Oct. 4, 2007
Game Notes
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After splitting its first two home BIG EAST matches of the 2007 season, the University of Notre Dame volleyball team will host Rutgers on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Joyce Center. The Irish will be wearing commemorative jerseys to mark the team’s first Dig for the Cure match, as Notre Dame has partnered with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure grassroots network of Northern Indiana in an effort to raise money towards breast cancer research. Irish head coach Debbie Brown has pledged to donate $5 for every one of her team’s digs during the match (Notre Dame has averaged 62.1 digs per contest through 14 matches this season), and the Irish welcome fans and local businesses to match or exceed that amount.
Sophomore Serinity Phillips (Valley Center, Calif./Valley Center) posted a career-high 26 kills in last Sunday’s 3-2 loss to Villanova, which was the highest kill total recorded by any Irish player this season. Freshman Kellie Sciacca (Monument, Colo./Lewis-Palmer) had 11 blocks in the match while junior Justine Stremick (Langdon, N.D./Langdon Area) added 10, making them the first duo to register 10+ blocks in a contest since Lauren Brewster (11) and Carolyn Cooper (10) carried out the feat against No. 11 Texas during the 2005 season.
Rutgers suffered its first home loss of the season after falling 3-0 (30-22, 30-19, 30-16) to South Florida last Sunday. The Scarlet Knights won its first two home matches of the year for the first time since the 2002 season by defeating Norfolk State and BIG EAST Conference foe Georgetown.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
(6-8 overall, 2-2 BIG EAST)
Rutgers Scarlet Knights
(3-10 overall, 1-3 BIG EAST)
Saturday, Oct. 6 2007 – 2:00 p.m.
Joyce Center – Notre Dame, Ind.
Series vs. Rutgers: Notre Dame leads 14-0
Series Streak: Notre Dame – won 14
Last Meeting: Sept. 23, 2006 – Notre Dame, 3-0
Live Stats/Video/Audio: UND.com
Last Time Out … Sophomore Serinity Phillips had a career-high 26 kills and freshman Kellie Sciacca tacked on 11 blocks in Notre Dame’s 3-2 (21-30, 31-29, 30-27, 22-30, 17-15) loss to Villanova Sunday at the Joyce Center … through 14 matches this season, five have now stretched into five games for the Irish, with Notre Dame coming out victorious in three of those … a .294 attack average marked one of the better offensive outputs on the season for the Irish (6-8 overall, 2-2 BIG EAST) and their 22.0 blocks was a season-best … four individuals recorded double-double kills … Megan Fesl ripped 15, senior Adrianna Stasiuk had 14, and junior Justine Stremick contributed 12 … Stremick had 10 blocks – four were solo – while senior Ashley Tarutis led the way with 38 dishes … coming off the bench with 21 assists was sophomore Jamel Nicholas … Villanova’s (11-6 overall, 3-1 BIG EAST) Alona Cherkez matched Phillips’ 26 kills, and Chelsea Graman handed out 70 assists … both squads were plagued by 10 service errors … Notre Dame fired up the engine by hitting .432 in the opening game behind Phillips’ nine kills on 15 swings … the home squad went up by three, 22-19, on a huge backrow kill by Stasiuk to take its largest lead of the game … shortly after, Stasiuk’s serve fell off the table just inside the line for the first of her three aces on the day and gave ND a 28-21 lead … VU hit .262 while the Irish shot .263 as the teams traded leads six times in game three … the squads were tied at 14-14 when Villanova went on a 6-0 streak … Fesl’s kill on an extended play narrowed the margin to 29-27 in favor of the Wildcats, but Elysse Studzinski connected on her fifth kill of the stanza on game point … the Irish surged out to an 11-4 lead in game four, adding a point on a Phillips’ facial and then extending that lead to eight on a sharp cutter by Stasiuk (18-10) … Nicholas assisted Stasiuk’s kill at 29-22, then Tara Enzweiler was credited with the dime on a Phillips kill to win the game … Enzweiler also equaled a career-best seven blocks against the Wildcats … Notre Dame got out to a 5-0 advantage in the fifth game behind a gutsy kill by Phillips on her third attack of the frame’s initial play … Stasiuk destroyed the Wildcat defense with a shocker down the middle and the Irish led 8-4 … Villanova crept back in and tied things at 13-13 … a pair of errors in the ending stretch gave the Wildcats the final two points they would need to secure the school’s first win over the Irish in 17 tries.
