Oct. 30, 2008
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Nearly three weeks have elapsed since the Notre Dame volleyball team played on its home floor at the Joyce Center, but the Irish return home Saturday morning with a 10 a.m. (ET) BIG EAST Conference match versus Syracuse. A four-match road trip that saw Notre Dame play three games in six days while covering 6,000 miles ends with the home doubleheader, as Marquette also visits the Irish on Sunday (Nov. 2) at 2 p.m.
Freshman Kristen Dealy has continued to punctuate her status as one of the BIG EAST’s top freshmen with double-doubles in each of her last three outings (and three of her last four league contests). Dealy and the Irish have earned six league wins that leave them knotted with Pittsburgh and Louisville for third in the BIG EAST standings. Pittsburgh defeated Notre Dame on Oct. 12 – which was Notre Dame’s last home match – with the Irish holding the head-to-head advantage over Louisville after a 3-0 win against the Cardinals on Oct. 4.
Due to the home Notre Dame football game on Saturday, parking arrangements for the volleyball match will be altered. Season ticket holders can park free of charge at White Field (located just north of campus on Juniper Road) by showing their game tickets. Gameday drive-up parking will be required to pay the standard $20 to park at White Field. Free shuttle service from White Field to campus will be provided. Several parking alternatives are available on or near the University’s campus.
Tickets for Sunday’s action can be purchased by calling the Irish Athletics Ticket Office at 574.631.7356 or visiting the Joyce Center ticket windows (located inside gate 1 on the second floor) weekdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET). In addition, fans can buy their Irish volleyball tickets on-line by going to the tickets page of the Notre Dame athletics web site (www.UND.com), or by visiting the gate 10 ticket windows at the Joyce Center prior to each match. Admission to Saturday’s match versus Syracuse is free.
Live audio, video and stats will be available at UND.com for the matchups with Syracuse and Marquette. For up-to-the-minute results, sign up for IRISH ALERT text messaging services at UND.com.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
(11-11 overall / 6-3 BIG EAST)
Syracuse Orange
(14-11 overall / 5-3 BIG EAST)
Nov. 1 • 10 a.m. (et) • Joyce Center
Live video / audio / stats: UND.com
Marquette Golden Eagles
(8-13 overall / 2-6 BIG EAST)
Nov. 2 • 2 p.m. (et) • Joyce Center
Live video / audio / stats: UND.com
Bump, Set, Spike …
• Notre Dame is 2-3 in its last five outings and 6-4 in the last 10 … the team is 9-2 in three-set matches and 2-9 in contests extending past the necessary three frames … each of Notre Dame’s last five wins have been of the 3-0 variety … five of six league wins have been sweeps … the lone BIG EAST non-sweep was a 3-1 win at USF (Sept. 26), as Notre Dame dropped one set by a 21-25 count … the 1995 team set the school record with 22 sweeps … five teams (most recently the 2005 squad) have posted 20 sweeps … the 2007 team earned only four 3-0 wins.
• The Irish have fought their way to a 6-3 league record and are tied with Pittsburgh and Louisville in the standings … St. John’s (7-1) and Cincinnati (7-2) lead the pack … after this weekend’s action Notre Dame will have three conference matches left on the schedule … a trip to Rutgers (0-8) will be followed by home dates with St. John’s and Connecticut (5-3) … the top eight teams will earn spots in the 2008 BIG EAST Championship.
• The Irish continue to boast some of the top statistical marks in BIG EAST play … the team tops the charts in hitting percentage (.277) and kills/set (14.28) … the team is second with 13.31 assists/set and 14.50 digs/set … Kellie Sciacca’s hitting percentage (.396) continues to soar in league play, ranking second, with Christina Kaelin (.343) checking in at eighth … Kaelin is second with 4.06 kills/set … Jamel Nicholas’ 11.06 assists/set ranks third and Kristen Dealy is fourth overall with 0.44 aces/set … that average was aided by her five aces in Notre Dame’s pair of league matches last weekend at Villanova and Seton Hall.
• Marquette defeated the Irish for the first time in program history last season … this will be the fifth time the teams have met in the Joyce Center … on their home floor, the Irish have dropped only one set to the Golden Eagles.
