Sept. 13, 2006
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THIS WEEK: The Notre Dame volleyball team (4-4) competes in its second road tournament of the season. The Irish will travel west to compete in the Sun Devil Volleyball Classic from Sept. 15-17. Notre Dame will start the tournament with a match up against Butler (5-5) on Sept. 15 at 5 p.m. MST/PDT. The Fighting Irish will have a match against the Duke Blue Devils (5-1) on Saturday, Sept. 16 at 4 p.m. MST/PDT and wrap up the tournament by taking on the host school Arizona State (6-2) at 1 p.m. MST/PDT on Sunday, Sept. 17.
QUICK HITS ABOUT THE IRISH: Below are some highlights of the note package. For more details on any topic, consult the remainder of the release.
* Notre Dame finished 1-2 in the UNI Invitational defeating Alabama, but falling to Kansas State and Northern Iowa.
* Notre Dame’s win over Alabama was the first time the two schools have met on the volleyball court.
* The win over Alabama was the fourth time in as many seasons that Notre Dame has won its first game away from the Joyce Center
* Senior Danielle Herndon was named to the UNI Invitational All-Tournament Team.
* Ashley Tarutis (tuh-ROO-diss) and Mallorie Croal (KROLE) both set career best in categories against Arizona State last season in the Shamrock Invitational. Tarutis set her career best with 65 assists, while Croal’s 22 digs was the best mark she has registered in her career with the Irish.
* Head Coach Debbie Brown is five wins away from the historic 500-win mark in her career.
* A few Notre Dame volleyball players are quickly moving up the career and season charts. Junior Adrianna Stasiuk (a-dree-ANN-uh stu-SHEWK) with her seven double digit digs this season now has 51 in career good for seventh all-time in the double figure dig mark.
* Ashley Tarutis with her 193 assists this season now has 2,916 assists in her career, which is fifth all-time.
* Danielle Herndon’s eight matches leading the team in digs to start the season is already tied for the third longest consecutive streak leading the team in digs.
* Freshman Christina Kaelin (KAY-lynn) with five 20+ kill matches this year is just out of the top-10 all-time for matches with 20+ kills for the Irish.
* Head Coach Debbie Brown, an Arizona State graduate and former head coach, is making a return to campus for only the second time as the Irish’s head coach since she left ASU after the 1988 season.
* Ashley Tarutis led the team in assists for all three matches of the UNI Invitational and has now led the team in helpers in 67 of the last 71 matches.
* Adrianna Stasiuk has recorded five double-doubles in the first eight matches.
* Danielle Herndon has led the team in digs in every match this season.
* The Irish continue to alternate their two setters this season with both Ashley Tarutis and Jamel (juh-MEL) Nicholas. Each setter has started and lead the team in assists in four matches this season.
* No individual Notre Dame player is ranked among the top-10 in the BIG EAST in assists, yet the Irish thanks to both setters Jamel Nicholas and Ashley Tarutis are fifth in the conference in assists.
* Justine Stremick (STREM-ick) currently is third in the conference in blocks per game with an average of 1.65. She enters the week 15th nationally in blocks per game.
* Justine Stremick’s 51 total blocks this year is more than double her next two teammates combined.
* Danielle Herndon is third in the BIG EAST with her average of 5.45 digs per game.
* Christina Kaelin is fourth in the conference in kills per game (kpg) at 4.29. She is the only freshman to rank among the top-10 in the conference in this category.
* The fourth loss for Notre Dame on Sept. 9 is the earliest the Irish have lost four matches in a season during the Debbie Brown era. But the eight matches by Sept. 9 is also the busiest early season schedule the Irish have had since 1983 when they played 10 matches by the ninth of September. The four losses in five matches is the toughest stretch for the Irish since 1998, when they also went through a stretch of losing four of five matches from Sept. 6-19.
* Christina Kaelin was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week for the second consecutive week on Sept. 4. She is only Irish player to ever capture the award in consecutive weeks. She tied her career best with 24 kills against then No. 13 Missouri.
* Sophomore Justine Stremick and freshman Christina Kaelin were both named to the Shamrock Invitational All-Tournament team.
* Notre Dame went 2-1 in the Shamrock Invitational over the weekend of Sept 1-2, to place second to then No. 13 Missouri.