History 101 …To open its BIG EAST Conference action in 2006, Notre Dame swept Rutgers in three games behind the hot hand of Adrianna Stasiuk … Stasiuk was the match leader with 14 kills and 10 digs while hitting .737 (14-for-19) and picked up her eighth double-double in 12 matches … her .737 clip was the highest for a Notre Dame player that averaged at least four attacks per game since Malinda Goralski hit .833 against Wyoming on Sept. 22, 2000 … Kim Kristoff had a perfect afternoon against the Scarlet Knights as she tallied seven kills in as many attempts … Ashley Tarutis’ assist to Stasiuk in the third game gave her 3,000 career helpers … the schools will go to battle for the 13th consecutive season and the 15th time overall … Notre Dame has won each of the last 14 meetings, taking 42 of the 43 games … the teams met once prior to the Irish joining the BIG EAST in 1995, a 3-0 Notre Dame win in 1986 at the Hackerman Showcase in Houston, Texas … ND and Rutgers met once in the postseason, when the Irish claimed the 2000 BIG EAST Championship at the Joyce Center … in that match, Notre Dame’s Denise Boylan had 62 assists, the most-ever for an Irish player in a three-game match … the lone Scarlet Knight game victory came in 1998 at the Joyce Center, when Rutgers won the third game 17-15 (after dropping the second 15-1) … the 37-point victory for ND in 2003 is tied for its third-largest margin of victory since the 30-point format was adopted.
Good Reason To Get Defensive …Although the University of Notre Dame volleyball team enters each match with as much intensity and drive as any other, a bit more will be on the line when the Irish face Rutgers … Notre Dame has partnered with the Susan G. Komen for the Cure grassroots network of Northern Indiana to present Dig for the Cure, in an effort to raise money towards breast cancer research during the match with the Scarlet Knights … fans will be afforded a number of opportunities to support this event … Irish head coach Debbie Brown has pledged to donate $5 for every one of her team’s digs during the match (Notre Dame has averaged 62.1 digs per contest through 14 matches this season), and the Irish welcome fans and local businesses to match or exceed that amount … if interested, please contact Darin Ottaviani at 574.631.9910 … “we’re excited to have our first, and hopefully annual, Dig for the Cure,” said Brown … “I think it’s a great way for us to not only raise breast cancer awareness but hopefully raise some funds to contribute to a cause that is near and dear to all of us involved with the program” … by making a $5 donation, patrons can also receive a Dig for the Cure t-shirt … each Irish player will be wearing a commemorative jersey during this BIG EAST showdown to recognize the event, with each jersey being auctioned off at the end of the match … Crocs will also sponsor a number of free pink camouflage drawstring backpacks for early arriving fans … “our team is going to be playing some inspired defense,” Brown continued … “they’ll want to get as many digs as they can to make the most of the pledges coming in.”
Brown to Win … Debbie Brown notched her 500th career win as a head coach during the 2006 campaign, and her 509 win total ranked 27th in that category among active coaches entering the 2007 season … in fact, only two active coaches have more wins in as many seasons (Brown is in her 23rd season overall) … she is two wins shy of No. 400 as Notre Dame’s head skipper.
Serene Killer … One week after racking up a career-high 23 kills at West Virginia, sophomore Serinity Phillips exploded for 26 in a five-game match with Villanova … she had only six errors on 63 swings for a .317 average … Phillips leads the Irish with 198 total kills and 3.41/game.
Sciacca Tha Blocka … Freshman Kellie Sciacca had 10 blocks vs. No. 11 California (Sept. 15) but topped that personal-best with 11 against Villanova … all were assisted … the Irish are third among conference teams in blocks/game with 3.31 … Louisville leads in with 3.83 … Sciacca is third on the list of individuals with 1.88 blocks/game against league foes …
Just-ine Time …Junior Justine Stremick is fifth among the stop charts in conference play with 1.69 blocks/game … Stremick had four solo stops against Villanova and totaled 10 to record her first double-digit block contest of the season.
