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Notre Dame Wraps Up Home Schedule Against UNC And NC State

Nov. 16, 2017

Notre Dame Notes

By Robby Hamman

NOTRE DAME, Ind. —
The Irish will play their final two home matches of the 2017 season this weekend, hosting North Carolina and NC State inside Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame and UNC square off at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 17, and then the Irish host the Wolfpack at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Nov. 19, for Senior Day.

THE WEEKEND SCHEDULE

Location: Notre Dame, Indiana | Purcell Pavilion
Schedule: Friday, Nov. 17 — 7 p.m. ET vs. North Carolina | | LIVE STREAM
Sunday, Nov. 19 — 1 p.m. ET vs. NC State | | LIVE STREAMTwitter Updates: @NDVolleyball

FREE T-SHIRT FRIDAY

The first 700 fans to Friday’s showdown between the Irish and Tar Heels will receive a free Green Out t-shirt. All fans are asked to wear green to the match against UNC.

SERIES HISTORY VS. UNC & NC STATE

Notre Dame narrowly trails the Tar Heels 5-6 in the series between the two sides. North Carolina is currently on a five-match winning streak. The Irish and Tar Heels played a thriller in their most recent meeting, with the Tar Heels pulling out a 3-2 win in Purcell Pavilion last season.

The Irish will face the Wolfpack for the eighth time on Sunday. Notre Dame trails NC State in the all-time series 3-4. The Wolfpack won the first matchup this season, edging Notre Dame 3-2 in Raleigh. The Irish defeated the Wolfpack in their only meeting last season, recording a sweep inside Purcell Pavilion.

THANK YOU SENIORS

Notre Dame will honor its six seniors on Sunday prior to the last home match of the season against NC State. The senior class of Sam Fry, Caroline Holt, Natalie Johnson, Sydney Kuhn, Maddie Plumlee and Taylor Zwickl each be recognized in a ceremony before the opening serve. The seniors have played a major role in the resurgence of the program, helping the team to a record 13 wins in ACC play in 2016.

DIGGING IT

The Irish rank first in digs per set at the conference level and enter the weekend slotted 11th nationally, posting an average of 18.17. Notre Dame is led by Ryann DeJarld, who is averaging 6.07 digs per set, ranking fifth in the country. The average would shatter the Notre Dame single-season record of 5.11 set by Danielle Herndon in 2006. DeJarld is also just four digs away from the program single-season digs record, as she enters the weekend with 625.

BREAK OUT THE BROOMS

After logging two sweeps last weekend over Virginia Tech and Virginia, nine of Notre Dame’s 19 victories have come in three sets.

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 1,686 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 1,112 digs in her career. Sydney Kuhn is on the cusp of joining Johnson and DeJarld in the 1,000-dig club, as the senior currently has 993 digs.

Sam Fry reached the 1,000-kill milestone during the win at Florida State (10/20). The senior has 1,066 kills in her career and becomes the 22nd player in program history to reach the 1,000-kill plateau.

Senior Caroline Holt also reached a notable milestone recently, surpassing the 1,000-assist mark for the season. The senior currently has 1,037 assists during the 2017 campaign.

BLOCK PARTY

The Irish have been a force at the net defensively this season, pacing the ACC in blocks per set and ranking 18th nationally with an average of 2.74. Notre Dame has finished in double figures for team blocks in 10 of its 15 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 471 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.