* Justine Stremick’s 14 blocks against Idaho on Sept. 2 is tied for the third most blockers ever recorded by an Irish player in four games.
* Freshman Jamel Nicholas broke junior Ashley Tarutis streak of leading the team in assists against Valparaiso. The streak stood at 64 matches before Nicholas totaled a career-best 36 assists against Valpo.
* Five players reached double figures in kills against then No. 13 Missouri (Christina Kaelin, Mallorie Croal, Justine Stremick, Adrianna Stasiuk & Megan Fesl).
* The loss to then No. 13 Missouri and then No. 6 Santa Clara was the first time Notre Dame had lost consecutive matches since the start of the 2004 season.
* The win over Bowling Green to open the season was Notre Dame’s 16th consecutive to open a season.
* Freshman Christina Kaelin’s 24 kills in her first match against Bowling Green are tied for the second most kills ever recorded by a Notre Dame volleyball player in a three-game match.
* Kaelin for her efforts was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week for the week ending Aug. 27.
* Kaelin was the first Notre Dame BIG EAST Rookie of the Week since sophomore Mallorie Croal in Sept. 2005
* With senior Danielle Herndon leading the team in digs against Bowling Green with 17, it was only the 13th time over the last two years that someone other than former libero Meg Heican was the digs leader.
* Before the three-game loss to then No. 6 Santa Clara, the Fighting Irish had not been swept in a regular season non-conference match since the 2004 season against then No. 2 Nebraska.
* Notre Dame has high hopes for the upcoming 2006 campaign as the squad returns three starters and eight monogram winners.
* Last season ND went 30-4, including a mark of 13-1 in BIG EAST play, which tied them for conference regular season title.
* Notre Dame won all three games at the BIG EAST Championship in Louisville, Ky. to take the championship title and the automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament for the ninth time.
* Notre Dame after defeating Dayton and Northwestern in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, advanced to the round of 16 before falling to Wisconsin in five games all four defeats for Notre Dame during the 2005 season were the five-game variety.
* The 2006 Fighting Irish were chosen as the favorites in the BIG EAST Conference for 11th time in 12 seasons
* The Irish are led by their co-captains senior Danielle Herndon and junior Adrianna Stasiuk.
* Also returning is junior setter Ashley Tarutis, who set a new school record with 1,573 assists last season.
* Joining the strong nucleus this season is one the highest ranked freshman classes in the country (third by Volleyball Magazine and fifth by PrepVolleyball.com).
* Head Coach Debbie Brown returns for her 16th season at the helm of volleyball program and signed a new contract extension in the off-season.
* Two additions to the coaching staff this season are former Virginia Tech head coach Greg Smith and Kevin Lane.
* ND will take on nine teams in 10 matches this season that were participants in the 2005 NCAA Volleyball Tournament.
* ND has four matches on home football weekends this season.
* Danielle Herndon is the lone senior on the team, the first time since 1983 that the Notre Dame roster will only have one senior.
* Over the last 16 years Notre Dame is an impressive 184-31 (.856) at the Joyce Center.
* The Fighting Irish has compiled an overall record of 120-7 (.945) including a record of 67-1 at the Joyce Center during regular season play against BIG EAST competition since joining the conference in 1995.
* This is the 35th anniversary of women’s athletics at Notre Dame, in celebration the volleyball team and the female athletic teams at Notre Dame will wear special patches on their uniforms this season. There will also be a special celebration in April. For more information see the info located toward the back of this notes package.
SCOUTING BUTLER: The Bulldogs dropped all three matches over the weekend in the Western Illinois Invitational and started the week with a loss to IUPUI … of Butler’s five wins this season, three have come been sweeps … the Bulldogs attack is led by senior outside hitter Krystal Hendrix … Hendrix leads the squad with 120 kills and 51 blocks … Hendrix is also hitting at a very high percentage at .364 … the Bulldogs are a good defensive team and have already accumulated 96 blocks for an average of 2.67 per game … among the five losses is one to fellow BIG EAST rival DePaul in four games on Saturday, Sept. 9 … Butler’s head coach is Sharon Clark is in her 17th year of coaching including the last seven at Butler … Clark just won her 200th career match two weekends ago and will eclipse the century mark at Butler with her next victory.