Series History …
• Notre Dame has been a member of three conferences over the history of its volleyball program and has handed Marquette a league loss in each of the three … the teams played as North Star Conference members from 1985-87 and were Midwestern Collegiate Conference foes for one season (1990) before Marquette joined the BIG EAST in 2004 … the schools first met in 1985 in Dayton, Ohio, with the Irish prevailing in three sets … the Irish and Golden Eagles will meet for the fourth time since 1997 and 11th time overall … Notre Dame holds a 9-1 mark over Marquette with a 28-6 advantage in set victories … Adrianna Stasiuk attained her 12th double-double of the season by hammering 19 kills and scooping 13 digs during last year’s 3-1 loss at Marquette, though Notre Dame bettered the Golden Eagles with a hitting percentage of .247 for the match, compared to the Golden Eagles’ .238 mark … Stasiuk and Danielle Herndon each tallied 20+ digs, while Jamel Nicholas and Ashley Tarutis each handed out 20+ assists during Notre Dame’s 2006 victory … 2002 graduate Marcie Bomhack (Waukesha, Catholic Memorial / Milwaukee Sting) – now the head coach at Loyola-Chicago – remains the only Wisconsin native to ever play for the Irish … against the Golden Eagles on Oct. 3, 1986, Notre Dame finished with a .539 hitting percentage (52 K, 4 E, 89 A), which still stands as the highest mark in program history in any length match.
• Syracuse downed Notre Dame, 3-1, in the two program’s first-ever meeting in 1981, but its been all Irish since then … head coach Debbie Brown collected her 400th win since taking over the Irish program with a 3-1 victory over Syracuse in 2007 … the win was No. 517 overall for Brown … leading the Irish with 18 kills and a .371 hitting percentage in that match was Justine Stremick … Notre Dame has won the last 15 contests as the two teams will meet for the 14th consecutive season and 17th time overall in 2008 … the lone five-game affair between the schools came in the 1990 Rhode Island Invitational in Providence, with Notre Dame coming out on top, 16-14, for its first-ever win over Syracuse … ND leads 46-8 in games won, including 42-3 in the BIG EAST era … the Irish notched five consecutive 3-0 wins over the Orange from 2002-06 … Angie Harris had nine aces in the first BIG EAST contest between the teams (Oct. 20, 1995), a record that still stands despite accomplishing the feat in just three sets … the Irish made just one service error in the 1996 matchup, which is tied for the lowest total in a match … the Irish won by 37 points in 2001 at the Joyce Center, the third-largest margin of victory for Notre Dame under the 30-point format … Notre Dame has won all five previous matches at the Joyce Center and the only frame that went more than the necessary three sets was a four-set contest on Oct. 31, 1998 … former Notre Dame libero Meg Henican totaled the school’s second highest dig total (26) in a three-set match against Syracuse on Sept. 30, 2005.
More On Marquette …
The Golden Eagles outlasted rival Wisconsin-Milwaukee (Oct. 20) by a 3-2 score … it marked head coach Pati Rolfs’ 100th victory at Marquette … she is now in her seventh season with the program … in the win, Rabbecka Gonyo collected a match-high 18 kills … Marquette lost a pair of 3-0 matches at home during the weekend to Louisville (Oct. 24) and Cincinnati (Oct. 26) … Ashlee Fischer (3.46) is sixth and Leslie Bielski (3.19) ranks ninth on the league’s kills/set list against conference teams … Marquette returns four starters from its 2007 team and boasts seven newcomers.
Cue the ‘Cuse …
Playing in three matches last week, the Orange went 1-2 with both losses coming at the hands of BIG EAST teams … the week got started with a 3-0 sweep of Siena (Oct. 21) … the Orange dropped a five-set affair to Cincinnati (Oct. 24), 3-2 … Noemie Lefebvre collected 15 kills and 17 digs in the loss to the Bearcats … Syracuse then hosted Louisville (Oct. 26) and fell 3-1 to the Cardinals with Lefebvre clinching another double-double with 17 kills and 10 digs … Sarah Morton is third in BIG EAST play with a .363 hitting percentage and second with 1.28 blocks/set.
