Nov. 18, 2010
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Fifth-seeded Notre Dame will take on fourth-seeded Villanova at 10:00 a.m. (ET) on Friday (Nov. 19) in the opening round of the 2010 BIG EAST Conference Volleyball Championship. Hosted by the University of Pittsburgh, the three-day event will be held on campus at Fitzgerald Fieldhouse.
The Irish (15-11 overall, 8-4 BIG EAST) were defeated earlier this season by Villanova (23-6, 11-3) but have dropped two straight to the Wildcats only once in the 20-match series history.
Notre Dame has now earned 10+ wins in BIG EAST play for the 12th time since joining the league in 1995. Villanova set a program record with its 11 wins in 2010 as the Wildcats are making their first tournament appearance since 2007.
Though all 16 members of the BIG EAST Conference field women’s volleyball teams, Providence ceased its league participation in the sport after the 2002 season. The other 15 schools take part in round-robin play during the regular season, and the top eight teams then participate in the BIG EAST Championship, a single-elimination tournament with the winner receiving the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. This championship format is a departure from the traditional four-team event that had been in place when the Irish first joined the league (with the exception of 1999, when the league experimented with an expanded three-day, six-team event).
Notre Dame has experienced unprecedented success in the 15 years since joining the league in 1995. The Irish have compiled a 172-25 (.885) regular-season mark, highlighted by nine tournament titles and winning streaks of 45 and 35 consecutive matches. Notre Dame once earned 58-straight victories at home in BIGâ⒬ˆEASTâ⒬ˆregular-season play. Irish volleyball squads carried a home conference winning streak of 74 straight matches from 1991 to 2004, which includes wins over both Midwestern Conference and BIG EAST opponents. Notre Dame has streaked through the BIG EAST regular season slate seven times without a loss (most recently in 2009 after going 14-0) while becoming just the second team to go undefeated since the league adopted the 14-match format in 2005.
The Irish have won nine BIG EAST Tournament championships, posting a 28-6 (.885) mark in the event while reaching the final match in its first 12 tournaments. After taking a one-year hiatus from the finals, the Irish returned in 2008 before falling to Louisville.
Notre Dame has also dominated the league’s postseason awards, winning both player-of-the-year and coach-of-the-year awards on six occasions. On nine occasions, Irish players have been named the league tournament’s most outstanding player. Notre Dame student-athletes have garnered 54 all-conference accolades – including 29 first-team honors.
Prior to joining the BIG EAST, Notre Dame was a member of the North Star Conference from 1983-87 and the Midwestern Collegiate Conference from 1990-94. The Irish won regular-season and tournament titles in the NSC in 1986 and 1987, and then captured both the regular-season and tournament championships in the MCC from 1991-1994.
In 24 years of conference participation, Notre Dame has won 17 regular-season crowns and 15 league tournaments while compiling a 229-38 (.866) mark in regular-season conference matches.
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Notre Dame Fighting Irish
17-11 overall / 10-4 BIG EAST
[und.com – bigeast.org]
BIG EAST Championship
Fitzgerald Fieldhouse – Pittsburgh, Pa.
Quarterfinals – Friday, Nov. 19
Match 1: No. 4 Villanova vs. No. 5 Notre Dame – 10:00 a.m.
Match 2: No. 1 Cincinnati vs. No. 8 USF – 12:30 p.m.
Match 3: No. 2 Louisville vs. No. 7 Seton Hall – 3:30 p.m.
Match 4: No. 3 Marquette vs. No. 6 Pittsburgh – 6:00 p.m.
Semifinals – Saturday, Nov. 20
Match 5: No. 1/No. 8 vs. No. 4/No. 5 – 1:00 p.m.
Match 6: No. 3/No. 6 vs. No. 2/No. 7 – 3:30 p.m.
