Aug. 26, 2005
Complete Match Notes in PDF Format
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Notre Dame (0-0) vs. Michigan (0-0)
Saturday, August 27, 7 p.m. (EST/CDT) • Joyce Center
– Free Live Audio: www.und.com & www.mgoblue.com
– Free Real-Time Statistics: www.und.com
IRISH WELCOME MICHIGAN TO OPEN 2005 CAMPAIGN ON SATURDAY: The University of Notre Dame women’s volleyball team will begin its 2005 season on Saturday evening by playing host to Michigan (0-0) at 7 p.m. (EST/CDT) in the Joyce Center. The Irish, the second team receiving votes outside the top 25 in the preseason AVCA poll, return nine of their top 10 players — including all but one starter — from last year’s squad that was 21-9, won both the regular-season and tournament BIG EAST titles, and reached the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament. U-M topped Notre Dame in four games in 2004 in Ann Arbor.
THE RADIO PLANS: Notre Dame’s official athletics website, und.com, will feature live internet audio broadcasts of all 14 Irish volleyball home matches, as well as one road tilt, in 2005. Stephen Hinkel and Chris Masters, two former collegiate volleyball sports information directors and veterans of announcing Notre Dame volleyball, will have the call, though Masters will work solo for the Michigan match. Broadcasts are normally available to subscribers of CSTV All-Access (details on und.com), though this first one will be free. The Wolverines will offer their own internet audio via their website, mgoblue.com, with Rich Retyi providing the call. That broadcast also will be free.
REAL-TIME STATS: Live in-game statistics, courtesy of College Sports Online’s GameTracker, will be made available for all Irish home matches, via the Notre Dame athletics web site, www.und.com.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THIS NOTES PACKAGE: Below are some of the top points from this notes package. For more details on any topic, consult the remainder of this release.
* Notre Dame is coming off a 2004 season in which it went 21-9 and finished 17th in the Ratings Percentage Index (RPI), but listed 33rd in the AVCA national poll. The Irish won the regular-season (9-1 record) and tournament titles in the BIG EAST Conference and earned their 13th consecutive trip to the NCAA Championship, beating Valparaiso in the opening round before falling to eventual quarterfinalist Wisconsin on the Badgers’ home floor.
* The Irish return nine of their top 10 players (in terms of games played) from the `04 squad. That includes six of their seven starters. The major loss to graduation was Emily Loomis, a four-year starter on the front row who finished her career fifth on the Notre Dame career kills list (1,321).
* Notre Dame placed just outside of the the USA Today/CSTV Coaches Preseason Top 25, presented by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The Irish are listed 27th, as the second team receiving votes outside of the top 25. Notre Dame came in with 118 points, while Pepperdine was 25th with 177 (Kansas State received 123). The Irish were last ranked in the `04 preseason poll, at 25th, but received votes at various points throughout last season, finishing listed 33rd.
* For the first time in 11 years of being a league member, Notre Dame is not the preseason favorite of the head coaches to win the BIG EAST Conference, as the Irish were picked to finish second behind newcomer Louisville. The Irish and Cardinals will play on Oct. 29 in the Joyce Center.
* Senior co-captain MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) was voted the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year. A fourth-year starter and the 2003 NCAA blocking champ, she became Notre Dame’s second All-American in 2004 (its first to earn honors from the AVCA) after being the BIG EAST tournament MVP and ending as one of just two Division I players to average over 1.50 blocks (1.54) and 1.50 digs (2.18) in `04.
* Joining Brewster on the preseason all-BIG EAST team is senior OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.). She is one of just two Division I players (also Minnesota libero Paula Gentil) to have been an AVCA all-region selection in each of the last three years and is the only player among the top five on the Irish career kill average (5th, 3.27) and hitting percentage (5th, .293) lists.
* Another top returnee for the Irish is senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican, who broke Irish marks for digs in a season (553), season dig average (4.94), digs in any-length match (37 in four games vs. Seton Hall on Oct. 10, 2004), and digs in an NCAA tournament match (27 vs. Valparaiso in `04 first round).
