Nov. 13, 2008
The final weekend of Notre Dame’s regular season volleyball action kicks off Friday against St. John’s followed by Sunday’s meeting with Connecticut. The pair of contests versus the BIG EAST Conference opponents could help the Irish, who have already earned an automatic bid into the league tournament, improve their fifth-place seeding.
Notre Dame could jump ahead of fourth-place Connecticut with a weekend sweep (or with a head-to-head win over the Huskies if Connecticut falls to DePaul on Friday), but if sixth-place Pittsburgh wins at least one of its two matches and Notre Dame goes winless, the Irish could find themselves switching spots with the Panthers.
“There’s a strong sense of excitement on the team right now because this is a huge weekend for us as we prepare to head into the BIG EAST tournament,” Irish head coach Debbie Brown said. “Each match is really important for us not just in terms of tournament seeding, but because we want to be playing our best volleyball towards the end of the year as we head into the postseason.”
Fans planning to attend Friday’s match versus the Red Storm are encouraged to wear white apparel in conjunction with the “Jam the Joyce” theme. The first 500 fans to pass through the gates will receive a free “Jam the Joyce” shirt. In addition, calendars for 2009 featuring Irish volleyball players will be given away on Sunday, which is also Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day at the Joyce Center.
Tickets for Notre Dame volleyball action can be purchased by calling the Irish Athletics Ticket Office (574.631.7356) or by visiting the Joyce Center ticket windows (located inside gate 1 on the second floor) weekdays from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET). In addition, fans can buy their Irish volleyball tickets on-line by going to the tickets page of the Notre Dame athletics web site (www.UND.com), or by visiting the gate 10 ticket windows at the Joyce Center prior to each match. Special rates apply for family ticket packages this weekend only.
Live multimedia services will be available at UND.com for each match. For up-to-the-minute results, sign up for IRISH ALERT text messaging services at UND.com.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
(13-12 overall / 8-4 BIG EAST)
St. John’s Red Storm
(20-7 overall / 11-1 BIG EAST)
Nov. 14 • 7 p.m. (ET)
Joyce Center • University of Notre Dame
Live audio / stats: UND.com
Connecticut Huskies
(20-7 overall / 9-3 BIG EAST)
Nov. 16 • 2 p.m. (ET)
Joyce Center • University of Notre Dame
Live video / audio / stats: UND.com
Bump, Set, Spike …
• With an 8-4 BIG EAST Conference record the Irish have now won at least eight contests in league play for the 14th consecutive season … Notre Dame was victorious in nine BIG EAST matches in 1998, 2004 and 2007 … the most wins came in 2005 (13-1) as the Irish went on to post a 30-4 overall record en route to an appearance in the NCAA Tournament’s round of 16.
• Notre Dame continues to claw its way back among the nation’s best in several statistical categories … the Irish rank 64th in assists/set (12.38), 74th in blocks/set (2.26), 66th in hitting percentage (.235) and 78th with 13.28 kills/set … individually, Justine Stremick is 75th with 1.06 blocks/set and Kellie Sciacca is 85th with a .332 hitting percentage.
• Looking at the BIG EAST Conference’s statistical leaders, Notre Dame litters many of the lists … in conference play, Notre Dame is second in hitting percentage (.277), assists/set (13.27) and kills/set (14.18) … Kellie Sciacca is second overall with a hitting percentage of .415 while Kaelin is second with 3.82 kills/set … Jamel Nicholas ranks third with 11.13 assists/set and Kristen Dealy is tied for sixth with .390 aces/set.
Series History …
• Notre Dame and Connecticut will meet for the 19th time in 2008 … the Irish rattled off 13 straight wins in the series before losing last year’s four-set affair … the teams have three times played in five-game affairs, with Connecticut gaining the first of its two victories over Notre Dame in 1998 … that was Notre Dame’s first loss to a BIG EAST school since becoming a league member, ending a 41-match winning streak (35 regular season and six tournament matches) … in the semifinals of that season’s BIG EAST Championship, Connecticut won the first two sets before Notre Dame won three straight to ignite a 12-match winning streak against the Huskies … the Irish have won 51 of 63 sets … Notre Dame dropped a 3-1 decision to the Huskies in 2007 despite Justine Stremick’s 13 kills on a .306 clip … Stremick had four blocks – including two solo stops – and Adrianna Stasiuk turned in 21 digs for the second time in as many contests … Serinity Phillips a team-high 14 kills to go along with 18 digs … in fact, Phillips led an Irish attack with a match-high 16 kills in Notre Dame’s 2006 win over Connecticut … Christi Gordon had 31 kills in the 2000 match, the third-highest total ever by an Irish player and the last 30-kill match recorded at Notre Dame. … former Irish standout and current volunteer assistant Emily Loomis was an assistant coach for the Huskies in 2007 … Loomis spent 2001-04 playing for the Fighting Irish and was named honorable mention AVCA All-America in 2003, finishing her career with 1,321 kills to rank fifth on the Irish all-time kills list … she stands as the only Notre Dame student-athlete ever to earn all-BIG EAST honors in two distinctly different sports (excluding track and field and cross country), as she is a four-time all-BIG EAST performer in the high jump for the Irish track and field team, winning the 2003 outdoor BIG EAST title in that event.