Championship – Sunday, Nov. 21
Match 7: Semifinal winners – 3:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
*all times local to site (ET)
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– Live video / stats / chat: und.com – Notre Dame Volleyball Twitter: @ndvolleyball – Notre Dame Athletics Twitter: @und_com – Irish Alerts (text messaging service): und.com
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Bump, Set, Spike …
– The Irish have claimed nine BIG EAST Championship titles with a pair of second-place finishes … Pittsburgh’s 10 titles (1982, 1984, 1986, 1988-94, 2003) are the most of any league program … however, the Panthers reached their total through 28 seasons as a league member and have only won one title since Notre Dame joined the BIG EAST in 1995 … Adrianna Stasiuk was the tournament’s MVP in 2005, joining eight other Irish players to earn the honor: Lauren Brewster (2004), Emily Loomis (2002), Malinda Goralski (2001), Denise Boylan (2000), Marcie Bomhack (1998), Jaimie Lee (1997), Lindsay Treadwell (1996), and Angie Harris (1995) … the Irish have also won 11 regular-season league crowns, the last coming in 2009.
– Notre Dame is no stranger when it comes to BIG EAST Championship action hosted by Pittsburgh … the Irish have won five of seven league tournaments (with a 14-2 record) played in the Steel City … the two losses came to Georgetown (1999) and Louisville (2008), both of which were in the final match.
– When combining Notre Dame’s all-time BIG EAST regular season (172-25) and tournament (28-6), the Irish are 200-31 (.866) against league foes since 1995.
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Dealy Captures Final BIG EAST Volleyball Weekly Award …
Junior outside hitter Kristen Dealy was named the BIG EAST Volleyball Player of the Week on Nov. 15 … the honor was the second of Dealy’s career, as she was one of four Irish players to win the award during the 2009 campaign … she was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week on Nov. 17, 2008 (also the last week of the regular season) and has been named to the BIG EAST all-tournament team in each of the last two seasons … Dealy steered the Irish to a pair of wins (Nov. 13-14) and led the conference with 5.17 kills/set while ranking ninth with 4.00 digs/set over that stretch … she notched 11 kills and nine digs in a 3-0 win over Rutgers (Nov. 13) and followed that with a 20-kill, 15-dig performance – including nine kills and 10 digs in the first set – at Seton Hall (Nov. 14) … it was Dealy’s fourth career 20+ kill output and 28th double-double … she is one of just a handful of Irish players to knock down 20+ kills in a three-set match and the first since 2006.
Sittin’ on the Dock …
Freshman setter Maggie Brindock had a career day at Rutgers (Nov. 13) and made the most of her second start of the season … Brindock dished out 25 assists with three aces and eight blocks … entering the match she had just five blocks to her name … one day later at Seton Hall (Nov. 14), Brindock had 25 assists with four blocks, including the first solo rejection of her career.
Complementing Classmates …
Juniors Frenchy Silva (3.21) and Kristen Dealy (3.02) currently have career dig/set averages over 3.00 … Silva is fourth overall in the category with Dealy checking in at fifth … they are the only classmates in Irish history to average over 3.00 digs/set in a career.
A Tight One at Home …
During the Senior Day defeat to Northern Iowa (Nov. 7), each set went beyond the 25-point minimum (27-25, 27-25, 29-27) as the two teams combined to tally 160 scores, the most in a three-set match for Notre Dame in the 25-point era … furthermore, it was just the fourth time in program history the Irish competed in three straight sets decided by two points, the last occurrence coming in 2004 against Northern Iowa (Notre Dame once played in four straight sets decided by the same margin against California in 1991) … in fact, the regular-season home finale loss to Northern Iowa in 2004 was also the last defeat suffered by Notre Dame on Senior Day.
Irish Dealt a Good Hand From Dealy …
Kristen Dealy was her stellar self with 12 kills and a career-high 34 digs at Villanova (Nov. 5), the most by an Irish player since 2006 … the effort made her the third player in program history with at least 12 kills and 34 digs in a match (Christy Peters – 14 kills, 36 digs in 1992; Jessica Fiebelkorn – 12 kills, 35 digs in 1992) … the dig total put her in a three-way tie for fifth on the list for digs in match … she also posted 14 kills with 11 digs and three blocks – two solo – versus No. 13 Northern Iowa (Nov. 7) … Dealy’s two-match outbreak yielded an average of 3.71 kills/set and an eye-popping 6.43 digs/set, team-high marks in both categories for the Irish.