* Other starters returning for the Irish are senior MB/OPP Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) and sophomores OPP Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) and S Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.). The team is 17-2 when Cooper is in the starting lineup, while Stasiuk was twice the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week in `04 (as well as the first ND player since `98 to register a triple-double) and Tarutis took over as the team’s starting setter in the third match of her collegiate career.
* Notre Dame ranked in the top five in Division I in team block average for the fourth consecutive season in 2004, ending up fourth (3.37 per game), and it has back eight of its top nine blockers from that group. The Irish led the nation in 2003 (3.72) after being second in `02 (3.66) and fifth in `01 (3.53). Senior MB Lauren Brewster was the `03 national individual blocking champ (1.78 per game), and she also was fourth in `02 (1.68) and 21st in `04 (1.54).
* In 2004, Notre Dame was tops among BIG EAST teams in conference play in hitting percentage (.254, sixth straight year leading league), opponent hitting percentage (.134, led league in all six years since statistic debuted), and blocks (3.61, fourth straight year leading league). Individually, current senior MB Lauren Brewster was first in blocking in league action (1.66) for the third consecutive season (1.93 in `03, 1.90 in `02). In overall statistics, the Irish were first in blocking (3.37), and Brewster was tops in individual blocking (1.54) for the third straight year, as well (1.78 in `03, 1.68 in `02; ND’s Malinda Goralski was first in `01 at 1.66).
* Notre Dame’s serve-receiving unit has been oustanding over the past two campaigns, due largely to the efforts of senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican. The `03 team — which had Henican and Jessica Kinder as the primary receivers — smashed the Irish record for fewest service aces allowed per game (0.94, record was 1.11 in `96). A year ago, Henican and current sophomore OPP Adrianna Stasiuk led Notre Dame to its second-best season in that area, surrendering just 0.96 aces per game.
* The Irish will face 10 teams that earned bids to last year’s NCAA tournament this season, including five that are in the top 15 of the preseason AVCA poll: Texas (11th, NCAA round of 16), USC (7th, semifinals), Florida (8th, second round), Louisville (14th, round of 16), and Tennessee (9th, round of 16).
* Notre Dame has five seniors on its roster in 2005: MB Lauren Brewster, S Kelly Burrell, MB Carolyn Cooper, L/OH Meg Henican, and OH/MB Lauren Kelbley. The last Irish volleyball team to feature five seniors was the 2000 squad, which boasted S Denise Boylan, OH Christi Girton, S/DS Michelle Graham, MB/OPP Jo Jameyson, and OH Adrienne Shimmel. That team went 26-7 and finished ranked 21st after losing in five games at Ohio State in the round of 32 of the NCAA tournament. This is just the third time in the 26-year history of the varsity program that a team has featured five or more seniors. The other squad was the `92 one, which had DS Andrea Armento, OH Marilyn Cragin, MB Jessica Fiebelkorn, MB Cynthia May, MB Majenica Rupe, OH Jen Slosar, and OH Alicia Turner. That team went 30-8 and finished 22nd, falling in the round of 32 of the NCAAs.
* The 2005 Irish come into the season as one of the most experienced groups in program history, as Notre Dame returns nine of its top 10 players from last year. All nine Irish returnees have been starters in the past, combining for 284 career starts (31.6) per person (which does not includes starts as the libero). Seniors MB Lauren Brewster and OH/MB Lauren Kelbley are in their fourth years as starters, while classmate L/OH Meg Henican is a third-year starter.
* Notre Dame will meet Michigan for the fifth time in seven years and 12th time overall, with the Irish leading the series 7-4. The Wolverines prevailed 30-23, 30-25, 27-30, 32-30 in Ann Arbor last season. This is U-M’s first trip to the Joyce Center since `02 and its sixth overall (Irish lead 4-1).
* Freshman S/L Madison Clark is from Sturgis, Mich., which is about two hours southwest of Ann Arbor. She attended Sturgis High School, but played volleyball for the Dunes Volleyball Club in Indiana.
* Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican has played in each of the last 239 Notre Dame games, the longest streak ever for an Irish player. The last time she sat out was Nov. 15, 2002, when she appeared in only two of five games at Miami.
* Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican has had 10+ digs in each of the last 28 matches, as well as 38 of the last 39 and 60 of the last 65.
* Senior co-captain MB Lauren Brewster has played in all 92 matches since she became a member of the Irish in 2002, starting 89 of them.
* Sophomore OPP Adrianna Stasiuk started all 30 matches as a rookie in 2004.
* Each of the last 34 matches involving Notre Dame have been won by the team posting the higher hitting percentage. The last time that did not happen was Nov. 16, 2003, when the Irish outhit Pittsburgh .215-.170, but fell in five games. The last time ND won when being outhit was Sept. 13, 2003, when it prevailed in five games over Utah in the Shamrock Invitational despite getting outhit .220-.138.
* Though it rarely happens — the Irish have been outblocked just eight times in 60 matches over the last two seasons — Notre Dame has trouble winning when it gets outblocked. The Irish were 0-6 in 2004 when finishing with fewer blocks than the opposition. In all, Notre Dame has lost nine straight when being outblocked, dating back to a win against Connecticut in the semifinals of the 2002 BIG EAST tournament despite a 10-9 block disadvantage.
* A dig advantage has often translated into victory in recent years for the Irish, as Notre Dame has won 30 of its last 31 matches (dating back to 11/17/02) when finishing with more digs than the opponent. The lone exception was a five-game loss to Northern Iowa last season despite holding an 83-81 dig edge.
* The Irish have won 41 consecutive matches when taking a 2-0 lead, with the last loss coming on Sept. 18, 2002 against Purdue.
* Notre Dame was 6-0 in neutral-site matches in 2004, posting victories against Fresno State, Sacramento State, Michigan State, Boston College, UC Irvine, and Valparaiso. The last Irish loss on a neutral court came vs. Louisville in the opening round of the 2003 NCAA tournament in Urbana, Ill.
* Notre Dame ranked 17th in Division I in volleyball attendance in 2004, averaging 1,513 per match. It was the third consecutive top-25 finish for the Irish (25th in `02, 16th in `03), as well as the second-highest season average ever (1,543 in `03).
* The Notre Dame volleyball team posted its highest grade-point average on record for an academic year in 2004-05, a mark of 3.362. The Irish received a Game Plan/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award and were one of just four teams (along with Kansas State, Ohio, and Wichita State) to be honored with that and reach the round of 32 in the NCAA tournament.
SEASON OUTLOOK: See the 2005 season outlook story near the end of pdf for a detailed look at this year’s Irish.
HEAD COACH Debbie Brown: Irish head coach Debbie Brown is in her 15th season at the helm of the Notre Dame program. She has led the Irish to a 344-118 (.745) mark, while holding a 461-201 (.696) overall record. Brown’s Notre Dame teams have earned 13 consecutive NCAA tournament berths, advancing to the quarterfinals in 1993 and the round of 16 in `94, `95, and `97. Her squads have won 20 or more matches 12 times. A nine-time conference coach of the year and the only four-time BIG EAST coach of the year (in addition to four honors in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference and one in the Pac-10), she has coached eight Irish players to All-America honors, while 35 have gained all-BIG EAST mention since 1995. The Irish also have claimed 13 regular-season conference titles (4 Midwestern Collegiate, 9 BIG EAST) and 12 league tournament crowns (4 MCC, 8 BIG EAST). A co-captain of the 1980 U.S. Olympic volleyball team after winning a pair of national championships and earning All-America 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.
ND LISTED 27TH IN PRESEASON AVCA POLL: Notre Dame, which returns nine of its top 10 players from the 2004 squad that was 21-9, came in listed 27th in the preseason edition of the USA Today/CSTV Coaches Top 25, published by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The Irish had 118 points and are the second team receiving votes outside of the top 25. Pepperdine is 25th with 177 points, while Santa Clara had 123. The Irish were last ranked in the 2004 preseason poll (25th), but were receiving votes at various other times last year, ending up listed 33rd.