SERIES VS. BUTLER: The Irish and Butler, formerly foes in the North Star Conference, will meet for the first time since 1994 and the 20th time overall … Notre Dame holds a 13-6 advantage in the all-time series including wins in each of the last six matches … the most recent match between the schools was a 15-6, 15-9, 15-11 win by the Irish at the Joyce Center in 1994 … each of the last four times these teams have played Notre Dame has been ranked … the 1991 victory was one in which Notre Dame set the school record for digs with 88 … Janelle Karlan in the ’91 match recorded only the 21st triple double ever for Notre Dame (49 assists, 16 digs, 10 kills)… the 1988 ND win lasted for just 44 minutes, which is tied for the third quickest match in Notre Dame history … the 1986 match saw Maureen Shea set a school record for blocks with 18 as ND blocked 29 shots as a team (second most) … Shea’s eight solo blocks are the most ever recorded for the Irish … freshman Kim Kristoff (Carmel, Brebeuf Jesuit Prep, Team Indiana) is the only current Indiana native on the Irish roster … a total of 19 Indiana products have played for the Irish.
SCOUTING DUKE: The Blue Devils (5-1) are playing some great volleyball to start the season … after making the NCAA Tournament last season, Duke is well on its way through the early going to earning another bid this season … Duke’s lone loss this season was a three game loss to #2 Penn State in the Penn State Classic last weekend … four of the five Duke wins and their lone loss this season have come in three games, so normally things will end quickly no matter what the outcome … the Blue Devils are 2-0 on neutral sites this season … Duke has already played two teams from the BIG EAST Conference this season, having defeated Marquette and West Virginia … junior Carrie DeMange is leading the team with 78 kills this season, an average of 4.33 per game … only one current member, Christina Falcone, of the Duke roster is from the state of North Carolina … Falcone a freshman is from the same high school, Cardinal Gibbons, as Notre Dame volleyball player Tara Enzweiler … the Devils did not play last weekend and haven’t taken the court for a match since Sept. 2 … head coach Jolene Nagle is entering her eighth year at the helm of the volleyball program at Duke … Nagel is a familiar face to Irish volleyball fans as she spent five years coaching BIG EAST rival Georgetown.
SERIES VS. DUKE: The Irish and the Blue Devils will meet for the seventh time but the first time since 1998 … Notre Dame has won each of the last four matches and sports a 5-1 record overall … ND swept the three games in 1998 by the score of 15-11, 15-12, 15-12 … The Irish are riding a six-game winning streak having not dropped a game to the Blue Devils since 1989 … Duke’s lone match victory was in 1986 with ND winning the first game and seeing the Blue Devils rally to take the next three … this will be the third neutral site match of the series but the first in the Mountain Time Zone … freshman Tara Enzweiler (Raleigh, Cardinal Gibbons, Triangle) is the only member of the Tar Heel State to ever put on an Irish uniform … Notre Dame volleyball has an impressive 36-8 record lifetime record Atlantic Coast Conference competition … Debbie Brown is 19-1 against current ACC members in her career.