Hello, Hilary …
Hilary Eppink had eight kills to go along with eight blocks against St. John’s (Oct. 30), and came back one day later with a career-high 15 kills on a .520 hitting clip in a four-set affair with Connecticut (Oct. 31).
It’s a Freshman Thing …
First-year setter Sammie Brown became the second Irish player this season to record five aces in a match when she did so against Connecticut (Oct. 31) … classmate Andrea McHugh dropped five aces at USF (Oct. 1).
Five for McHugh …
Outside hitter Andrea McHugh was named BIG EAST Conference Freshman of the Week for the fifth time this year on Nov. 1 … Cincinnati’s Stephanie Niemer was named Player of the Week for a conference single-season record sixth time … the combination of Niemer and McHugh has been recognized as BIG EAST Player and Freshman of the Week, respectively, three times this season … McHugh earned the fifth honor after helping Notre Dame to conference wins over St. John’s (Oct. 30) and Connecticut (Oct. 31) … she secured her team-best eighth double-double of the season with a 17-kill, 14-dig performance against Connecticut … she also totaled eight kills and 12 digs against St. John’s … McHugh led the Irish with 3.57 kills/set while also posting 3.71 digs/set while recording her 300th kill of the season versus the Huskies.
Kill, Block, Kill, Block …
Senior middle blocker Kellie Sciacca, who recorded her 1,000th career kill earlier this season against DePaul (Oct. 15), reached the 400-block plateau with her first rejection in an Oct. 30 match versus St. John’s … Sciacca is the ninth player in program history with at least 1,000 kills and 400 blocks.
If They Could All Be Like October …
The Irish went 4-1 on their home floor in the month of October … Notre Dame has lost just seven times on its home floor in the month of October since 1991 and only three times since 2000.
Hitting Fire During a Five-Setter …
The Irish posted a .274 hitting percentage in the five-set loss to Marquette (Oct. 24), marking the highest hitting percentage for Notre Dame in a five-set match since 2009 … it was the fifth five-set match on the season for Notre Dame.
Half and Half …
Hillary Eppink (10) and Andrea McHugh (24) combined for over half of Notre Dame’s 46 kills in the win over Syracuse (Oct. 23).
No Errors, No Problems …
Notre Dame lasted the entire Oct. 15 match with DePaul without committing a single service error to set a program record … only three times in school history had the Irish finished a match with one service error (last at Florida in 1998).
Lucky Strike …
Senior middle blocker Kellie Sciacca recorded her 1,000th career kill as Notre Dame pulled out a 3-1 win over DePaul (Oct. 15) … Sciacca, who finished the night with eight kills and seven blocks, delivered kill No. 1,000 in the second set to become the 19th player in Irish history to reach the milestone … she later ended the frame with one of her two solo blocks on set point.
Rookie Racks Irish Record …
Freshman Andrea McHugh’s offense on the pipes helped the Irish defeat DePaul (Oct. 15), as the outside hitter went for a career-high 23 kills on 50 swings (.340) … McHugh had seven kills in both the second and third sets … with the output, McHugh was named BIG EAST Freshman of the Week for the fourth time.
Here’s the Scoop …
Junior libero Frenchy Silva scooped a career-high 29 shots at Western Michigan (Oct. 19) to tie the 14th-best single-match performance in school history … it was the second straight 20+ dig performance for Silva and her third of the season.