IRISH CHOSEN TO FINISH SECOND IN BIG EAST: Notre Dame, the defending regular-season and tournament champions, was picked to finish second in the BIG EAST Conference behind new arrival Louisville, which was 30-3 and ranked 16th nationally last season after reaching the NCAA round of 16. It is the first time in 11 seasons of conference emembership that the Irish — who have won nine regular-season and eight tournament titles in 10 years — are not the preseason favorites to win the league. Pittsburgh was chosen third, followed by two more newcomers, Cincinnati and Marquette. ND will welcome Louisville on Oct. 29 for a 2 p.m. (EST/CDT) showdown in the Joyce Center.
BREWSTER TABBED BIG EAST PRESEASON POY; KELBLEY ON ALL-LEAGUE TEAM: Senior middle blocker Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.), a third-team All-American and the conference-tournament MVP in 2004, was tabbed the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year and is joined by fellow senior OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) on the preseason all-BIG EAST team in voting by the league’s head women’s volleyball coaches. Brewster is the fourth Notre Dame student-athlete – but first since 2001 – to be named the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year in the eight years since the award debuted in 1998. Other Irish competitors to enter the season with that distinction were setter Denise Boylan in both `98 and 2000 and OPP Kristy Kreher in 2001. Only two of the previous seven preseason players of the year have gone on to also be the postseason picks of the coaches as the BIG EAST’s best player in the same season: Boylan in 2000 and Pittsburgh’s now-graduated Megan Miller a season ago. Notre Dame has placed multiple players on the preseason all-BIG EAST teams in each of its eight years of existence.
MICHIGAN IN BRIEF: The Wolverines are playing their season opener … Michigan returns nine letterwinners and six starters from last year’s squad that was 20-13 and tied for sixth in the Big Ten Conference (9-11 record) … U-M earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament and defeated Rice in four games in the opening round before falling 3-1 to Texas … gone from that team are OH Jennifer Gandolph (26 kills, .407, 14 digs vs. ND), S Lisa Gamalski (66 assists, .292 team hitting vs. ND), and L Sarah Allen (13 digs vs. ND) … returning starters are juniors MB Megan Bowman, RS/OH Erin Cobler, and OH Danielle Pflum and sophomores OH Katie Bruzdzinski (Big Ten all-freshman team), MB Lyndsay Miller, and L Stesha Selsky … Mark Rosen is in his seventh season coaching Michigan, having compiled a 105-83 (.559) record there and a 314-120 (.724) overall mark in 12 previous seasons as a head coach … next up for the Wolverines is a trip to Columbus, Ohio, next weekend for the Sports Imports Invitational, where they will take on #24 Long Beach State and #1 Nebraska.
IRISH-WOLVERINES SERIES NOTES: The schools will meet for the fifth time in seven years and 12th time overall … Notre Dame has won seven of the previous matches, but U-M prevailed 30-23, 30-25, 27-30, 32-30 in Ann Arbor last season … this will be Michigan’s first trip to ND since `02 and sixth overall (Irish lead 4-1) … the teams have played just one five-game match, an Irish victory (15-10 in the fifth) in Ann Arbor in 1996 … ND and Michigan first met in 1982, with the Wolverines prevailing 2-0 on their home floor … the Irish gained their first win over U-M in 1987 (3-0 in Ann Arbor), beginning a six-match winning streak … Michigan then won consecutive contests in 1999 and 2000 before the Irish won in `02 … the Irish lead 23-15 in games won … Debbie Brown holds a 29-23 career record against current members of the Big Ten Conference, including 24-22 at Notre Dame … freshman S/L Madison Clark (Sturgis, Sturgis HS, Dunes VBC) is the latest Michigan product to play for the Irish … Michigan has produced eight Irish volleyball players, ranking it behind only California (23), Indiana (18), Illinois (18), and Texas (9) … in a three-game win in 1993, ND’s Jenny Birkner had 10 kills and no errors on 12 attempts for an .833 hitting percentage, the third-highest in a three-game match in Irish history.
LAST YEAR’S ND-MICHIGAN MATCH: Then-junior OH Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) pounded 24 kills on .404 hitting, but it was not enough as Notre Dame (5-5) lost 30-23, 30-25, 27-30, 32-30 to Michigan (11-2) on Sept. 28, 2004, in Cliff Keen Arena in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines put together late runs in each of the games they won, and that proved to be the difference.
