Aug. 7, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After an outstanding rookie campaign that earned her a spot on the all-Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman Team, University of Notre Dame volleyball sophomore middle blocker Sam Fry has received preseason all-ACC accolades, the league office announced Friday morning.
In addition, the Irish were picked to finish ninth out of 15 teams in a vote of the league’s head coaches. While little stock is put in preseason polls by teams and coaches alike, the mark does give the Irish a starting point in head coach Jim McLaughlin’s first year under the Golden Dome as they look to improve upon a 14th place finish a year ago (6-23 overall, 3-15 ACC).
Coming to the Irish from volleyball power Ursuline Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio, Fry made an immediate impact for Notre Dame, as she was the only player on the team to start every single match of the 2014 campaign.
Playing in the middle, Fry led the squad in solo blocks (15), assisted blocks (92), total blocks (107) and blocks per set (1.00), while finishing second in points (324.0), points per set (3.03), service aces (21) and attack percentage (.242) and third in kills (242) and kills per set (2.26).
During the season, Fry led or tied for the team lead in kills seven times, attack percentage eight times, service aces 11 times and blocks a whopping 17 times. She tallied eight or more kills in 18 matches, including 10 or more in nine contests.
Fry opened her career by tying her season-high with nine blocks against then-No. 12 Minnesota in the first match of the year, and showed no signs of slowing down at the net throughout the season, as she recorded three or more blocks in 20 matches.
Some of her best performances of the year included a 13-kill, six-block effort in a win over Morehead State, a near triple-double (12K, 9B, 7D) in a victory over Boston College, 11 kills (.455A%), four blocks and two service aces in a five-set loss to Georgia Tech and a remarkable 18-kill (.593A%), eight-block, two-service ace showing in a five-set setback at Wake Forest.
For her efforts at the Purdue Active Ankle Challenge (29K, 15B), she earned a spot on the all-tournament team.
The first Irish volleyball player to earn all-ACC Freshman Team honors in program history, Fry is the second volleyball student-athlete to earn any sort of ACC recognition in the program’s two years in the league (Jeni Houser, 3rd team All-ACC, 2013). She also joins Houser as the only two players in program history to earn preseason all-ACC honors.
Notre Dame returns seven Monogram winners in 2015 and welcomes in six freshmen and senior Haley Bonneval, who played for the Irish in 2012 as a freshman.
The Irish kick off their 2015 season in Murfreesboro, Tennessee August 29-30 where they will take on Bowling Green, Cleveland State and host Middle Tennessee State at the Blue Raider Bash.
For more information on the Notre Dame volleyball program, remember to follow the Irish on Facebook (/NDVolleyball), Twitter (@NDVolleyball) and Instagram (NDVBall).
2015 ACC Volleyball Predicted Order of Finish
- North Carolina (190 points, 8 first place votes)
- Florida State (189, 7)
- Duke (167)
- Miami (156)
- Louisville (135)
- Virginia (125)
- Pitt (124)
- Virginia Tech (108)
- Notre Dame (79)
- Georgia Tech (74)
- Syracuse (68)
- NC State (48)
- Clemson (41)
- Boston College (38)
- Wake Forest (33)
2015 Preseason All-ACC Team
Sasha Karelov, Jr., DS/L, Duke
Emily Sklar, Sr., OH, Duke
Jordan Tucker, Jr., MB, Duke
Sarah Burrington, R-Jr., MB, Florida State
Katie Horton, Jr., OH, Florida State
Nicole Walch, Sr., OH, Florida State
Erin Fairs, Sr., OH, Louisville
Katie George, Sr., S, Louisville
Olga Strantzali, So., OH, Miami
Haley Templeton, So., S, Miami
Victoria McPherson, Sr., MB, North Carolina
Paige Neuenfeldt, Sr., MB, North Carolina
Taylor Treacy, R-Jr., OH/Opp, North Carolina
Sam Fry, So., MB/RS, Notre Dame
Amanda Orchard, Sr., MH, Pitt
Silvi Uattara, Sr., OH, Syracuse
Lauren Fuller, Sr., S, Virginia
Lindsey Owens, Jr., OH, Virginia Tech
–Russell Dorn, Athletics Communications Assistant Director
–ND–