Streak Comes To An End …
Notre Dame once sported the nation’s sixth-best regular-season conference winning streak, which was snapped at 19 matches after a loss at Louisville (Oct. 9) … the Irish had won their last BIG EAST contest of the 2008 season, went 14-0 in 2009, and swept their first four league matches in 2010 … the program is accustomed to such winning streaks in BIG EAST action, having once won 45 (Oct. 1, 1999-Nov. 9, 2002) and 35 (Sept. 30, 1995-Oct. 4, 1995) straight league matches.
First Four …
Each of Notre Dame’s first four BIG EAST wins were 3-0 sweeps … it was the first time the program won its first four league matches by a 3-0 count since 1999.
Advantage, Irish …
The Irish were not out-hit in 21 straight regular-season league matches until Louisville did so on Oct. 9 … previously, Marquette was the last team to out-hit the Irish, which happened during the 2008 campaign (the Golden Eagles won the battle of attack percentages, .251 to .191).
McHugh Ties Rookie Record With BIG EAST Honor …
For the third time this season, outside hitter Andrea McHugh was named the BIG EAST Conference Freshman of the Week on Oct. 4 … McHugh is now tied with senior Kellie Sciacca for the most Freshman of the Week honors earned by an Irish player, as Sciacca also notched three during her 2007 rookie campaign … McHugh set a new career high with 19 kills – the most by an Irish player in a three-set match since 2006 – at Georgetown (Oct. 3) on a .562 clip, which was her best hitting pct. on the season … the effort came on the heels of posting 13 kills and five aces at USF (Oct. 1), making her the first Irish player with five aces in a contest since 2007 … on the weekend, she hit .475 with 5.33 kills/set and 0.83 aces/set while leading the Irish to a pair of wins.
The Sun Helps …
Notre Dame’s 11 aces at USF (Oct. 1) marked the second time in school history the Irish had at least 11 serves drop for scores in a three-set affair (Notre Dame recorded 17 during a 3-0 win at Valparaiso on Sept. 12, 1984) … Andrea McHugh had a career-high five aces against the Bulls, becoming the first player to do so since 2007 (Kim Kristoff accomplished the feat against DePaul on Oct. 19, 2007).
It’s Been a Grand …
Notre Dame played in the 1,000th match in program history when it took the court at USF (Oct. 1), and won the contest in three sets.
Beginning the BIG EAST …
With wins over West Virginia (Sept. 24) and Pittsburgh (Sept. 26), Notre Dame went 2-0 on the opening weekend of BIG EAST Conference play for the third straight year and 15th time in 16 seasons since joining the league in 1995 … the Irish are 15-1 in BIG EAST openers, with the lone loss coming at Pittsburgh in 2007 … the win over the Panthers was also the first sweep against Pittsburgh for the Irish since 2004.
Something About South Florida …
Kellie Sciacca hit .412 with nine kills at USF (Oct. 1), which was surprisingly her lowest output ever against the Bulls during the regular season … Sciacca is now hitting .556 in four career matches against the Bulls (.500 in 2007, .643 in 2008 and .667 in 2009).
Make It Two for McHugh …
Outside hitter Andrea McHugh was named the BIG EAST Conference’s Volleyball Freshman of the Week on Sept. 27 … the honor was the second for McHugh in the first five weeks of the season … Notre Dame rallied behind McHugh’s arm during a 3-0 sweep of West Virginia (Sept. 24), as she came through with 16 kills and 13 scoops for the fifth double-double of her early career … seven of those kills came in the third set when Notre Dame rallied from a 24-20 deficit to capture the win … more importantly for the Irish, the win over the Mountaineers snapped a three-match losing streak … McHugh went on to post nine kills and seven digs in a 3-0 win against Pittsburgh (Sept. 26) … she wrapped up the weekend with 4.17 kills/set and 3.33 digs/set.
The 500 Club …
Senior libero Megan Dunne shelved the 500th dig of her career against West Virginia (Sept. 24) in the BIG EAST Conference opener at Purcell Pavilion … Dunne became the third player on the Irish roster with at least 500 career digs (joining Kristen Dealy and Frenchy Silva).