Kelbley set a career high in kills, making just five attack errors on 47 attempts. She also was in on four blocks to finish with 27 points, just under her career best. Michigan had its own effective offensive weapon, as senior OH Jennifer Gandolph ended up with a match-high 26 kills on a .407 percentage to go with 14 digs.
Michigan won five straight points to win game one after being up 25-23 and then claimed four straight with the score 26-25 to go up two-games-to-none. In the final game, Notre Dame held a 28-26 lead, but the Wolverines fought back, saved a game point, and prevailed 32-30.
Notre Dame’s offense was superb in game three, but the other three frames saw its struggles continue, as the Irish hit below .180 in all of the games they lost. Notre Dame had 19 kills on .405 hitting in the third game to bring its match hitting mark to .227. Freshman S Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) ended up with 39 assists and two digs on three attempts, while sophomore S Kelly Burrell (Phoenix, Ariz./Xavier College Prep School) had 15 assists.
Junior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) was in double figures in kills for the ninth time in the first 10 matches of `04, ending up with 12 on a .294 attack percentage. Senior MB Emily Loomis finished with 11 kills, while junior captain OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) notched seven in her return to a hitting role. She had been the Irish libero over the previous five matches due to injuries.
In a matchup of two of the top 15 blocking teams in Division I from `03, the Irish prevailed with a 12-5 advantage. Brewster led all players, taking part in six blocks, while Loomis and freshman OPP Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) were in on five each. Henican led the Irish in digs with 19, while Stasiuk added 16, but the Wolverines ended up with a .292 hitting mark.
Michigan was strong offensively early, but the Wolverines could not pull ahead by more than four during the first half of the initial game. The Irish eventually rallied to tie the score and take their only lead of the game at 18-17. The Wolverines won the next five points, but the Irish got back into the contest by winning five of the next eight. Its lead cut to just 25-23, Michigan won five consecutive points to end the game and take a 1-0 advantage. Gandolph was the most effective Wolverine attacker in the opening game, finishing with five kills and no errors on six attempts.
Notre Dame held modest leads early in the second game, but then Michigan went on a run to extend its lead to seven points at 21-14. The Irish made a push and cut the lead to two on two occasions and then pulled to within 26-25. The Wolverines then won four consecutive points to win the game, which ended on an ace by Erin Cobler. Michigan’s floor defense was instrumental in holding the Irish to a .170 hitting mark in the game, as the Wolverines registered 26 digs.
In the third game, Michigan led by as many as three early, but the Irish came back to tie the score at 13-13. After five consecutive ties, Notre Dame finally won three straight points to go up 20-17. Michigan would fight back to within a point on four occasions, but could not tie the score, as the Irish eventually got a kill from Brewster to extend the match to a fourth game. The Wolverines saw 23 of their 27 points come on kills, as they hit .455 in the frame, but still could not close out the match.
The early going of game four featured back and forth play, as the score was tied 11 times before either side won its 16th point. The Irish finally put together a bit of a run to open up four-point advantages on three occasions, including at 25-21. Michigan fought back and, after being down 28-26, won three points in a row to garner a match point. A kill by Kelbley saved that, while the 24th kill by the Irish junior – on the ensuing point – gave Notre Dame a 30-29 advantage and a chance to send the match to a fifth game. A Gandolph kill, a service ace by senior setter Lisa Gamalski, and another Gandolph kill then gave Michigan the victory.
See match boxscore near the end of pdf.
ND-MICHIGAN MATCH-BY-MATCH: See pdf for the match scores of all 11 previous contests between the Irish and Wolverines. ND leads 7-4 overall and 4-1 at home, but U-M has taken three of the last four.
CURRENT IRISH vs. MICHIGAN: See pdf for statistics of current Irish players in career matches against Michigan.
START ME UP: Notre Dame has had a great deal of success in season openers over the years. The Irish are 14-0 in season openers in the Debbie Brown era and 20-5 overall, with the last first-match defeat coming in 1990 against Montana (3-1) in the Washington State Invitational in Pullman. Last year, the Irish beat Loyola Chicago 30-24, 30-19, 17-30, 30-28 at home.