Game Four Was a Bottomless Pitt … Notre Dame downed conference foe Pittsburgh 15-straight times bewteen 1992-2002, but since then Pitt has taken five of the last seven meetings, including a 3-1 home win for the Panthers in 2007 … in that battle, Notre Dame combined to score 82 points with Pittsburgh in the fourth game of a match that was also both team’s BIG EAST Conference opener … there were 27 ties and 15 lead changes in the elongated period, and senior Adrianna Stasiuk contributed nine of her 14 kills in the game … the Irish set a school record for most points in a four-game match (131), and tied the program’s mark for the fourth-highest point total in an affair of any length … their 40 points in game four was the most ever won in a single game, eclipsing the previous high of 37 in game one of a 3-1 victory over Eastern Washington in 2003.
If the Jersey Fits … Adrianna Stasiuk started each of the matches during the opening conference weekend at the libero position, and even tied a season-high mark of 21 digs at Pittsburgh … Stasiuk fired home 14 kills in the final two games against the Panthers after being relieved of libero duties … she had 17 scoops at West Virginia and came one kill shy of recording her eighth-straight double-double … it was the first time the senior had not notched 10 or more kills in a match since the season opener against Minnesota.
(Taru) Tis Better To Give … Ashley Tarutis had 12 assists in game one against Pittsburgh to push her four-year total over 4,000 … she became the third player in school history to record atleast 4,000 in a career, joining Janelle Karlan (5,197: 1990-93) and Denis Boylan (4,687: 1997-2000) … Tarutis’ 47 assists against Missouri pushed her past Kristen Kinder (2000-03) for third-place on the school’s all-time assist list … the senior leads the Irish this season with 559 helpers (9.64/game), and has 4,142 for her career.
The South Bend 500 … Five Irish players have now recorded at least 100 kills this season … Serinity Phillips (167), Megan Fesl (161), Adrianna Stasiuk (152), Kellie Sciacca (123) and Justine Stremick (106) have all joined the century club.
Line Fusion … A pair of shifts in the Irish starting lineup this past weekend by head coach Debbie Brown gave junior Mallorie Croal (at Pittsburgh) and sophomore Kim Kristoff (at West Virginia) their first starts of the season … Serinity Phillips, Kellie Sciacca, Megan Fesl, Justine Stremick, Adrianna Stasiuk, and Ashley Tarutis have all started each contest this year … two of Stasiuk’s starts have been at the libero spot … Croal, Kristoff, Megan Dunne (1), and Angela Puente (3) have also received starting nods.
Take Five …Serinity Phillips (14), Kellie Sciacca (14), Megan Fesl (13), Justine Stremick (10), and Adrianna Statsiuk (14) comprised the five-player group that had 10+ kills in a 3-1 loss at Pittsburgh … the feat was a first for an Irish squad since Christina Kaelin (24), Mallorie Croal (14), Stremick (14) Stasiuk (13) and Fesl (13) did the same versus Missouri on Sept. 2, 2006 … ND dropped that match, 3-2.
Rolling In the Conference Honors … Middle blocker Kellie Sciacca was voted the league’s Freshman of the Week (9/17) after she posted career-best marks in every major statistical category for the Irish at the Bronco Invitational in Santa Clara, Calif. … Sciacca became the first Irish player to record 10+ blocks – since teammate Justine Stremick did so last season against Idaho – when she registered 10 against No. 11 California in Notre Dame’s 3-2 loss … she turned in the team’s highest individual hitting percentage of the season (.625) with a personal-best 16 kills against No. 22 Santa Clara while adding career-highs of three aces and six digs in the winning effort … she finished the three-match invite with 37 kills and a .361 mark over 14 games … Sciacca is currently first among Irish players with 1.34 blocks/game and third in hitting percentage (.238).
Hoisting the Hardware … Freshman Kellie Sciacca was recognized on the BIG EAST’s weekly honor roll (Sept. 10) after posting 15 kills (.524) and nine blocks against Alabama in the Shamrock Invitational, which she followed with a 12-kill performance vs. No. 13 Ohio … Megan Fesl was a part of the same list one week earlier (Sept. 3) after a 20-kill output at Missouri while earning all-tournament honors at the Tiger Invitational.