Dealy Does It …
Junior outside hitter Kristen Dealy was named to the Notre Dame Invitational all-tournament team, which was hosted by the Irish Sept. 17-19 … she averaged 3.64 kills/set and 4.36 digs/set in three matches and went for 24 kills and 25 digs against Delaware (Sept. 17), career-high numbers in both categories … her final totals signified the 19th time in 31 seasons of varsity competition at Notre Dame that a player posted a 20-20 output (kills, digs or assists) … the last to do so was Adrianna Stasiuk against Cincinnati in 2006.
Start It Up …
Notre Dame’s 7-2 record through the first nine matches was the team’s best start since 2005 … that season, the Irish won their first seven contests before falling to LSU at the Nokia Sugar Bowl Classic in College Station, Texas, before winning the next 15 matches on the slate.
Brown Earns No. 450 …
Irish head coach Debbie Brown earned her 450th career win to start Denver’s Pioneer Classic with a 3-0 sweep of Gonzaga (Sept. 10) … Brown, now in her 20th season at the helm of the Notre Dame program, has a record of 452-175 (.724) with the Irish.
Hit ‘Em Hard …
Notre Dame posted a .488 hitting pct. in a 3-0 sweep of Denver (Sept. 12), the program’s best single-match average since Nov. 4, 2001 (when the Irish hit .495 in a 3-0 win over Pittsburgh).
Hit ‘Em High …
Senior middle blocker Kellie Sciacca averaged 3.70 kills/set on a blistering .582 average across the three matches at the Pioneer Classic to earn her third straight all-tournament accolade … she became the first player since 2007 to finish a match with a clip over .700 after hitting .722 against Denver.
Quick and Easy …
Notre Dame’s win over Denver (Sept. 12) spanned just 1:10, tying the program record for the second-quickest match played in the 25-point era.
Three of a Kind …
Notre Dame posted 2-1 marks at each of the first two tournaments to open the season before going 3-0 at Denver’s Pioneer Classic (Sept. 10-12) … it was the program’s first sweep of a three-match invite since 2005, when the Irish downed No. 8 USC, Oklahoma and No. 6 Florida at the UTSA Dome Rally in San Antonio, Texas … the 2005 team finished 30-4 and advanced to the third round of the NCAA Tournament … the Irish won each of their two contests at the 2009 Notre Dame Invitational with wins over New Mexico State and Wisconsin.
CVU.com, BIG EAST Deal Honors To Sciacca …
Senior middle blocker Kellie Sciacca missed out on the BIG EAST’s top weekly award, but was recognized nationally as a Top Performer by CVU.com on Sept. 14 … the award came on the heels of being named to Denver’s Pioneer Classic all-tournament team after hitting .582 on the week and leading the Irish to three wins … the BIG EAST placed Sciacca on its weekly honor roll … Kristen Dealy was the last Irish player to earn recognition from CVU.com after doing so in November 2009.
More All-Tournament Nods …
Senior middle Blocker Kellie Sciacca hit .582 across 10 sets in three matches at Denver’s Pioneer Classic (Sept. 10-12) with 3.70 kills/set and 1.30 blocks/set … sophomore Hilary Eppink wasn’t too far behind with a .561 average, nine blocks and a pair of aces … both were named to the event’s all-tournament team.
All-All-Tournament-Tournament …
Doubling up on all-tournament honors for the 2010 were senior Kellie Sciacca and freshman Andrea McHugh, who earned the distinction at the Nevada Invitational (Sept. 3-4) … each were also named to the Shamrock Invitational all-tournament team to begin the season … McHugh totaled 43 kills (3.31/set) in three matches with 2.00 digs/set and 0.69 blocks/set … she led Notre Dame in scoring with 52.0 points … Sciacca was her usual steady self with 2.46 kills/set on a .338 clip and 1.31 blocks/set … against Weber State (Sept. 4), Sciacca tied a career best with three solo blocks in three sets.
