Aug. 2, 2005
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, it was announced Tuesday. Notre Dame, the defending regular-season and tournament champions, was picked to finish second behind new arrival Louisville, which was 30-3 and ranked 16th nationally last season after reaching the NCAA round of 16.
Brewster, the first Notre Dame player to be tabbed to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America teams after being honorable mention in her sophomore campaign, has been a first-team all-BIG EAST selection in both of the last two seasons, including as one of just two unanimous picks in 2004. She was the BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Player last season, leading Notre Dame to its eighth tournament title. She was not a unanimous selection to the preseason all-BIG EAST team due to a misunderstanding of the ballot by one of the league’s coaches. According to the conference office, one coach voted for Brewster as the player of the year, but then did not list her among his/her 12 picks for the all-conference team.
Brewster, the NCAA’s blocking champ in 2003, has been named the BIG EAST Player of the Week six times (after winning its weekly rookie honor once) and has to her credit seven conference statistical crowns (the most in Notre Dame history). She has been the BIG EAST’s top blocker in both overall and conference matches in each of the last three seasons and also was first in hitting percentage in league play in 2003. As a junior, Brewster was one of just two Division I players to average over 1.50 blocks (1.54) and 1.50 digs (2.18) per game, establishing herself as one of the top all-around defensive forces in the country. She has helped Notre Dame rank among the top four in the nation (and first in the BIG EAST) in blocking in each of the last three seasons. In 2004, Brewster was the first Irish middle blocker to lead her team in kills (406/3.62) since 1988, and she also was tops in blocking for the third straight year and was first in points (533/4.76) and attack percentage (.313). She ranks among the top 10 in Notre Dame history in nine career statistical categories, including second in hitting percentage (.316) and block average (1.66).
Throughout her career, Brewster has been particularly effective against BIG EAST competition, averaging 3.50 kills on .346 hitting to go with 0.25 service aces, 1.06 digs, and 2.02 blocks for 4.90 points in regular-season conference action during her career. In league-tournament action, she is averaging 3.41 kills per game on .357 hitting to go with 2.09 blocks for 4.66 points.
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.
Kelbley, one of the five unanimous picks to the preseason all-BIG EAST team, enters her final collegiate season as one of just two Division I players (also Minnesota libero Paula Gentil) who have been AVCA all-region picks in each of the last three seasons. She was tabbed honorable mention All-America by the AVCA in both 2003 and ’04 and is the only Notre Dame player ever to be listed on the BIG EAST’s all-conference teams in each of her first three campaigns. She was a first-team pick in 2003 and a second-team selection in ’02 and ’04 (when she missed two conference matches due to injury). Kelbley was the rookie of the year for both the BIG EAST and the AVCA’s Northeast Region in 2002. She is the only player in Notre Dame history to be among the program’s top five in both career kill average (5th, 3.27) and hitting percentage (5th, .293) and also ranks in the top 10 in matches with 20+ kills (T-7th, 7), block average (8th, 1.04), and matches with 10+ kills (8th, 62).
She also has been particularly effective vs. league teams, averaging 3.44 kills on .351 hitting, plus 1.30 blocks and 4.38 points per game in regular-season BIG EAST action. In the conference tournament, she has accounted for 3.55 kills per game on .304 hitting.
Louisville, the regular-season and tournament champions of Conference USA in 2004, received 12 of the 15 first-place votes and compiled 194 points in the poll. Notre Dame, which has won nine regular-season championships (including six in a row) and eight BIG EAST tournament titles, copped the other three votes for the top spot and had 185 points. It is the first time since becoming a member of the league that the Irish will head into the season with someone else as the coaches’ pick to win the championship. Notre Dame had previously been voted the preseason favorite in 10 consecutive years. The Cardinals, which eliminated the Irish from the NCAA Championship in 2003 in the schools’ most-recent meeting, will visit the Joyce Center on Saturday, Oct. 29 for a 2 p.m. (EST/CDT) match.