Alive In Five … Splitting five-game matches against No. 11 California and No. 22 Santa Clara gave the Irish a 3-2 record in extra-inning contests at that point in the season … the consecutive tilts with Cal and Santa Clara were the first back-to-back five-game matches Notre Dame played since 2005, when they split a pair with Tennessee (L, 3-2) and Dayton (W, 3-2) … the Irish played a total of four five-gamers in 2006.
A Long Time Coming … A run of four losses to ranked teams this season came to an end when ND downed No. 22 Santa Clara … before doing so, the last ranked team Notre Dame dismantled was No. 24 St. John’s during the 2006 BIG EAST Tournament (Nov. 18).
Hello…Is It Me You’re Looking For?Coming off an injury, preseason all-BIG EAST choice Mallorie Croal saw her first action of the season in an Irish loss to California … Croal, who played sparingly, had a kill and two digs … she put together a band of seven consecutive double-doubles to end the 2006 season, which was the second longest streak in the record books.
Shining at the Shamrock …Two Irish players earned spots on the Shamrock Invitational all-tournament team, as Serinity Phillips and Megan Fesl represented Notre Dame after career weekends … Phillips had a (then) personal-high 18 kills against Alabama on 48 attempts, and her 12 digs in first-round action with College of Charleston was also a career-best … Fesl’s second 20-kill match of the season came against the Crimson Tide with a pair of aces … a career-high 5.0 blocks came against College of Charleston for the sophomore.
Block Party … Notre Dame totaled a (then) season-high 21.0 blocks against College of Charleston while holding the Cougars to an attack percentage of .151 … seven Irish players recorded blocks, with Justine Stremick leading the way with nine … Serinity Phillips had seven and setter Ashley Tarutis got her hand on six shots … the 21.0 blocks made it the first 20+ block match for Notre Dame since a Sept. 2 date with Idaho in 2006 … the Irish had 20.0 blocks in that 3-1 win.
Join the Club …In a five-game tilt with Alabama, Adrianna Stasiuk smashed the 1,000th kill of her career to tie game three at 25-25, and in doing so joined 16 other players in the program’s history to reach that plateau … she also became only the seventh Notre Dame player ever to register 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career, as Jamie Lee (1994-97) and Angie Harris (1994-97) were the last to do so … not too much later in the frame with the Irish ahead 29-28, Stasiuk connected on kill No. 1,002 to put the finishing touches on the Crimson Tide.
Sweet Home (Win Against) Alabama …The Irish were in a familiar – yet uncomfortable – spot during a 3-2 win over Alabama … just two matches earlier against Florida International, Notre Dame lost the first game and was trailed, 2-1, going into the third frame … instead of hitting the panic button, ND came back to win both matches to remain undefeated in five-game contests this season … several program milestones were eclipsed, which include the last time: a Notre Dame player had 20+ kills [Megan Fesl (20)]; five Notre Dame players had 10+ digs [Serinity Phillips (10), Ashley Tarutis (15), Megan Fesl (19), Adrianna Stasiuk (16), Angela Puente (15); four Notre Dame players had 15+ digs [Ashley Tarutis (15), Megan Fesl (19), Adrianna Stasiuk (16), Angela Puente (15)]; Notre Dame had 80+ digs (80); Notre Dame player hit .500+ [Kellie Sciacca (15-4-21, .524)]; Notre Dame hit .500+ as a team in a game … Sciacca’s .524 mark is third-best in school history for a five-game match … one week previous, the Irish set a school record by hitting .538 in game five against Florida International.
They’re Grrrrrreat!Both Megan Fesl and Serinity Phillips earned spots on the all-tournament team at Missouri’s Tiger Invitational after posting career performances … Fesl turned in a personal-best 20 kills against Florida International and a season-high 16 digs against Missouri … with 19.0 points against the Golden Panthers, Phillips set a career-high in that stat column … she also had a (then) season-high 15 kills and seven blocks in Notre Dame’s win over FIU.