Reno Aces …
Freshman Nicole Smith did not take many risks from behind the service line during the Nevada Invitational in Reno, Nev., but her performance would have caused plenty of envy from the blackjack players down the way from Virginia Street Gym … Smith fired in a match-high four aces in three sets against Weber State (Sept. 4), including back-to-back-to-back daisies to blow the match open in the opening frame … she is the first Irish freshman to knock down four aces in a single match since Beth Wildermuth, who also had four against California during her freshman season in 2008.
Early Five-Setters …
Through six matches to start the 2010 season, Notre Dame stretched it to the limit with three five-set affairs, winning two of the contests … the three five-setters are the most since 2004, when that squad went the distance in three of its first five matches while dropping two of three.
Sciacca Shreds Shamrock Invite …
Senior middle blocker Kellie Sciacca was named to the Shamrock Invitational all-tournament team for the second straight year after finishing the three-match weekend with 4.00 kills/set and a .429 hitting pct. … she posted a career-high 21 kills on a .645 hitting clip – the fourth-best average ever by a Notre Dame player in a four-set match – on 31 swings with just one error against Marshall (Aug. 27) … Sciacca then came back to help Notre Dame defeat Cal Poly (Aug. 28) with 17 kills and tacked on 10 more versus No. 18 Arizona (Aug. 29) for her third-straight double-figure kill total.
McHugh Has Huge Opening Weekend …
Freshman outside hitter Andrea McHugh was named the BIG EAST Conference Freshman of the Week (Aug. 30) one day after wrapping up her first weekend in an Irish uniform … McHugh registered a pair of double-doubles as her 11 kills and 16 digs against Marshall (Aug. 27) came before 14 kills and 18 digs against Cal Poly (Aug. 28) … she blistered No. 18 Arizona (Aug. 29) with 12 kills and a solo block … McHugh also had an ace in each of her three matches … on the weekend, she averaged 3.08 kills/set and 3.17 digs/set with 3.42 points/set … furthermore, McHugh is the first Irish player to earn the award after the season’s opening weekend since Christina Kaelin did so in 2006.
Wide Openers …
Notre Dame is now 24-7 (19-1 under head coach Debbie Brown) in home openers … the Irish are 20-9 (.689) in the month of August and 18-6 (.750) at home in August.
Preseason Honors …
Notre Dame was picked to finish third in 2010 BIG EAST Conference regular season play, according to a vote of the league’s 15 head coaches … for the first time since joining the BIG EAST in 2005, Cincinnati emerged as the favorite in the BIG EAST Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll … the Bearcats were unanimously selected, receiving 196 points and all 14 first-place votes. Louisville, the defending tournament champion, was picked second … since the inception of round-robin play in 1990, 19 of the last 20 preseason favorites have advanced to the finals of the BIG EAST Championship … of those favorites, 15 have captured the tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Championship, while 13 have taken the regular-season title … however, the last team to be selected first in the preseason poll and win the regular-season crown was Notre Dame in 2004 … Kristen Dealy and two-time all-BIG EAST choice Kellie Sciacca both earned spots on the all-BIG EAST preseason team … Sciacca led the conference in league play with a .429 hitting percentage in 2009.
Freshman Class Regarded By PrepVolleyball.com …
Notre Dame’s six-person freshman class – Maggie Brindock, Sam Brown, Sammie Brown, Andrea McHugh, Andie Olsen and Nicole Smith – was tabbed by PrepVolleyball.com as the nation’s 13th-best recruiting class … the newcomers will help replace six departing seniors which led the Irish to the 2009 BIG EAST Conference regular-season title and a national ranking … Notre Dame received the highest ranking of any BIG EAST member … USC, Penn State and Stanford held the top three spots, respectively, in the rankings … Notre Dame’s departed six-person class from the 2009 season was ranked fifth by PrepVolleyball.com in 2006.
Brown Knows How To Win …
Entering 2010, Debbie Brown is first among BIG EAST head coaches with 562 career wins … Louisville’s Leonid Yelin is second with 457 wins in 20 seasons.
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