SCOUTING ARIZONA STATE: The Sun Devils (6-2) have opened the season well with the only two losses coming at the hands of ranked opponents … this tournament will be the first set of home matches for the Sun Devils since opening the 2006 season with three straight wins back in August … sophomore outside hitter Margo Giordano is the team leader with 107 kills and an average of 3.96 per game … senior Nicole Morton is the other big hitter with 90 kills this season … the Sun Devils are using a two-setter approach with freshman Marina Mercer leading the team with 171 assists … junior Rachel Mittelstaedt has worked as the other setter with 144 assists this season … Mittelstaedt has a younger sister, Paige, an outside hitter, that is also part of the team … ASU is coached by Brad Saindon, who is entering his fourth year in control of Arizona State and his 16th season as a collegiate head coach
SERIES VS. ARIZONA STATE: The Irish and Sun Devils will meet for the second consecutive season and fifth time overall… Arizona State won the three matches from 1983-1993 … last season the Irish won a thrilling five-game set over the Sun Devils 30-20, 28-30, 21-30, 30-23, 15-10 in the Shamrock Invitational … the Irish’s win last year was highlighted by a season/career best 28 kills from graduated senior Lauren Brewster … junior setter Ashley Tarutis set a career best with 65 assists in last year’s match … ASU has been ranked in the top 20 in three of the four previous meetings … the Sun Devils have won 11 of the 15 games between the two schools … ND and ASU first met in 1983 at the Thanksgiving tournament in Baton Rogue, La., with the #13 Sun Devils prevailing in three games … current Irish mentor Debbie Brown, following two years as an All-American at USC and a stint with the U.S. Olympic Team, complete her education at Arizona State, graduating in 1982 … she then began her coaching career as an assistant at ASU under Dale Flickinger from 1980-82 before assuming the head coaching duties in 1983 … in her six years at the helm of ASU, Brown compiled a 117-83 record, while gaining five invitations to the NCAAs, finishing in the top 20 on four occasions, and being named Pac-10 Coach of the Year in 1986 … other than the BIG EAST, Brown has more victories against the Pac-10 (41) than versus teams from any other conference … Notre Dame director of athletics Kevin White held that same position at ASU prior to taking his current position in 2000.
SOMETHING NEW: In the first ever meeting between Notre Dame and Alabama, the Irish topped the Crimson Tide as Christina Kaelin topped the 20-kill mark for the fourth time this season. It was also the fourth time in as many years that Notre Dame has won its opening match away from home.
THE SUN ALWAYS SHINES ON THEM: Junior Ashley Tarutis has a career average of 13 assists per game against the Sun Devils, including an all-time record of 65 in last years match. Sophomore Mallorie Croal has also played well against ASU. She set a personal best last season as a freshman with her 22 dig. Croal also put up 15 kills and four blocks for the Irish in their five game victory.
HERNDON IS THE CHOSEN ONE: Danielle Herndon capped off a strong UNI Invitational on Sept. 9 by being selected to the All-Tournament Team. She has now led the squad in digs in all eight matches this season. In the tournament she topped the 20-dig mark in two of the three matches and finished with 19 digs in the third match. She average 5.45 digs per game. She also tallied eight assists and had a reception percentage of .982 for the tournament.
SNEAKING UP ON HISTORY: Head Coach Debbie Brown is quickly approaching the 500-win mark. Coach Brown is only five wins away and closing quickly. She has amassed a record of 495-209 in her 22 years as a head coach.
A WEEKLY WATCH: These are the individual player both season and career stats to be on the lookout for this week.
* Junior Adrianna Stasiuk with her seven double figure digs matches this season now has 51 in her career, which is sixth all-time at Notre Dame.
* Junior Ashley Tarutis with 193 assists this season now has 2,916 assists in her career, which is fifth on the Notre Dame assist list. She is 84 from reaching the magical number of 3,000.
* Senior Danielle Herndon by leading the team in digs in all eight matches this season has tied Meg Henican for the third longest dig-leading streak. Henican also owns the top two marks, which is 11 consecutive matches.
* Freshman Christina Kaelin with five 20+ kill matches this season, is creeping up on the top-ten all-time at Notre Dame for 20+ kill matches in a career. Three former Notre Dame players (Christi Girton, Kathy Cunningham and Mary Kay Waller) hold the career mark of six 20+ kill matches.
WELCOME BACK: Head coach Debbie Brown will be making only second trip back to Arizona State as Notre Dame’s head coach since leaving there in 1988. Only other time she returned to Arizona State was a four game loss to the Sun Devils in 1993.
GETTING HER GROOVE BACK: Junior Ashley Tarutis led the squad in assists every match of the UNI Invitational and has now led the team in assists in 67 of the last 71 matches.
DOUBLING UP: Junior Adrianna Stasiuk has had a double-double in kills and digs in five of the first eight matches this season.
TAKING CONTROL: Senior libero Danielle Herndon has led the squad in digs in every match this season including setting her career-high with 29 against then No. 13 Missouri.
A SLIGHT DROP: Notre Dame’s volleyball team with four losses in the last five matches has now dropped out of the AVCA’s top-25. The Irish are still the 10th team, not in the top-25 that is receiving votes though.