• Stremick posted a .381 hitting percentage and was the lone Irish player to record double-digit kills when Notre Dame was swept by St. John’s in 2007 … Stremick’s 11 kills paced the Notre Dame offense, as the team finished the day with a .301 hitting percentage … Mallorie Croal led the Fighting Irish with 16 kills and also tallied 19 digs in the upset of No. 24 St. John’s in 2006 … Notre Dame’s first loss to St. John’s came earlier in the 2006 season, a 3-0 home defeat … the two programs first met in 1995, a 3-0 Irish win in which Notre Dame allowed only 10 points (15-0, 15-6, 15-4) … the largest single-set victory margin in Irish history under the 30-point format came against the Red Storm in 2001 … Notre Dame won the first set, 30-8 … the Irish won the first 11 matches of the series history before dropping two of the last three.
Last Time Out …
Notre Dame handed Rutgers a 3-0 (25-13, 25-16, 25-8) league setback Sunday at College Avenue Gymnasium, making the Irish winners of three of their last four matches heading into the final week of the regular season … Notre Dame hit .287 as four players finished with at least six kills … setter Jamel Nicholas assisted on 27 of Notre Dame’s 38 kills and added three kills with nine digs on her own … Serinity Phillips had seven kills and seven digs with Justine Stremick adding six kills and five blocks.
The Pros and UConn’s …
Sweeps against Georgetown and USF clinched a spot in the BIG EAST Championship for the Huskies to extend their win streak to six matches … freshman Jordan Kirk had one of the best matches of her young career with 12 kills against the Hoyas … freshman Annie Luhrsen powered the Huskies through USF with a match-high 28 assists … Luhrsen has won the league’s Freshman of the Week award six times this season, tying the BIG EAST record for honors received in a single season … Yulia Vtyurina, an outside hitter from Georgetown, was named the conference Freshman of the Week six times during the 1998 season.
Paint It Red …
St. John’s received votes in the season’s first three Bison/AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll … the Red Storm won the 2007 league tournament title and were picked to finish second in the 2008 BIG EAST preseason coaches poll … the Red Storm currently sit atop the BIG EAST standings and have won nine straight matches, including last week’s home sweeps over USF and Georgetown … setter Wioleta Leszczynska had a strong week with 68 assists and 8 kills in the two wins.
The Rutgers Rout …
Setting a program record for the largest margin of victory in the 25-point era, Notre Dame posted a 38-point win over Rutgers (Nov. 9) … it was the largest margin of victory during the 2008 campaign for the Irish, exceeding the previous best of 32 set earlier this season against West Virginia … the set scores went 25-13, 25-16 and 25-8 … the Scarlet Knights struggled with their hitting by posting a -.079 clip, the lowest by an Irish opponent this season and the strongest defensive effort from Notre Dame since holding DePaul to -.110 in 2005 … the Irish fell behind again in the final set, 1-0, but it had minimal effect on the outcome … Notre Dame posted runs of 4-0, 7-0 and 5-0 to help rock the Scarlet Knights to sleep … the action in the last frame was highlighted by the hot hands of the Irish swingers who connected for 12 kills on 29 attempts without a fault for a .414 average.
Stremick Stays Sharp In Classroom …
For the third time in as many seasons senior Justine Stremick was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V First Team (Nov. 6) … Stremick was a second-team choice in 2007 and a third-team selection as a sophomore in 2006 … the Langdon, N.D., native boasts a 3.79 cumulative grade-point average as a math and life science major and was the only BIG EAST Conference player to collect first-team honors this season … she plans on attending medical school next fall … after surgically repairing her anterior cruciate ligament in April, Stremick returned to the court one month ahead of schedule with the help of team trainer Chantal Porter … Stremick’s twin sister and Army outside hitter, Briana, also notched first-team honors.