Notre Dame will try to continue its history of success in home openers. For 15 consecutive seasons, the Irish have won their first home match, including all 14 years in the Debbie Brown era. The last time Notre Dame lost its home opener was 1989, when Western Michigan gained a five-game triumph in the Notre Dame Invitational. Overall, the Irish are 20-5 in home openers, including the win over the Ramblers in `04.
BREWSTER BECOMES SECOND ALL-AMERICAN IN ND HISTORY: Senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) was tabbed a third-team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) in 2004 to become the second Notre Dame All-American and the first to earn honors from the AVCA. OH Christy Peters was picked a third-team All-American by Volleyball magazine in both 1993 and `94. On eight other occasions, Irish players have been honorable mention All-America, including Brewster in `03 and current senior OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) in both `03 and `04. Brewster also is the first Tennessee native from any four-year college ever to be an AVCA All-American.
YOU DIG ME?: Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) heads into the 2005 season having registered 10+ digs in 28 consecutive matches, dating back to Sept. 3, 2004, when she managed just five in a three-game loss to #2 Nebraska. Henican, who broke the Irish record for digs in a season in `04, also has had double-digit digs in 38 of the last 39 matches and 60 of the last 65, as well as 63 times total in her career.
HENICAN ON PACE TO BREAK ND CAREER DIG AVERAGE RECORD: Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) heads into her final season averaging 3.81 digs per game, which is on pace to break the Notre Dame record of 3.72 by Christy Peters (1991-94). She also needs 485 digs in her final season to break Peters’ record for career digs (1,640).
HENICAN REWRITES DIG RECORDS: During the 2004 season, current senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) make quite an impact on the Irish digging records. She broke the Notre Dame marks for digs in a season (553) and season dig average (4.94), while combining with current sophomore OPP Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) for 884 digs, the most-ever by teammates in a campaign. Henican also set Irish records for digs in any-length match (37 in four games vs. Seton Hall on Oct. 10, 2004) and digs in an NCAA tournament contest (27 vs. Valparaiso in the first round).
IRISH 17-2 WHEN COOPER STARTS: Notre Dame has posted a 17-2 record when current senior MB/OPP Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) is in the starting lineup, 1-0 in 2003 and 16-2 a year ago.
KELBLEY EFFICIENT AND DEADLY: Senior OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) heads into the 2005 season as the only Irish player to rank among the all-time top five in both career kill average (5th, 3.27) and hitting percentage (5th, .293).
DYNAMIC DIGGING COMBO: Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) and sophomore OPP Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) combined for 884 digs (553 by Henican, 331 by Stasiuk) in 2004, marking the highest single-season sum ever by Notre Dame teammates. The previous mark, bested by just one, was 883 by Jessica Fiebelkorn (474) and Christy Peters (409) in 1992.
BLOCK PARTY: The Irish appear poised to again be one of the top blocking teams in the nation in 2005. Notre Dame, which has led the BIG EAST Conference in each of the last four years and has been among the top five blocking teams in the NCAA in each of those seasons, returns eight of its top nine blockers from last year’s squad that averaged 3.37 per game, good enough for fourth nationally. After being fifth in 2001 (3.53) and second in ’02 (3.66), the Irish led Division I in team blocking in 2003 (3.72). Senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.), the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, has led the conference in blocking in both overall and league action in each of her three collegiate seasons. After setting Notre Dame freshman records in both total blocks (175) and block average (1.68) and coming in fourth nationally in 2002, she was the NCAA blocking champ in 2003 (1.78) and finished 21st last season (1.54).
HENICAN, STASIUK ANCHOR STELLAR SERVE-RECEIVING UNIT: Notre Dame’s 2004 serve-receiving unit, which was anchored by then-junior captain L Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) and freshman OPP Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.), proved to be one of the best in Irish history. Opponents averaged just 0.96 service aces per game in 2004, the second-best mark in Irish history, behind the 0.94 mark in `03, which also was led by Henican. Stasiuk made just 45 receiving errors this season, or one in every 2.49 games. Henican was even more solid, committing only 37 reception errors, an average of one in every 3.03 games. Only six times in 30 matches did Henican make multiple reception errors.