Last Time Out …
Junior Christina Kaelin connected for 14 kills on a .440 clip and freshman Kristen Dealy racked her second double-double in as many days to lead Notre Dame past Seton Hall, 3-0 (25-19, 25-20, 25-21) … the victory over the Pirates in the BIG EAST Conference matchup Sunday at Walsh Gymnasium evened Notre Dame’s overall record to 11-11 and 6-3 versus league opponents … Seton Hall fell to 12-11 overall and 4-4 in BIG EAST play … Dealy finished with 12 kills, two aces, three blocks, and 13 digs with 10 of those scoops coming in the first set alone … senior Justine Stremick, junior Serinity Phillips and sophomore Kellie Sciacca each finished with seven kills as the Irish hit .266 in the three-set match … Philips and Sciacca added two blocks apiece … Kaelin started the match with six kills as Dealy added four shots for scores in the first set as the Irish outhit the Pirates, .262 to .087.
She’s a Show Stopper …
Senior Justine Stremick currently has 397 career blocks (80 solo, 317 block assists) … she needs three more to hit 400, a mark which only 10 players in the history of the program have reached … should she record six more blocks, she’ll earn her way into the all-time top 10 list for career rejections … Malinda Goralski (1998-01) finished her career with 402 blocks, ranking 10th, and current Irish volunteer assistant coach Emily Loomis (2001-04) is ninth all-time with 409 blocks.
Phillips Does It All …
Junior outside hitter Serinity Phillips has been a solid contributor throughout the season with one of the most polished all-around games the Irish roster has to boast … and this past week was no different … Phillips had a pair of double-doubles and narrowly missed out on a third … she finished with 11 kills and 10 digs at Long Beach (Oct. 21) … also notched 11 kills and a career-high 22 digs at Villanova (Oct. 25) … the 22 digs tied her for team-high honors on the season and the most of any outside hitter … in a three-set match at Seton Hall (Oct. 26), Phillips wrapped up the match with seven kills with only one error for a .316 average, 11 digs and two solo blocks … she averaged 2.42 kills/set and 3.58 digs/set through the three matches played.
The Real Deal(y) …
To put it in layman terms, freshman Kristen Dealy is on a tear … this past week she registered three double-doubles in as many outings, bringing her season-high total to seven … Dealy had 16 kills on a .286 average with 11 digs at Long Beach (Oct. 21) and added a pair of assists and six blocks – four of which were solo – versus the 49ers … she followed that with 15 kills, 15 digs and three aces with four blocks at Villanova (Oct. 25) … 10 of those digs came in the first set alone … she wrapped up the three-match week with 12 kills and 13 digs with three blocks and two aces at Seton Hall (Oct. 26) … she averaged over 3.00 kills, 3.00 digs/set and more than 1.00 blocks/set in the three matches.
Are We There Yet?
Fall break may have meant classes were out of session at Notre Dame, but volleyball was in full swing … Notre Dame covered over 6,000 miles, caught six flights and hit ground in five states over the course of one week with matches at Long Beach (Oct. 21), Villanova (Oct. 25) and Seton Hall (Oct. 26) … Notre Dame went 1-2 on the road trip. The Offensive Engineer …
Setter Jamel Nicholas has had at least 20 assists in each of Notre Dame’s matches this season with the Irish switching between a 5-1 and 6-2 offensive attack … Nicholas had a career-high 54 assists against Pittsburgh (Oct. 12) … Nicholas currently ranks seventh on the school’s all-time assists list with 1,541 … she reached a noteworthy milestone at the Idaho Volleyball Classic (Sept. 5-6) by surpassing the 1,000-assist plateau … Nicholas shared time with Ashley Tarutis during her first two seasons with the Fighting Irish and now mentors freshman setter Beth Wildermuth.
Irish Reach 600 …
Eight team aces and 13 kills by freshman Kristen Dealy powered Notre Dame to win No. 600 in program history against West Virginia (Oct. 11) at the Joyce Center … following the win the Irish sported a 600-343 (.636) overall record in their 29th season of varsity action.