Phillips Fills Up Stat Line …
Serinity Phillips narrowly missed out on notching Notre Dame’s first triple-double since 2004, finishing with 25 kills on a .375 average, 10 digs and a career-high nine blocks against Marquette (Nov. 2) … Phillips’ kill total was her best of the season and the most since she pounded Villanova 26 times in 2007 … she had a double-double with 16 kills and 13 digs against Syracuse (Nov. 1) with a .375 clip … Phillips averaged 4.10 kills/set and cleanly fielded 33 serves for a perfect average over the weekend … she was named to the league’s weekly honor roll on Nov. 3 … Notre Dame’s last triple-double came in 2004 against Illinois State … in the 3-2 win, Lauren Brewster (17 kills, 13 digs, 11 blocks) and Adrianna Stasiuk (14 kills, 11 digs, 11 blocks) each accomplished the feat … there have been 21 triple-doubles in program history, four of which were recorded by Zanette Bennett from 1987-88 … Phillips accounted for 30.5 of Notre Dame’s 88.0 points in the match … it was the highest point total for any player since 2005 when Lauren Kelbley (Loyola-Chicago) and Lauren Brewster (Arizona State) finished with 31.0 points … Kelbley’s total came during a three-set match … Phillips had a pair of double-doubles and narrowly missed out on a third from Oct. 21-Oct. 26 … she finished with 11 kills and 10 digs at Long Beach (Oct. 21) … also notched 11 kills and a career-high 22 digs at Villanova (Oct. 25) … the 22 digs tied her for team-high honors on the season and the most of any outside hitter … in a three-set match at Seton Hall (Oct. 26), Phillips wrapped up the match with seven kills with only one error for a .316 average, 11 digs and two solo blocks.
Juicing the Orange …
Needing five sets to secure a win over Syracuse (Nov. 1) for the first time since 1990, Notre Dame prevailed over the Orange with a 3-2 victory … nonetheless, the home team posted a .377 hitting percentage to set a school record for a five-set match … the previous Notre Dame record for hitting percentage in a five-set match was .346, set versus San Francisco in 1991 … it was the first five-set win of the season in four tries and just the second five-period contest between Notre Dame and Syracuse in the 17-match series history … five Irish players finished with at least 10 kills for the first time since a 2007 date at Pittsburgh … traffic was directed by setter Jamel Nicholas and her career-high 68 assists.
Marked By Marquette …
Playing in its second five-set match in as many days, Notre Dame stumbled in a 3-2 matchup versus Marquette (Nov. 2) … the match marked the first time Notre Dame played in consecutive five-set contests against a conference opponent since joining the BIG EAST in 1995.
She’s a Show Stopper …
Senior Justine Stremick currently has 407 career blocks (83 solo, 324 block assists) … she is the 11th player in program history to record at least 400 stuffs and is 10th on the all-time list … current Irish volunteer assistant coach Emily Loomis (2001-04) is ninth all-time with 409 blocks.
The Offensive Engineer …
Setter Jamel Nicholas has had at least 20 assists in each of Notre Dame’s matches this season with the Irish switching between a 5-1 and 6-2 offensive attack … Nicholas had a career-high 68 assists against Syracuse (Nov. 1) … it was the first time an Irish player had 60+ assists since Ashley Tarutis registered 63 in a three-set win over USF in 2007 … Nicholas currently ranks eighth on the school’s all-time assists list with 1,661 … she reached a noteworthy milestone at the Idaho Volleyball Classic (Sept. 5-6) by surpassing the 1,000-assist plateau … Nicholas shared time with Tarutis during her first two seasons with the Fighting Irish and now mentors freshman setter Beth Wildermuth.
Catch Us If You Can …
The Irish have posted several impressive scoring streaks this season, most recently a 9-0 run during the fourth set of a five-frame loss at Villanova (Oct. 25) … the team boasted a 9-0 run at Georgetown (Sept. 28) and went on 10-0 jaunt against West Virginia (Oct. 11) … Notre Dame also posted 10 unanswered points in a home win over Nevada (Aug. 30), which covered the first and second sets … in 2007, the Irish scored on 12 consecutive rallies versus DePaul (Oct. 2007).