AN INTERESTING SITUATION: Notre Dame has switched up their two setters junior Ashley Tarutis and Jamel Nicholas through the first eight matches, where each one of them has led the team in assists in at least four matches this season. Due in part to the two setter approach no individual setter is ranked among the top-10 in the BIG EAST, but Notre Dame as a team is fifth in the conference in assists.
SENDING THEM BACK: Sophomore Justine Stremick is third in the conference with her average of 1.65 blocks per game. Her 10 solo blocks are the second most in the BIG EAST. She is also 15th nationally in blocks per game.
A POINT SAVER: Senior Danielle Herndon is third in the conference in digs per game at 5.45. Herndon and the Irish are fifth in the conference in digs per game (17.13).
MAKING AN IMPACT: Christina Kaelin is fourth in the conference in kills per game with her average of 4.29. She is the only freshman in the BIG EAST Conference to rank in the category.
SHE STANDS ABOVE ALL: Justine Stremick is not only the tallest player on the team at 6-3, she also has more than double the amount of blocks with 51 this season than her next two closest teammates combined (Adrianna Stasiuk and Mallorie Croal), who total 42 together.
A TOUGH TIME: The fourth loss for Notre Dame on Sept. 9 is the earliest the Irish have lost four matches in a season during the Debbie Brown era. But the eight matches by Sept. 9 is also the busiest early season schedule the Irish have had since 1983 when they played 10 matches by the ninth of September. The four losses in five matches is the toughest stretch for the Irish since 1998, when they also went through a stretch of losing four of five matches from Sept. 6-19.
A MEDIA FRIENDLY TEAM: For the second time this season, Notre Dame volleyball made a television appearance. The Irish-Northern Iowa match on Saturday night, Sept 9, was taped delayed and shown on Mediacom, a local cable station in Iowa. The first was the CSTV match against then No. 13 Missouri. Unfortunately both matches’ were thrilling five-game sets that have not ended up in Notre Dame’s favor.
A TREND WE CAN ALL GET BEHIND: For the second time in as many weeks on Sept. 4, freshman Christina Kaelin was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week. Kaelin became the first Irish volleyball player to capture the award in consecutive weeks. She also ties junior Adrianna Stasiuk and former Notre Dame volleyball players Lauren Kelbley and Mary Leffers, as the only Irish players to capture the award twice in a season.
SHAMROCK ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM SELECTIONS: Sophomore Justine Stremick and freshman Christina Kaelin were both named to the Shamrock Invitational All-Tournament Team. Stremick averaged totaled 32 kills and 25 blocks in the tournament, while Kaelin totaled 57 kills, for an average of 4.38 kills-per-game, while also digging 12 balls and blocking five attempts.
A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN: Sophomore Justine Stremick controlled the action around the net against Idaho in the Shamrock Invitational. She tallied 14 blocks, including 11 block assists against the Vandals. Her 14 blocks in the four-game match is tied with Mary Kay Waller for the third most blocks by an ND blocker.
SOMETHING DIFFERENT: Freshman Jamel Nicholas, with a career-best 36 assists against Valparaiso, broke the 64 consecutive matches that junior Ashley Tarutis led the team in assists. Nicholas continued the trend by leading the team in assists all four matches the weekend on Sept 1-3.
HI-FIVE: Notre Dame for the first time since the BIG EAST final against Louisville had five players in double figures in kills against #13 Missouri. The players and the number of kills they had in order were: Christina Kaelin (24), Mallorie Croal (14), Justine Stremick (14), Adrianna Stasiuk (13) & Megan Fesl (FEH-sul) (11).
UNFAMILAR GROUND: Previous to the three-game loss to Santa Clara, Notre Dame had only been defeated five times over the last two seasons and all had come in a five-game set. The last time Notre Dame lost a non-conference match-up at the Joyce Center in less than five-games with a three gamer to then No. 2 Nebraska in 2004. Prior to the Missouri loss, the Irish hadn’t been defeated at the Joyce Center since dropping a conference match-up to then BIG EAST member Boston College in 2004. The last time that Notre Dame volleyball, previous to the two-match losing streak they are were on from Sept 2-3, lost two matches in a row also came during the 2004 season coming at the hands of South Carolina and Michigan.