Take a Bow …
Christina Kaelin was part of the BIG EAST Conference’s honor roll on Oct. 6 and again on Oct. 13 … Kaelin had 11 kills with only one error for a .500 clip to lead an Irish team that hit .370 in an Oct. 11 contest with WVU … the Irish received 21 kills from Kaelin in the team’s next match versus Pittsburgh (Oct. 12) … that performance put her in a four-way tie for 10th place on Notre Dame’s career list for matches with 20+ kills (6) … she had 20 against Eastern Washington earlier this season … she averaged 4.57 kills/set over the two-match stretch … she also led the Irish in kills and hitting percentage in each of the team’s two matches from Oct. 4-5 … Kaelin fired in 14 kills on a .344 average during her homecoming match against the Cardinals … the Louisville native also added one dig and one block versus the Cardinals … she finished with a match-high 17 kills on a .467 average at Cincinnati with one ace and five digs in the four-set affair … she totaled 18.0 points in the Irish loss … the junior averaged 4.43 kills/set on the weekend with a .403 average.
Sciacca Strikes Again …
Sophomore middle blocker Kellie Sciacca was named the league’s top player on Sept. 29 for her performances during Irish wins at USF (Sept. 26) and Georgetown (Sept. 28) … Sciacca had 20 kills in her first BIG EAST match of the season while posting a .643 average against USF … she recorded 16 kills versus the Bulls before recording an error and finished with only two faults on 28 attempts … her hitting percentage in the contest was the fourth highest ever in school history for a four-set match … she followed that performance with nine kills on 15 swings with three errors for a .400 average at Georgetown … Sciacca also added an ace and one solo block against the Hoyas … for the weekend, she averaged 4.14 kills/set with a .588 hitting clip … the Monument, Colo., native was part of the league’s honor roll on Sept. 1 … the BIG EAST named Sciacca its Freshman of the Week three times in 2007 – the most among league rookies – as she was a part of the league’s honor roll on four occasions … Sciacca was also the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s (AVCA) Northeast Region Freshman of the Year last season.
Going Solo …
Senior middle blocker Justine Stremick made her presence felt after seeing action for the first time this season during her debut at the Diet Coke Classic (Sept. 12-14) … Stremick, who missed the first six matches of the season while nursing an injured knee, had eight blocks against No. 16 Cal Poly (Sept. 12) and seven kills versus No. 4 California (Sept. 13).
The Bigger They Are …
It had been a while since Notre Dame faced three consecutive ranked opponents before doing so at the Diet Coke Classic (No. 16 Cal Poly, No. 4 California, No. 11 Minnesota) … the last time Notre Dame challenged ranked foes in consecutive matches was in 2001 when they went to battle with No. 7 UCLA, No. 1 Nebraska and No. 15 Pepperdine at the U.S. Bank / Arby’s Tournament in Lincoln, Neb. … Notre Dame dropped each of the three matches on both occasions.
Pocket Aces …
Notre Dame served a season-high eight aces against Washington State (Sept. 6), but raised the bar one week later against No. 4 California (Sept. 13) with 10 aces … Serinity Phillips, Jamel Nicholas, Tara Enzweiler and Beth Wildermuth each had two for the Fighting Irish against Washington State … Wildermuth added a career-high four aces against California.
On Top of the Summit …
In 29 seasons of varsity volleyball, Notre Dame earned just its first win over a Summit League opponent with a 3-0 sweep of IPFW (Aug. 29) … the league changed its name from the Mid-Continent Conference to Summit in June 2007 … before the season-opening win over the Mastodons the Irish were 26-8 all-time against the conference and 14-3 under head coach Debbie Brown.
It’s Good To Be Home …
Head coach Debbie Brown earned her 200th home victory at Notre Dame with a 3-1 win against Nevada (Aug. 30) … the win moved Brown to 200-38 (.843) within the walls of the Joyce Center … last season she picked up her 400th overall win as the Irish skipper.
Give Silva the Shovel …
Freshman libero Frenchy Silva averaged 4.27 digs/set in four matches during the Shamrock Invitational (Aug. 29-31) … that clip ranked fourth in the BIG EAST Conference and the best among league rookies … Silva scooped 21 shots against Valparaiso (Aug. 31), the first 20-dig effort by an Irish player since Adrianna Stasiuk posted an identical total at Connecticut (Oct. 27) in 2007.