The Real Deal(y) …
Freshman Kristen Dealy registered four double-doubles from Oct. 21-Nov 1, bringing her team-high total to eight … Dealy had 16 kills on a .286 average with 11 digs at Long Beach (Oct. 21) and added a pair of assists and six blocks – four of which were solo – versus the 49ers … she followed that with 15 kills, 15 digs and three aces with four blocks at Villanova (Oct. 25) … 10 of those digs came in the first set alone … Dealy’s four consecutive matches with a double-double tied her for sixth (with four others) on the all-time list … she is the first since Adrianna Stasiuk did so in 2005 … it is longest streak ever by a freshman.
Are We There Yet?
Fall break may have meant classes were out of session at Notre Dame, but volleyball was in full swing … Notre Dame covered over 6,000 miles, caught six flights and hit ground in five states over the course of one week with matches at Long Beach (Oct. 21), Villanova (Oct. 25) and Seton Hall (Oct. 26) … Notre Dame went 1-2 on the road trip.
Irish Reach 600 …
Eight team aces and 13 kills by freshman Kristen Dealy powered Notre Dame to win No. 600 in program history against West Virginia (Oct. 11) at the Joyce Center … following the win the Irish sported a 600-343 (.636) overall record in their 29th season of varsity action.
Take a Bow …
Christina Kaelin was part of the BIG EAST Conference’s honor roll on Oct. 6 and again on Oct. 13 … Kaelin had 11 kills with only one error for a .500 clip to lead an Irish team that hit .370 in an Oct. 11 contest with WVU … the Irish received 21 kills from Kaelin in the team’s next match versus Pittsburgh (Oct. 12) … that performance put her in a four-way tie for 10th place on Notre Dame’s career list for matches with 20+ kills (6) … she had 20 against Eastern Washington earlier this season … she averaged 4.57 kills/set over the two-match stretch … she also led the Irish in kills and hitting percentage in each of the team’s two matches from Oct. 4-5 … Kaelin fired in 14 kills on a .344 average during her homecoming match against the Cardinals … the Louisville native also added one dig and one block versus the Cardinals … she finished with a match-high 17 kills on a .467 average at Cincinnati with one ace and five digs in the four-set affair … she totaled 18.0 points in the Irish loss … the junior averaged 4.43 kills/set on the weekend with a .403 average.
Sciacca Strikes Again …
Sophomore middle blocker Kellie Sciacca was named the league’s top player on Sept. 29 for her performances during Irish wins at USF (Sept. 26) and Georgetown (Sept. 28) … Sciacca had 20 kills in her first BIG EAST match of the season while posting a .643 average against USF … she recorded 16 kills versus the Bulls before recording an error and finished with only two faults on 28 attempts … her hitting percentage in the contest was the fourth highest ever in school history for a four-set match … she followed that performance with nine kills on 15 swings with three errors for a .400 average at Georgetown … Sciacca also added an ace and one solo block against the Hoyas … for the weekend, she averaged 4.14 kills/set with a .588 hitting clip … the Monument, Colo., native was part of the league’s honor roll on Sept. 1 … the BIG EAST named Sciacca its Freshman of the Week three times in 2007 – the most among league rookies – as she was a part of the league’s honor roll on four occasions … Sciacca was also the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s (AVCA) Northeast Region Freshman of the Year last season.
Going Solo …
Senior middle blocker Justine Stremick made her presence felt after seeing action for the first time this season during her debut at the Diet Coke Classic (Sept. 12-14) … Stremick, who missed the first six matches of the season while nursing an injured knee, had eight blocks against No. 16 Cal Poly (Sept. 12) and seven kills versus No. 4 California (Sept. 13).
The Bigger They Are …
It had been a while since Notre Dame faced three consecutive ranked opponents before doing so at the Diet Coke Classic (No. 16 Cal Poly, No. 4 California, No. 11 Minnesota) … the last time Notre Dame challenged ranked foes in consecutive matches was in 2001 when they went to battle with No. 7 UCLA, No. 1 Nebraska and No. 15 Pepperdine at the U.S. Bank / Arby’s Tournament in Lincoln, Neb. … Notre Dame dropped each of the three matches on both occasions.
Pocket Aces …
Notre Dame served a season-high eight aces against Washington State (Sept. 6), but raised the bar one week later against No. 4 California (Sept. 13) with 10 aces … Serinity Phillips, Jamel Nicholas, Tara Enzweiler and Beth Wildermuth each had two for the Fighting Irish against Washington State … Wildermuth added a career-high four aces against California.
On Top of the Summit …
In 29 seasons of varsity volleyball, Notre Dame earned just its first win over a Summit League opponent with a 3-0 sweep of IPFW (Aug. 29) … the league changed its name from the Mid-Continent Conference to Summit in June 2007 … before the season-opening win over the Mastodons the Irish were 26-8 all-time against the conference and 14-3 under head coach Debbie Brown.