A NICE START TO A CAREER: Freshman Christina Kaelin had a tremendous start to her freshman season as she led the team in kills with 24. Her 24 kills are tied for the second most assists ever recorded in a three game match behind only the 25 recorded by Angie Harris on Sept. 15, 1995. The Assumption High School graduate was the first Notre Dame volleyball player to register at least in 20 kills in a match since another Louisville native Ellen Heintzman recorded 22 kills in a five-game set against Tennessee on Nov. 26, 2005.
KAELIN NAMED BIG EAST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK: Christina Kaelin after her fantastic performance of 24 kills in 43 attempts with only four errors against Bowling Green was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Aug. 28. Her hitting percentage of .465 is the highest a Fighting Irish volleyball player had registered that had at least 20 kills since Lauren Kelbley hit .688 with 24 kills against Loyola-Chicago last season. Kaelin’s BIG EAST award was the first Rookie of the Week honor; the Fighting Irish have won since Mallorie Croal took home the honors on Sept. 5 of last season.
NOTRE DAME IN SEASON OPENERS: With a three game sweep of Bowling Green this season, Notre Dame has won its lidlifter for 16 consecutive season, every year since head coach Debbie Brown arrived on campus. The last time the Irish started the season 0-1 was in 1990, when they lost in four games to Montana in the Washington State Invitational.
A NEW TREND: When senior Danielle Herndon led the team with 17 digs against Bowling Green, it was only the 13th time over the last two seasons that someone other than former libero Meg Henican led the team in that category. Two other current members (Adrianna Stasiuk and Mallorie Croal) of the roster were among the 13 times. For Herndon it was the third time in her career that she was the team leader in digs.
NEW LEADERS: With the graduation of both captains from last season, the Notre Dame volleyball team has chosen two new leaders for this season. The new captains are senior Danielle Herndon and junior Adrianna Stasiuk.
WHO’S BACK? The Notre Dame volleyball team returns three starter and eight monogram winners from last year’s squad. Among the returnees, besides Herndon and Stasiuk, is all-time single season assist record holder (1,573) junior setter Ashley Tarutis. Also returning is junior outside hitter Ellen Heintzman (HIGHNTZ-min), and sophomores Madison Clark, Mallorie Croal, Annie Morkis (MOH-kris) and Justine Stremick.
NEW FACES: The Notre Dame volleyball team has reloaded with seven highly touted freshman vying for playing time this season. The freshmen this year are Tara Enzweiler, Megan Fesl, Christina Kaelin, Kim Kristoff (pronounced CHRIS-toff), Jamel Nicholas, Colleen Nolan and Serinity Phillips (suh-REN-ih-tee).
IRISH ARE THE BIG EAST FAVORITE: For the 11th time in 12 seasons as a member of the BIG EAST, Notre Dame volleyball program was chosen as the preseason favorite in the BIG EAST Conference. The only season Notre Dame was not chosen as the favorite since entering the league was last season’s second place prediction.
HONORS AND SELECTIONS: Junior outside hitter Adrianna Stasiuk and junior setter Ashley Tarutis were both chosen for the preseason All BIG-EAST squad.
IN LIVING ROOMS EVERYWHERE: For the fourth time in as many season the Notre Dame volleyball team had a game shown on College Sports Television. The Fighting Irish had a match against then No. 13 Missouri on Sept. 2 at the Shamrock Invitational at 7 p.m. taped delayed and shown by CSTV on Sept. 3 at 2 p.m. ND is one of only eight schools that has been part of the CSTV volleyball package every season since its inception. The others are (shown with `06 preseason national rankings) #1 Nebraska, #4 Stanford, #6 Santa Clara, #8 Texas, #19 Pepperdine, #24 Utah and Colorado State. The BIG EAST Champion game to be held on Nov. 19 at 4:00 p.m., which Notre Dame has played in for 11 consecutive seasons, will also be shown on CSTV this season.
HOME FOOTBALL WEEKENDS: For the sixth time in seven years, the Notre Dame volleyball team is scheduled to play matches this season that will precede football pep rallies. The start of the home BIG EAST play against Marquette on Oct. 6 at 4 p.m. will be the first of the two pre-pep rally matches for Notre Dame. Also on the schedule this season, the Connecticut match on Oct. 20 at 4 p.m. will take place before the pep rally for the UCLA game. Football-weekend guests will have the two other opportunities to see the Irish, all against BIG EAST competition. The day after the Stanford football game (Sunday, Oct. 8) Notre Dame will host Syracuse at 1 p.m., while Sunday, Oct. 22 will see the Fighting Irish hosting St. John’s at 2 p.m.