IRON WOMAN I: Senior co-captain L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) enters the 2005 season having played in each of the last 239 Irish games, the longest streak ever by a Notre Dame volleyball player. She played in just two of five games against Miami on Nov. 15, 2002, but then finished out that campaign and then appeared in every game in both 2003 and `04. She is the only Irish player ever to play in every game in consecutive seasons.
IRON WOMAN II: Senior co-captain MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) has played in all 92 Notre Dame matches since joining the team in 2002. She has a chance to be the third Irish player ever to play in every match during her career, following in the footsteps of Janelle Karlan (1990-93, 145 matches) and Jenny Birkner (1993-96, 140 matches).
THE IRISH EXPERIENCE: Notre Dame will have one of its most-experienced teams in 2005, as the Irish return nine of their top 10 players (in terms of games played) from last year’s squad. All nine of Notre Dame’s returnees have been starters in the past, combining for 284 career starts (31.6 per person). A pair of fourth-year starters – seniors MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) and OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) – lead the Irish veterans, along with third-year starter L/OH Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.), as well as three other returning starters: senior MB/OPP Carolyn Cooper (Houston, Texas/Lutheran South Academy) and sophomores S Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) and OPP Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.).
SENIOR CITIZENS: Notre Dame has five seniors on its roster in 2005: MB Lauren Brewster, S Kelly Burrell, MB Carolyn Cooper, L/OH Meg Henican, and OH/MB Lauren Kelbley. The last Irish volleyball team to feature five seniors was the 2000 squad, which boasted S Denise Boylan, OH Christi Girton, S/DS Michelle Graham, MB/OPP Jo Jameyson, and OH Adrienne Shimmel. That team went 26-7 and finished ranked 21st after losing in five games at Ohio State in the round of 32 of the NCAA tournament. This is just the third time in the 26-year history of the varsity program that a team has featured five or more seniors. The other squad was the `92 one, which had DS Andrea Armento, OH Marilyn Cragin, MB Jessica Fiebelkorn, MB Cynthia May, MB Majenica Rupe, OH Jen Slosar, and OH Alicia Turner. That team went 30-8 and finished 22nd, falling in the round of 32 of the NCAAs.
IRISH TO FACE FIVE TOP-15 TEAMS: Ten teams that earned bids to last year’s NCAA Championship, including five that are in the top 15 of the `05 AVCA preseason poll, highlight the 2005 schedule. The marquee matches include showdowns with Texas (11th in AVCA poll, NCAA round of 16), USC (7th, semifinals), Florida (8th, second round), Louisville (14th, round of 16), and Tennessee (9th, round of 16). Among the other highlights of the schedule are three high-level tournaments, four home matches on ND football weekend, as well as some notable trips. In all, the Irish will play matches in 10 states and 12 different cities and will make their first-ever visits to San Antonio and New Orleans. Notre Dame also will play in Chicago for the first time since 1996, Louisville for the first time since ’94, and Milwaukee for the first time since ’86.
HOME, SWEET HOME: Notre Dame’s Joyce Center has become one of the most difficult places in the nation for road teams to win, especially since the arrival of head coach Debbie Brown in 1991. Over the last 14 years, Notre Dame has posted a 165-28 (.855) home record. The Irish have pieced together a variety of impressive winning streaks on their home floor, winning 14 or more in a row on five occasions, highlighted by streaks 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. The Irish, who have topped 13 ranked teams – including four top-10 squads – at home, also hold a 158-9 (.946) record against unranked teams in the Joyce Center, including a 52-match winning streak.
CLASS OF THE CONFERENCE: Notre Dame has experienced unprecedented success in the decade since joining the BIG EAST Conference in 1995. The Irish have compiled a 98-5 (.951) regular-season mark, highlighted by nine titles and winning streaks of 45 and 35 consecutive matches. Notre Dame is 60-1 (.984) in BIG EAST regular-season contests in the Joyce Center, and the Irish have won eight BIG EAST tournament championships, posting a 19-2 mark and reaching the final every year. Notre Dame also has dominated the conference awards, winning player-of-the-year honors six times, the coach-of-the-year award on four occasions, and the league tournament’s most-outstanding-player award seven times. Also, Notre Dame student-athletes have garnered 35 all-conference accolades, including 21 first-team honors, which account for more than one-third of the first-team selections during the span. After being the preseason favorite 10 years in a row, the Irish were picked by the league head coaches to finish second to newcomer Louisville in 2005. Senior MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) was chosen as the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year, and she was joined on the preseason all-BIG EAST team by senior OH/MB Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.), a unanimous selection.