Gimme Five…or Four …It’s nice when two or three players connect on 10+ kills in a match … but it’s even better when five can pull it off … that’s just what then-20th Notre Dame did when they faced Missouri last season, who was ranked 13th coming into the Sept. 2 match … Christina Kaelin (24), Mallorie Croal (14), Justine Stremick (14) Adrianna Stasiuk (13), and Megan Fesl (13) all had double-digit kill performances for Notre Dame … in the 2007 matchup, four Irish players hit the double-digit mark in that category: Serinity Phillips (11), Fesl (14), Stasiuk (10), and Stremick (13).
What a Difference a Year Makes … In game two against No. 13 Ohio, and attack from Tara Enzweiler got through the Bobcat defense to give ND a 16-14 lead … she soon assisted on a Megan Fesl kill to put the Irish ahead by three at 18-15 … it was not just a rare assist for the middle blocker, but a very rare assist … her last dish came exactly one year prior to the Ohio match against Kansas State at the Northern Iowa Invitational in Cedar Falls, Iowa (Sept. 9, 2006).
Haven’t We Met?When the Irish played College of Charleston, sophomore Tara Enzweiler and the Cougars’ Ginny Phillips were on opposite sides of the net for the first time since their prep days … the pair shared the court for Cardinal Gibbons HS in Raleigh, N.C., and also played on the same Triangle club team … Enzweiler led Cardinal Gibbons to state titles in 2003 and 2005 … Phillips was a part of the program’s championship team in 2005 and was able to add another to the resume in 2006 … Enzweiler speaks highly of the former teammate and her blocking ability … the two players spent this past summer training and working out together in the Raleigh area.
Volleyball’s Cal Ripken …Ashley Tarutis saw action in each of Notre Dame’s eight games over the course of the Tiger Invitational, which then pushed her total of consecutive games played to a school-record 365 … libero Meg Henican played in 363 straight games between Nov. 17, 2002 – Dec. 9, 2005 … Tarutis is the only player in the history of the program to play in each game of every match (408 of 408) throughout a career … next on the list is Lauren Brewster (.969 – 444/458) … Tarutus is also one of four players to play in every career match.
Are You Down for a Road Trip?Missouri’s Tiger Invitational was originally slated to be a four-team tournament … Florida A&M opted to withdraw from the event, leaving Notre Dame without a Sunday match due to the shifted schedule … instead, the Irish left Columbia for St. Louis several hours before their flight departed town to take in some sights … the squad made it to the top of the Gateway Arch and watched the St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Cincinnati Reds in Busch Stadium … with the scoreboard chock full of zeroes, the Cards’ Rick Ankiel led off the sixth inning with a solo homer and soon stepped out of the dugout for a curtain call … but Irish manager Hy Pham may have drawn an even louder ovation from the patrons of section 367 for an earlier performance … Pham took the spotlight by downing two hotdogs and a chicken sandwich – which was followed with a large soda – before the midway point of the first inning … Pham claims he has never used performance-enhancing drugs … Notre Dame also visited the University of Missouri Children’s Hospital on Saturday morning before playing Florida International later that evening … while there, they passed out Notre Dame volleyball collectables in addition to quite a few hugs, smiles, and laughs with patients.
Check Next Door … There may have been a lot of head scratching going on when fans made their way to the Joyce Center’s main arena to watch Notre Dame battle No. 7 Florida on Aug. 26 … the arena was being used for a freshmen orientation session, and as a result, the Joyce Center Fieldhouse hosted its first-ever volleyball match … the televised competition was played in front of 721 fans.
Four Hands Are Better Than Two … Ashley Tarutis and Jamel Nicholas passed out 35 and 20 assists, respectively, in an Irish loss against No. 7 Florida … the occasion marked the second time in three matches that Notre Dame had two players record 20+ assists … the same duo accomplished the feat in the 2006 finale against No. 10 Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament … Tarutis had 45 assists with Nicholas adding 21 in the BIG EAST opener at Pittsburgh.
Must Have Been Something She Ate … When Notre Dame cracked open the lid on the 2007 season, Serinity Phillips had three kills on 14 attempts with two errors for a .071 average against Minnesota … whatever she did on her day off between Friday evening and Sunday’s match with Florida must have worked … Phillips responded with a career-best .583 hitting percentage with 14 kills on 24 swats without an error … previously, Christina Kaelin (12-2-18, .556) was the last Irish player to hit .500+ when she did so in a 3-2 win at Cincinnati in 2006.