ALL BY HERSELF: Senior Danielle Herndon is the lone senior on the 15-person team this season, which is the first time since 1983 (Terese Henken) that the Irish have only had one senior on the team.
AN EXCEPTIONAL CLASS: The seven student-athletes who comprise the freshman class for the University of Notre Dame women’s volleyball team this season – MB Tara Enzweiler, OH/OPP Megan Fesl, OH Christina Kaelin, MB Kim Kristoff, S Jamel Nicholas, DS/L Colleen Nolan, and OH/OPP Serinity Phillips – earned high praise before even stepping on campus, as two publications ranked the group among the five best in the country. Volleyball magazine had Notre Dame third on its list of top recruiting classes appearing in the August issue, while PrepVolleyball.com placed the Irish fifth on a similar list. These cap off the accolades received by the group, which features four PrepVolleyball.com high school All-Americans, three Volleyball magazine Fab 50 selections, and two Gatorade State Players of the Year for volleyball.
Fesl, Kaelin, and Kristoff were on Volleyball’s Girls Fab 50 list of the top high school seniors in the nation, announced in April. It is the first time since 1997 (Denise Boylan, Christi Girton, and Jo Jameyson) – and just the third time ever – that Notre Dame has had three Fab 50 picks in the same class. The other instance was the 1994 group of Angie Harris, Jaimie Lee, and Carey May. The Irish are one of only five schools that have three or more on the Fab 50 list, joining Penn State (four), Pepperdine (three), Texas A&M (three), and Wisconsin (three). Notre Dame has now had 23 players earn Fab 50 designation since 1990, including at least one in 11 of the last 13 years.
AN INTELLIGENT BUNCH: The Notre Dame volleyball team posted one of its highest grade-point averages on record for the academic year in 2005-2006 and was recognized as a recipient of the Game/Plan American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Team Academic Award. The Irish, who had a spring team GPA of 3.380, were one of just 54 Division I Programs on the list and one of a group of 12 that also made the 2005 NCAA Tournament. 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. The Irish were previously honored with the award in 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2004-05.
SHE’S THE BOSS: Irish head coach Debbie Brown is now in her 16th season as the leader of the Notre Dame volleyball program. She has led the Irish to a 378-126 mark (.750), while holding an overall record of 495-209 (.703). Brown’s Notre Dame teams have earned 14 consecutive NCAA tournament bids, advancing to the quarterfinals in 1993 and the round of 16 in `94, `95, and `97. Her squads have won 20 or more matches 13 times. A 10-time conference coach of the year and the only five-time BIG EAST coach of the year (4 in the Midwestern Collegiate and one in the Pac-10), she has coached 12 Irish players to All-American honors. The Irish have also claimed 14 regular season conference titles (4 Midwestern Collegiate, 10 BIG EAST) and 13 league tournament titles (4 MCC, 9 BIG EAST) under her watch. A co-captain of the 1980 U.S Olympic volleyball team after winning a pair of national championships and earning All-American 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.
BROWNS EXTENSION: Debbie Brown – a 10-time conference coach of the year and finalist for national coach of the year in 2005 – has signed a multi-year contract extension to remain the head coach of the University of Notre Dame’s women’s volleyball program, it was announced July 17 by director of athletics Kevin White. After leading the Irish to one of their best seasons ever in 2005, Brown is in her 16th year at the helm. Last season, Brown’s squad peaked at fifth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll before posting its first 30-win season since 1994 (all four defeats came in five-game matches). The Irish went 5-1 against top-15 teams, earned an all-time high seeding of No. 6 in their 14th consecutive trip to the NCAA Championship (ND is one of only eight schools with such a streak). Notre Dame played host to the first two rounds and advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since 1997 before falling in five games. The Irish – which had a 15-match winning streak and spent a program-record 10 weeks in the AVCA top 10 – went 13-1 to win their 10th BIG EAST Conference regular-season championship (in 11 years of league membership) and then won in five games at Louisville in a battle of top-10 teams to claim ND’s ninth conference tournament title. The squad also featured the first player in program history – 2006 graduate Lauren Brewster – to be both an athletic and Academic All-American. For her efforts, Brown became the first five-time BIG EAST volleyball coach of the year and was named the top coach in the AVCA’s Northeast Region, making her one of the finalists for the national award.