Brown Honored By Former Team …
Head coach Debbie Brown was honored on Sept. 4 during the University of Southern California’s match versus Oklahoma as part of the program’s All-Time Great Night … Brown, a former Trojan standout, was joined during the ceremony with longtime friend and teammate Sue Woodstra … permanent banners with Woodstra and Brown’s name and numbers are now displayed in the Galen Center … after graduating from El Segundo High School (Calif.), Brown captained the University of Southern California to a 72-1 two-year record and national titles in both 1976 and 1977, including a 38-0 run in 1977 that, until 1998, was the only unbeaten season in Division I women’s volleyball history … her 1977 squad is still considered one of the all-time greatest at any level of volleyball … Brown (then Debbie Landreth) twice was named a collegiate All-American and received the Mikasa Award as the “nation’s best all-around player” in 1976 and 1977 … the 5-8 outside hitter left USC prior to her junior year, accepting an invitation to train full-time with the U.S. national team … she co-captained the team to a fifth-place finish at the 1978 World Championships … a year later, she and her teammates – including Debbie Green, Flo Hyman, Rita Crockett and Woodstra – qualified for the Olympics in Moscow and were considered serious medal contenders before the United States elected to boycott the games.
Early Experience …
Freshmen Kristen Dealy and Frenchy Silva each cracked the starting lineups in their collegiate debut versus IPFW (Aug. 31) … last season, first-year players Kellie Sciacca and Angela Puente started in the season opener … setter Beth Wildermuth also saw significant action on the court in the season’s first weekend of play … Silva and Dealy earned starting nods in each of Notre Dame’s three matches … Dealy led the Irish with 31 kills (2.82 kills/set) while Silva averaged 4.27 digs/set … not to be outdone, Wildermuth split time with starting setter Jamel Nicholas and posted 3.73 assists/set.
Enzweiler Energizes Irish …
Junior middle blocker Tara Enzweiler set career-high marks in virtually every statistical category during the Shamrock Invitational (Aug. 29-31) … Enzweiler logged a pair of starts and matched or exceeded single-match personal bests in kills (5), attempts (13), aces (2), solo blocks (1), block assists (7), total blocks (8) and points (8.5).
Setting Herself Up …
Junior setter Jamel Nicholas averaged 6.91 assists/set during the Shamrock Invitational (Aug. 29-31) but much of her aid to the Irish offensive attack against Valparaiso (Aug. 31) came by means of a career-high seven kills … her previous high of two kills was set versus Butler (Sept. 15) during her freshman campaign.
Kaelin Christens Court …
Junior outside hitter Christina Kaelin returned from an injury that sidelined her for the duration of the 2007 campaign with three starts at the Shamrock Invitational (Aug. 29-31) … her weekend was highlighted by 13 kills for a .480 clip versus Valparaiso (Aug. 31) … Kaelin was one of Notre Dame’s top offensive threats throughout her freshman campaign.
Shamrock Stars …
Junior outside hitter Serinity Phillips and sophomore middle blocker Kellie Sciacca were each named to the Shamrock Invitational All-Tournament squad … Phillips had 13 kills and 12 digs in the season opener against IPFW (Aug. 29) and scooped at least 10 digs in each of the invite’s three matches … Sciacca secured a double-double – the second of her career – against Nevada (Aug. 30) with a 14-kill, 10-block effort.
BIG EAST Honors Sciacca …
Sophomore middle blocker Kellie Sciacca was selected to the league’s weekly honor roll (Sept. 1) … Sciacca totaled 30 kills (2.73/set) on a .359 average through three matches at the Shamrock Invitational (Aug. 29-31) … she led Notre Dame with 20 blocks over the course of three matches (1.82 blocks/set) and also registered one ace … Sciacca had 14 kills on a .464 average against Nevada (Aug. 30) along with 10 blocks for a double-double … she had seven blocks against Valparaiso (Aug. 31) … she finished with nine kills on 18 swings versus IPFW (Aug. 29).
–ND–