July 15, 2005
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – With a formidable 2005-06 women’s basketball home schedule that includes high-profile matchups against perennial national power Connecticut, as well as BIG EAST Conference newcomer DePaul, the University of Notre Dame Athletics Ticket Office has announced that season ticket packages are now on sale for the upcoming Irish women’s basketball campaign. Notre Dame has become one of the top draws in women’s college basketball, ranking among the top 20 in the nation in attendance each of the past five seasons and averaging 6,725 fans per game during that span.
There are four season ticket plans to choose from in 2005-06 — adults ($58 each), Notre Dame faculty/staff ($46 each), Fan Packs ($162 for a block of four tickets) and Notre Dame faculty/staff Fan Packs ($130 for a block of four tickets). In addition, persons may purchase additional tickets for their Fan Packs beyond the minimum allotment of four at a cost of $29 per ticket. Fans wishing to either renew their current season ticket packages, or purchase new ones, have four methods to buy their tickets (the deadline for season ticket renewals at the same seat location is Aug. 5):
* In Person — visit the Notre Dame Athletics Ticket Office, located at Gate 1 of the Joyce Center (second floor), weekdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (EST/CDT); fans who received renewal applications in the mail may return them in person to the ticket windows.
* By Phone — call the Notre Dame Athletics Ticket Office at (574) 631-7356 and charge by phone, using Visa, MasterCard or American Express.
* By Mail — fans who received renewal applications in the mail also may return them via U.S. Mail, sending their payments to: Notre Dame Athletics Ticket Office, Joyce Center Second Floor, Notre Dame, IN 46556.
* Internet — log on to the main page of the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.und.com), click on the “tickets” link near the top of the page, and order on-line by charging to your Visa, MasterCard or American Express.
As part of the debut of the newly-expanded 16-team BIG EAST, the conference already has announced the breakdown of home and away opponents for the 2005-06 women’s basketball season. Among the eight BIG EAST squads competing at the Joyce Center this season will be Connecticut, which is coming off a 25-8 season and a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16, ending its run of three consecutive national championships from 2002-04. The Irish and Huskies have offered some entertaining contests the past two seasons, with the two sides splitting four games. In 2003-04, Notre Dame won the only meeting between the clubs, a 66-51 decision at the Joyce Center. Last season, UConn took two of three games from the Irish, although Notre Dame did register a nationally-televised 65-59 win in Storrs, Conn., snapping the Huskies’ 112-game BIG EAST regular-season winning streak and 55-game unbeaten string at Gampel Pavilion.
Also coming to South Bend in 2005-06 will be DePaul, which joins the BIG EAST this year following a successful run in Conference USA. The Blue Demons were ranked among the top 25 teams in the country for much of last season, posting a 26-5 record and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Besides Connecticut and DePaul, Notre Dame will play host to Marquette, Pittsburgh, Providence, Seton Hall, South Florida and Villanova during the upcoming campaign. Four of those schools qualified for postseason play, led by UConn’s NCAA Sweet 16 berth, DePaul’s NCAA second-round bid and WNIT appearances for Marquette, South Florida and Villanova.
Notre Dame posted a 27-6 record in 2004-05, matching the third-highest win total in school history, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in its 10th consecutive NCAA appearance (and 12th overall). The Irish will have three starters and eight monogram winners returning from that club, led by senior All-America point guard Megan Duffy (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne HS) and senior forward Courtney LaVere (Ventura, Calif./Buena HS). In addition, Notre Dame welcomes a pair of talented freshmen to the fold — guard Lindsay Schrader (Bartlett, Ill./Bartlett HS) and forward Chandrica Smith (Stone Mountain, Ga./Oak Hill Academy (Va.)) — who comprise the nation’s 16th-ranked recruiting class, according to Blue Star Index.
The complete 2005-06 Notre Dame women’s basketball schedule, including dates, times and a listing of non-conference opponents, will be released at a later date.
— ND —