LOCAL INTEREST: Freshman S/L Madison Clark (Sturgis H.S.) hails from Sturgis, Mich., which is just across the state line and less than 50 miles east of Notre Dame. She is the most-local player for the Irish volleyball team since South Bend native Dyan Boulac wound up her career in 1993.
TOGETHER AGAIN: Sophomore S Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos H.S.) and freshman OH Mallorie Croal (Villa Park, Calif./Mater Dei H.S.) are teammates once again with the Irish this season. Both played for the Golden West Volleyball Club prior to coming to Notre Dame,helping it to the bronze medal at the 2004 Junior National Olympics.
IRISH HAVE FOUR MATCHES ON HOME FOOTBALL WEEKENDS: Notre Dame football fans will have four chances to also take in Irish volleyball while they are on campus for home games this season. For the fifth time in six years, there will be a match immediately preceding a football pep rally, as the Oct. 21 contest with South Florida (4 p.m. EST/CDT) will be before the pep rally for the Brigham Young game. Football-weekend visitors will have three other chances to see the Irish, all against BIG EAST competition. The day after the BYU football game (Sunday, Oct. 23) Notre Dame will play host to Georgetown at 2 p.m. (EST/CDT), while the Navy football weekend (Nov. 12) will also see the Irish in action twice: Saturday at 10 a.m. (EDT) vs. Villanova and Sunday at 2 p.m. against Rutgers.
ACADEMIC STARS: The Notre Dame women’s volleyball team posted its highest grade-point average on record for an academic year in 2004-05 and was rewarded as a recipient of a Game Plan/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award. The Irish, who had a team GPA of 3.362, were one of just four Division I squads to earn the Team Academic Award and also win at least one match in the 2004 NCAA Championship (also Kansas State, Ohio, and Wichita State). 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. Notre Dame was one of 45 Division I programs to be so recognized. The Irish previously copped the honor in 2001-02 and 2002-03.
TV STARS: Notre Dame will be featured on television at least two times during the 2005 season. The Irish will take on Texas on Sept. 3 in The Inn at Saint Mary’s Shamrock Invitational in the Joyce Center, which will be part of the AVCA’s national match-of-the-week package on College Sports Television (CSTV). Also part of that package will be the BIG EAST Championship title match on Nov. 20 in Louisville (ND has played in that match all 10 seasons since becoming a league member). Additionally, the Irish will play host to Tennessee on Nov. 26 in the Irish Thanksgiving Invitational, and that will be televised by Comcast Sports Net. A year ago, Notre Dame was on TV three times in road matches (CSTV at South Carolina, Comcast at Michigan, BYU TV at Brigham Young). The Irish — who played host to Miami in 2003 in a CSTV match — are one of just 10 schools who have been on the regular-season slate of CSTV’s match-of-the-week series in all three years since it debuted. The others are Colorado State, Florida, Hawai’i, Nebraska, Pepperdine, Santa Clara, Stanford, Texas, and Utah.
KEEPING UP WITH ND 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 result information for all Irish varsity sports and serves as a supplement to the match recaps and weekly releases provided on the official athletics website at www.und.com. The hotline is the first medium updated with results of each Notre Dame volleyball match. Once again, www.und.com will be the best place for in-depth coverage of Irish volleyball. Live scoring of all home matches, as well as live internet broadcasts of six contests supplement the regular match previews and recaps. In addition, media members and fans may be added to the sports information e-mail release list by contacting assistant sports information director Bo Rottenborn at Rottenborn.2@nd.edu. All requests for story ideas, interview access, match credentials, and further information on Irish volleyball should similarly be directed to Rottenborn. Credential and interview requests should be made at least 24 hours in advance.