation of both captains from last season, the Notre Dame volleyball team has chosen two new leaders for this season. The new captains are senior Danielle Herndon and junior Adrianna Stasiuk.

WHO’S BACK? The Notre Dame volleyball team returns three starter and seven monogram winners from last year’s squad. Among the returnees, besides Herndon and Stasiuk, is all-time single season assist record holder (1,573) junior setter Ashley Tarutis. Also returning is junior outside hitter Ellen Heintzman, and sophomores Madison Clark, Mallorie Croal and Justine Stremick.

The Notre Dame volleyball team has reloaded with six highly touted freshman vying for playing time this season. The freshmen this year are Tara Enzweiler, Megan Fesl, Christina Kaelin, Kim Kristoff, Jamel Nicholas and Serinity Phillips.

IRISH ARE THE BIG EAST FAVORITE: For the 11th time in 12 seasons as a member of the BIG EAST, Notre Dame volleyball program was chosen as the preseason favorite in the BIG EAST Conference. The only season Notre Dame was not chosen as the favorite since entering the league was last season’s second place prediction.

HONORS AND SELECTIONS: Junior outside hitter Adrianna Stasiuk and junior setter Ashley Tarutis were both chosen for the preseason All BIG-EAST squad.

Christina Kaelin was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Aug. 28 and Sept. 4.

Justine Stremick and Christina Kaelin were both named to the Shamrock Invitational All-Tournament Team on Sept. 2.

Danielle Herndon was a member of the UNI Invitational All-Tournament Team, Sept. 9.

Adrianna Stasiuk and Justine Stremick both took home some hardware from the Courtyard by Marriott Classic. Stasiuk was named the Co-Best Attacker of the Tournament while Stremick was named the Best Blocker.

Adrianna Stasiuk was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week for the second time in her career on Sept. 25.

IN LIVING ROOMS EVERYWHERE: For the fourth time in as many season the Notre Dame volleyball team had a game shown on College Sports Television. The Fighting Irish had a match against then No. 13 Missouri on Sept. 2 at the Shamrock Invitational at 7 p.m. taped delayed and shown by CSTV on Sept. 3 at 2 p.m. ND is one of only eight schools that has been part of the CSTV volleyball package every season since its inception. The others are (shown with ’06 preseason national rankings) #1 Nebraska, #4 Stanford, #6 Santa Clara, #8 Texas, #19 Pepperdine, #24 Utah and Colorado State. The BIG EAST Champion game to be held on Nov. 19 at 4:00 p.m., which Notre Dame has played in for 11 consecutive seasons, will also be shown on CSTV this season.

HOME FOOTBALL WEEKENDS: For the sixth time in seven years, the Notre Dame volleyball team is scheduled to play matches this season that will precede football pep rallies. The start of the home BIG EAST play against Marquette on Oct. 6 at 4 p.m. will be the first of the two pre-pep rally matches for Notre Dame. Also on the schedule this season, the Connecticut match on Oct. 20 at 4 p.m. will take place before the pep rally for the UCLA game. Football-weekend guests will have the two other opportunities to see the Irish, all against BIG EAST competition. The day after the Stanford football game (Sunday, Oct. 8) Notre Dame will host Syracuse at 1 p.m., while Sunday, Oct. 22 will see the Fighting Irish hosting St. John’s at 2 p.m.

ALL BY HERSELF: Senior Danielle Herndon is the lone senior on the 15-person team this season, which is the first time since 1983 (Terese Henken) that the Irish have only had one senior on the team.

AN EXCEPTIONAL CLASS: The six student-athletes who comprise the freshman class for the University of Notre Dame women’s volleyball team this season – MB Tara Enzweiler, OH/OPP Megan Fesl, OH Christina Kaelin, MB Kim Kristoff, S Jamel Nicholas and OH/OPP Serinity Phillips – earned high praise before even stepping on campus, as two publications ranked the group among the five best in the country. Volleyball magazine had Notre Dame third on its list of top recruiting classes appearing in the August issue, while PrepVolleyball.com placed the Irish fifth on a similar list. These cap off the accolades received by the group, which features four PrepVolleyball.com high school All-Americans, three Volleyball magazine Fab 50 selections, and two Gatorade State Players of the Year for volleyball.

Fesl, Kaelin, and Kristoff were on Volleyball’s Girls Fab 50 list of the top high school seniors in the nation, announced in April. It is the first time since 1997 (Denise Boylan, Christi Girton, and Jo Jameyson) – and just the third time ever – that Notre Dame has had three Fab 50 picks in the same class. The other instance was the 1994 group of Angie Harris, Jaimie Lee, and Carey May. The Irish are one of only five schools that have three or more on the Fab 50 list, joining Penn State (four), Pepperdine (three), Texas A&M (three), and Wisconsin (three). Notre Dame has now had 23 players earn Fab 50 designation since 1990, including at least one in 11 of the last 13 years.

