Nov. 9, 2017
By Robby Hamman
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — The Irish welcome Virginia Tech and Virginia to Notre Dame this weekend in a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference matches. Notre Dame and the Hokies will square off on Friday, Nov. 10 at 7 p.m. ET and then the Cavaliers come to town for a match at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 12.
THE WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Location: Notre Dame, Indiana | Purcell Pavilion
Schedule: Friday, Nov. 10 — 7 p.m. ET vs. Virginia Tech | | LIVE STREAM
Sunday, Nov. 12 — 1 p.m. ET vs. Virginia | | LIVE STREAMTwitter Updates: @NDVolleyball
SERIES HISTORY VS. VIRGINIA TECH & VIRGINIA
Notre Dame leads Virginia Tech in the all-time series by a mark of 5-4. The Irish recorded a 3-1 win over the Hokies in the first meeting this season in Blacksburg, Virginia, on Oct. 8. Notre Dame is 3-1 when playing the Hokies at home.
The Irish and Cavaliers will meet for the eighth time in series history on Sunday. Virginia leads Notre Dame in the all-time series by a mark of 5-2. However, the Irish were victorious in the first installment of the matchup this season, claiming a 3-1 win in Charlottesville, Virginia, on Oct. 6.
KUHN’S CAREER DAY
Senior Sydney Kuhn had a day to remember in Notre Dame’s match at Wake Forest on Nov. 5. The Wichita, Kansas, native posted a career-high 20 kills and added 17 digs, two blocks, an ace and an assist to propel the Irish to a 3-2 win over the Demon Deacons. Kuhn joins teammate Jemma Yeadon as the only two members of the team to record 20+ kills in a match this season.
DIGGING IT
The Irish rank first in digs per set at the conference level and enter the weekend slotted 10th nationally, posting an average of 18.16. Notre Dame is led by Ryann DeJarld, who is averaging 6.12 digs per set, ranking sixth in the country. The average would shatter the Notre Dame single-season record of 5.11 set by Danielle Herndon in 2006.
HERE TO SERVE
Notre Dame head coach Jim McLaughlin has always emphasized the importance of the serve and it shows in the numbers for the Irish this season. The team is averaging 1.59 aces per set to lead the ACC.
Individually, Natalie Johnson has been a menace to opposing teams from the service line. The senior has a career-high 47 aces this season and an average of 0.48 aces per set. Johnson ranks 10th in the country in aces per set and leads the ACC.
NOTRE DAME MILESTONES
Notre Dame has a pair of student-athletes with over 1,000 career digs on the 2017 squad. Junior Ryann DeJarld leads the team with 1,655 career digs and trails only Meg Henican (1,783) on the all-time program record list.
Teammate Natalie Johnson became the 15th player in program history to accomplish the feat, as she recorded her 1,000th dig this season vs. Florida State (10/1). Johnson has 1,093 digs in her career.
Sam Fry reached the 1,000-kill milestone during the win at Florida State (10/20). The senior has 1,054 kills in her career and becomes the 22nd player in program history to reach the 1,000-kill plateau.
BLOCK PARTY
The Irish have been a force at the net defensively this season, pacing the ACC in blocks per set and ranking 19th nationally with an average of 2.74. Notre Dame has finished in double figures for team blocks in nine of its 14 ACC matches and recorded a season-high 18.0 against Miami (9/30).
Sam Fry leads Notre Dame in blocks per set, averaging 1.32 on the season. Earlier this season, Fry became the program’s career block record holder since the NCAA changed the scoring system to 25-point sets. Fry currently has 451 career blocks and is just the ninth player in program history to surpass the 1,000-kill and 400-block marks in her career.
— ND —
Robby Hamman joined Fighting Irish Media as athletics communications assistant director in September 2016, coordinating efforts for the volleyball and men’s lacrosse program. Hamman is a 2010 graduate of Bethel College, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in sport management and business administration, and earned his master’s degree in business administration from Defiance College in 2013.