Her tenure as the Irish head coach has seen Notre Dame compile a 378-126 (.750) record, and she has a 495-209 (.703) mark as a head coach. Brown’s Notre Dame squads have finished in the AVCA top 25 on nine occasions and reached the final 16 in the NCAAs six times – including a quarterfinal run in 1993. The Brown era has seen 15 consecutive winning seasons, with all but one featuring 20+ victories. Her teams have been outstanding against conference opposition, winning 14 regular-season titles and 13 league tournaments, while compiling a staggering 147-7 (.955) regular-season record against conference rivals (83-1 at home). Brown’s squads have been outstanding at home, accruing a 184-31 (.856) record, including five winning streaks of 14 or more matches. Individually, her Irish players have earned All-America accolades 14 times and have combined for 54 all-conference honors (nearly four per season), including 33 on the first team.
A NEW MAN IN PLACE: The Fighting Irish in 2006 will have a new assistant coach in place as Greg Smith, formerly the head man at Virginia Tech, has joined the Notre Dame volleyball family this season. Smith compiled a record of 81-94 (463), including 37-38 (.493) in his five years in command of the Hokies. Smith replaces Robin Davis who took the head position at Boise State. Also joining the volleyball coaching staff, as volunteer assistant is Kevin Lane. Lane is an experienced coach on several levels having most recently spent time at Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne, aiding the Mastodons to a runner-up finish at the National Independent University Tournament.
AN IMPRESSIVE STREAK: Notre Dame’s current 14 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances is behind only seven other schools nationally (Stanford (25), Penn State (25), UC Santa Barbara (25), Nebraska (24), Long Beach State (19), USC (15) and Florida (15)) for consecutive appearances in the Big Dance.
HOME SWEET HOME: Notre Dame’s Joyce Center has become one of the most difficult places in the nation for road teams to win at, especially since the arrival of head coach Debbie Brown in 1991. Over the last 16 seasons, Notre Dame has posted a 183-31 record (.855) home record. The Irish have put together some impressive winning streaks on the home court, winning 14 or more matches in a row at home on five different occasions, highlighted by a streak 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. On 15 different occasions Notre Dame has topped a ranked team at the Joyce Center, including five upsets of teams ranked in the top-10. During the Brown era Notre Dame holds a home record of 174-10 (.946) against unranked teams at home.
CLASS OF THE CONFERENCE:Notre Dame has experienced unprecedented success in the 11 years since joining the league in 1995. The Irish have compiled a 120-7 (.945) regular season mark, highlighted by 10 titles and winning streaks of 45 and 35 consecutive matches. Notre Dame is 67-1 (.985) in BIG EAST regular-season contests in the Joyce Center. The Irish have won nine BIG EAST tournament championships, posting a mark of 22-2 (.917) in the event and reaching the final every season. The Fighting Irish have also dominated the conference awards; winning player-of the-year honors six times and coach-of-the-year five times. On nine occasions an Irish player has been named to the league tournament’s most outstanding player. Also, Notre Dame players have taken home 40 all-conference accolades, including 24 first team honors.
KEEPING UP WITH 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 results information for all Irish varsity sports and serves as a supplement to the match recaps and weekly releases provided on the official athletic website at www.und.com. In addition, media members and fans can be added to the sports information e-mail release list by contacting sports information assistant Joe Prisco, at prisco.3@nd.edu. All requests for story ideas, interview access, match credentials and further information on Irish volleyball should also be directed to Prisco. Credential and interview requests should be made at least 24 hours in advance.
UP NEXT: The Fighting Irish will start BIG EAST conference play next weekend with the first two of three conference road matches on the East Coast. The weekend begins in New Brunswick, N.J. as the Irish take on Rutgers at 12 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 23. Notre Dame will wrap up its weekend taking on Villanova in Pennsylvania on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 2 p.m.