How’ve You Been Doing?Notre Dame’s non-conference opponents on the 2007 schedule went a combined 23-5 (.821) in the season’s opening week … at the time, seven of those squads were ranked in the CSTV/AVCA’s top-25 … not one of the 12 teams ended the week below .500
This Too Shall Pass … Not since 1990 has Notre Dame dropped its first two matches to start a season, albeit the pair of losses to kick off 2007 came against top-10 squads … that made five-straight losses for the Irish dating back to a 3-2 setback against Louisville on Nov. 19, 2006, which was the longest streak since the program dropped seven straight matches – twice – in 1990 … a five-game win over Florida International on Sept. 1 christened the win column for the Irish in 2007.
Another BIG (EAST) One … Senior Adrianna Stasiuk, a 2006 all-BIG EAST first team selection, was one of five unanimous selections on the league’s 2007 preseason squad, joining Kimberley Todd (Marquette), Diana Andreyko (Pittsburgh), and preseason co-players of the year Hui Ping Huang (St. John’s) and Tatyana Kolesnikova (Louisville) … she took home second-team hardware as a sophomore, the same year she won the BIG EAST Championship’s Most Outstanding Player award.
Starting Fresh … Two freshmen cracked the starting lineup in their first collegiate match against Minnesota in ND’s opener … Kellie Sciacca had six kills and got her hand on a pair of blocks while Angela Puente had eight digs from the libero position … the pair narrowly made it back from a freshmen orientation session to catch the start of the duel with Florida two days later.
Get ’em While They’re Hot …Opening a season with highly ranked opponents is nothing new to the Irish … Purdue was the first ranked team Notre Dame ever faced to open a season … the Boilermakers were 10th in 1984 when they downed ND … the Irish played a top-10 foe two weeks into the 1995 season in the Notre Dame Invitational … after beating Northwestern, No. 9 USC won the second match, 3-0 … No. 6 Pacific was ND’s third opponent in 1999 and downed the Irish, 3-0, in the Shamrock Invitational … Notre Dame had won its first two matches of the season over unranked opponents … an unranked Irish team traveled to the Four Points Sheraton Classic in Malibu, Calif., to start the 2003 season … they beat No. 10 Arizona, 3-1, before losing to host Pepperdine, who was ranked fifth-best in the nation … in the following week’s poll, Notre Dame jumped to the 21st spot … after opening with a home win against Loyola (Ill.) in 2004, ND suffered a pair of losses to No. 4 Nebraska at the Joyce Center.
Why Not Both?Adrianna Stasiuk reached double figures in digs 24 times in 2006, which placed her seventh on that list for a single season … her streak of 10 consecutive matches with 10+ digs (Sept 17-Oct. 20, 2006) is tied for the fourth-longest streak in a single season … she has six 12+ digs efforts in 2007.
Closing In … Sophomore Christina Kaelin had five 20+-kill matches last season to finish tied for sixth in a single season … Christy Peters holds the all-time single season mark of nine (1994) … after one season, Kaelin is one spot shy Notre Dame’s all-time top-10 list for career 20+-kill matches.
Spoiling the Party … The Irish had never dropped a home opener under head coach Debbie Brown since she took over the program in 1991 until this season’s loss to Minnesota … the defeat also marked the first time an Irish team had not started a season – at home or away – with a win since they fell 3-1 to Montana in the 1990 opener.
Re-Joyce Center …Notre Dame is now 21-7 in home openers and had won its last 17 before falling to Minnesota … previously, the last time the Irish dropped an opener in the Joyce Center was in 1989 to Western Michigan, 3-2, in the Notre Dame Invitational … before this season, no ND team has started play on its home court with back-to-back matches against top-10 teams.
And You Thought You Had It Bad …Not only did Notre Dame face two top-10 squads in the season’s first weekend, but seven of its 13 non-conference opponents were ranked among the nation’s top 25 in the CSTV/AVCA Coaches Preseason Poll … additionally, three more non-conference foes along with Louisville and St. John’s received votes in the standings … the RichKern.com Poll had eight future Irish opponents in its preseason top-30, with five more appearing within the following 10 spots.
–ND–