AN INTELLIGENT BUNCH: The Notre Dame volleyball team posted one of its highest grade-point averages on record for the academic year in 2005-2006 and was recognized as a recipient of the Game/Plan American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award. The Irish, who had a spring team GPA of 3.380, were one of just 54 Division I Programs on the list and one of a group of 12 that also made the 2005 NCAA Tournament. The AVCA Team Academic Award honors college and high-school teams that display excellence in the classroom by maintaining at least a 3.30 cumulative team GPA on a 4.0 scale. The Irish were previously honored with the award in 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2004-05.

SHE’S THE BOSS: Irish head coach Debbie Brown is now in her 16th season as the leader of the Notre Dame volleyball program. She has led the Irish to a 383-127 mark (.751), while holding an overall record of 500-210 (.704). Brown’s Notre Dame teams have earned 14 consecutive NCAA tournament bids, advancing to the quarterfinals in 1993 and the round of 16 in ’94, ’95, and ’97. Her squads have won 20 or more matches 13 times. A 10-time conference coach of the year and the only five-time BIG EAST coach of the year (4 in the Midwestern Collegiate and one in the Pac-10), she has coached 12 Irish players to All-American honors. The Irish have also claimed 14 regular season conference titles (4 Midwestern Collegiate, 10 BIG EAST) and 13 league tournament titles (4 MCC, 9 BIG EAST) under her watch. A co-captain of the 1980 U.S Olympic volleyball team after winning a pair of national championships and earning All-American honors twice while playing at USC, Brown graduated from Arizona State in 1982 and coached her alma mater from 1983-88, helping the Sun Devils to five NCAA Tournaments.

A NEW MAN IN PLACE: The Fighting Irish in 2006 will have a new assistant coach in place as Greg Smith, formerly the head man at Virginia Tech, has joined the Notre Dame volleyball family this season. Smith compiled a record of 81-94 (463), including 37-38 (.493) in his five years in command of the Hokies. Smith replaces Robin Davis who took the head position at Boise State. Also joining the volleyball coaching staff, as volunteer assistant is Kevin Lane. Lane is an experienced coach on several levels having most recently spent time at Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne, aiding the Mastodons to a runner-up finish at the National Independent University Tournament.

AN IMPRESSIVE STREAK: Notre Dame’s current 14 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances is behind only seven other schools nationally (Stanford (25), Penn State (25), UC Santa Barbara (25), Nebraska (24), Long Beach State (19), USC (15) and Florida (15)) for consecutive appearances in the Big Dance.

HOME SWEET HOME: Notre Dame’s Joyce Center has become one of the most difficult places in the nation for road teams to win at, especially since the arrival of head coach Debbie Brown in 1991. Over the last 16 seasons, Notre Dame has posted a 183-31 record (.855) home record. The Irish have put together some impressive winning streaks on the home court, winning 14 or more matches in a row at home on five different occasions, highlighted by a streak of 27 (1993-95), and 36 (2000-02) straight home victories. Notre Dame also won 74 in a row in regular season action against conference opposition from 1991-2004. On 15 different occasions Notre Dame has topped a ranked team at the Joyce Center, including five upsets of teams ranked in the top-10. During the Brown era Notre Dame holds a home record of 174-10 (.946) against unranked teams at home.

CLASS OF THE CONFERENCE: Notre Dame has experienced unprecedented success in the 11 years since joining the league in 1995. The Irish have compiled a 123-7 (.946) regular season mark, highlighted by 10 titles and winning streaks of 45 and 35 consecutive matches. Notre Dame is 67-1 (.985) in BIG EAST regular-season contests in the Joyce Center. The Irish have won nine BIG EAST tournament championships, posting a mark of 22-2 (.917) in the event and reaching the final every season. The Fighting Irish have also dominated the conference awards; winning player-of the-year honors six times and coach-of-the-year five times. On nine occasions an Irish player has been named to the league tournament’s most outstanding player. Also, Notre Dame players have taken home 40 all-conference accolades, including 24 first team honors.

KEEPING UP WITH VOLLEYBALL: For the fastest results of Notre Dame volleyball matches call the Notre Dame sports hotline at (574) 631-3000 and choose #5 and #1. The hotline provides schedules and results information for all Irish varsity sports and serves as a supplement to the match recaps and weekly releases provided on the official athletic website at www.und.com. In addition, media members and fans can be added to the sports information e-mail release list by contacting sports information assistant Joe Prisco, at prisco.3@nd.edu. All requests for story ideas, interview access, match credentials and further information on Irish volleyball should also be directed to Prisco. Credential and interview requests should be made at least 24 hours in advance.

UP NEXT: The Fighting Irish continue their home stand with a 7 p.m. match against DePaul on Oct. 13. The Irish will then travel to Hawai’i to take on the Rainbows in a quick turn around pair of matches on Oct. 16-17. Both matches are set for 7 p.m. local time.