Pittsburgh, the runner-up in last year’s BIG EAST tournament after tying for second place during the regular season, came in third. The Panthers were the only BIG EAST team other than Notre Dame to earn an invitation to the 2004 NCAA tournament, losing to Ohio in the opening round. The Irish will be at Pittsburgh on Nov. 6. Two teams that tied for second in C-USA last season came next, as Cincinnati (which ND will play at home on Oct. 30 at 2 p.m.) and Marquette (away, Oct. 2) were picked fourth and fifth, respectively. Syracuse (away, Sept. 30), which tied Pittsburgh for second in the BIG EAST regular-season chase, was sixth.
Notre Dame has placed multiple players on the preseason all-BIG EAST teams in each of its eight years of existence. See below for the remainder of the squad.
Notre Dame will begin BIG EAST Conference action by playing host to Seton Hall (picked to finish 13th) on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 1 p.m. (EST/CDT). The BIG EAST Championship will have a different format this season to accommodate the 15-team league. The top eight teams, based on regular-season standings, will qualify for the event, which takes place in the Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville from Nov. 18-20. The title match – which has featured Notre Dame in each of the last 10 years – will be televised by College Sports Television (CSTV).
This year’s Notre Dame squad returns nine of its top 10 players – and all but one starter – from last year’s team that was 21-9, won the BIG EAST regular-season and tournament championships, and advanced to the second round of the NCAAs, ending up listed 33rd in the AVCA poll.
Tickets for all 2005 Irish home matches are available via the Notre Dame ticket office at (574) 631-7356 and can be purchased online this season for the first time, at und.com.
Once again, Notre Dame’s official athletic website will be the ideal place to follow Irish volleyball when fans are unable to be at the Joyce Center. Live scoring through CSTV’s GameTracker for all home contests, as well as live audio broadcasts of selected matches will be available at und.com, in addition to previews and reviews of all matches and other press releases.
2005 BIG EAST Conference Volleyball Preseason Poll
2004 Records '04 Conf. '05 ND School Points Conf. Overall Finish vs. 1. Louisville (12) 194 13-0 30-3 1st/champion* H - Oct. 29 2. NOTRE DAME (3) 185 9-1 21-9 1st/champion -- 3. Pittsburgh 165 8-2 21-9 T-2nd/runner-up A - Nov. 6 4. Cincinnati 153 10-3 22-11 T-2nd/semifinals* H - Oct. 30 5. Marquette 144 10-3 22-7 T-2nd/runner-up* A - Oct. 2 6. Syracuse 138 8-2 25-7 T-2nd/semifinals A - Sept. 30 7. Connecticut 111 6-4 17-11 T-4th A - Oct. 9 8. Georgetown 75 4-6 17-12 T-6th H - Oct. 23 8. West Virginia 75 4-6 18-13 T-6th A - Nov. 5 10. South Florida 72 5-8 9-20 T-8th/1st round* H - Oct. 21 11. DePaul 68 5-8 12-19 T-8th/1st round* A - Oct. 15 12. Villanova 64 3-7 9-18 9th H - Nov. 12 13. Seton Hall 50 2-8 9-23 10th H - Sept. 25 14. St. John's 43 1-9 15-16 11th A - Oct. 8 15. Rutgers 38 4-6 16-10 T-6th H - Nov. 13
Notes: First-place votes in parentheses. Last year’s BIG EAST/Conference USA (noted by *) finishes are regular-season place followed by tournament result.
2005 BIG EAST Conference Preseason AwardsPlayer of the YearLauren Brewster, Sr., MB, Notre DameAll-BIG EAST TeamDiana Andreyko, So., OH, PittsburghLauren Brewster, Sr., MB, Notre DameKristen Conway, Sr., OH, SyracuseTheresa Coughlin, Sr., OH, MarquetteKelly Duan, Sr., RS/MB, Syracuse*Kristina Fabris, So., MB/RS, USFMyanna Hellsten, Jr., MB, CincinnatiJennifer Hoffman, Sr., MB, Louisville*Lena Ustymenko, Sr., OH, Louisville*Lauren Kelbley, Sr., OH/MB, Notre Dame*Megan McGrane, Sr., Lib., PittsburghGini Ullery, Sr., OH, PittsburghAnastasia Yartseva, Jr., OH, Louisville*
Notes: Due to a tie in the voting, 13 players were selected to the team. * – indicates unanimous selection