It’s Good To Be Home …
Head coach Debbie Brown earned her 200th home victory at Notre Dame with a 3-1 win against Nevada (Aug. 30) … the win moved Brown to 200-38 (.843) within the walls of the Joyce Center … last season she picked up her 400th overall win as the Irish skipper.
Give Silva the Shovel …
Freshman libero Frenchy Silva averaged 4.27 digs/set in four matches during the Shamrock Invitational (Aug. 29-31) … that clip ranked fourth in the BIG EAST Conference and the best among league rookies … Silva scooped 21 shots against Valparaiso (Aug. 31), the first 20-dig effort by an Irish player since Adrianna Stasiuk posted an identical total at Connecticut (Oct. 27) in 2007.
Brown Honored By Former Team …
Head coach Debbie Brown was honored on Sept. 4 during the University of Southern California’s match versus Oklahoma as part of the program’s All-Time Great Night … Brown, a former Trojan standout, was joined during the ceremony with longtime friend and teammate Sue Woodstra … permanent banners with Woodstra and Brown’s name and numbers are now displayed in the Galen Center … after graduating from El Segundo High School (Calif.), Brown captained the University of Southern California to a 72-1 two-year record and national titles in both 1976 and 1977, including a 38-0 run in 1977 that, until 1998, was the only unbeaten season in Division I women’s volleyball history … her 1977 squad is still considered one of the all-time greatest at any level of volleyball … Brown (then Debbie Landreth) twice was named a collegiate All-American and received the Mikasa Award as the “nation’s best all-around player” in 1976 and 1977 … the 5-8 outside hitter left USC prior to her junior year, accepting an invitation to train full-time with the U.S. national team … she co-captained the team to a fifth-place finish at the 1978 World Championships … a year later, she and her teammates – including Debbie Green, Flo Hyman, Rita Crockett and Woodstra – qualified for the Olympics in Moscow and were considered serious medal contenders before the United States elected to boycott the games.
Early Experience …
Freshmen Kristen Dealy and Frenchy Silva each cracked the starting lineups in their collegiate debut versus IPFW (Aug. 31) … last season, first-year players Kellie Sciacca and Angela Puente started in the season opener … setter Beth Wildermuth also saw significant action on the court in the season’s first weekend of play … Silva and Dealy earned starting nods in each of Notre Dame’s three matches … Dealy led the Irish with 31 kills (2.82 kills/set) while Silva averaged 4.27 digs/set … not to be outdone, Wildermuth split time with starting setter Jamel Nicholas and posted 3.73 assists/set.
Enzweiler Energizes Irish …
Junior middle blocker Tara Enzweiler set career-high marks in virtually every statistical category during the Shamrock Invitational (Aug. 29-31) … Enzweiler logged a pair of starts and matched or exceeded single-match personal bests in kills (5), attempts (13), aces (2), solo blocks (1), block assists (7), total blocks (8) and points (8.5).
Kaelin Christens Court …
Junior outside hitter Christina Kaelin returned from an injury that sidelined her for the duration of the 2007 campaign with three starts at the Shamrock Invitational (Aug. 29-31) … her weekend was highlighted by 13 kills for a .480 clip versus Valparaiso (Aug. 31) … Kaelin was one of Notre Dame’s top offensive threats throughout her freshman campaign.
Shamrock Stars …
Junior outside hitter Serinity Phillips and sophomore middle blocker Kellie Sciacca were each named to the Shamrock Invitational All-Tournament squad … Phillips had 13 kills and 12 digs in the season opener against IPFW (Aug. 29) and scooped at least 10 digs in each of the invite’s three matches … Sciacca secured a double-double – the second of her career – against Nevada (Aug. 30) with a 14-kill, 10-block effort.
BIG EAST Honors Sciacca …
Sophomore middle blocker Kellie Sciacca was selected to the league’s weekly honor roll (Sept. 1) … Sciacca totaled 30 kills (2.73/set) on a .359 average through three matches at the Shamrock Invitational (Aug. 29-31) … she led Notre Dame with 20 blocks over the course of three matches (1.82 blocks/set) and also registered one ace … Sciacca had 14 kills on a .464 average against Nevada (Aug. 30) along with 10 blocks for a double-double … she had seven blocks against Valparaiso (Aug. 31) … she finished with nine kills on 18 swings versus IPFW (Aug. 29).
–ND–