Sept. 19, 2006
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THIS WEEK: The Notre Dame volleyball team (6-5) begins BIG EAST play as it travels to the East Coast to take on Rutgers (3-7) in Piscataway, N.J. on Saturday Sept. 23 at noon. The Irish will also play against conference rival Villanova (4-8) in Philadelphia, Pa. on Sunday, Sept. 24 at 2 p.m.
QUICK HITS ABOUT THE IRISH: Below are some highlights of the note package. For more details on any topic, consult the remainder of the release.
* The Fighting Irish played well and went 2-1 in the Courtyard by Marriott Classic hosted by Arizona State.
* Adrianna Stasiuk and Justine Stremick were both honored after the tournament. Stasiuk was named the Co-Best Attacker while Stremick took home the title of Best Blocker.
* Senior libero Danielle Herndon extended her streak of leading the team in digs to nine against Butler but saw it come to an end the next night against Duke. It was the third longest streak for leading the team in digs in the Notre Dame record book.
* Freshman Megan Fesl and Kim Kristoff both had strong weeks on the court. Fesl totaled two double-doubles and for the first time in her career was the team leader in both kills and digs in separate matches this week, while Kristoff hit .429 with 15 kills on the week.
* Sunday’s have not brought any luck to the Irish this season as the volleyball team has been swept in two Sunday matches this season.
* Junior Adrianna Stasiuk and Ashley Tarutis have solid career numbers against both Rutgers and Villanova. Stasiuk averages 3.17 kills and 3.83 digs per game against Rutgers while Tarutis averages 12.33 assists per game against the Wildcats.
* Head Coach Debbie Brown is three wins away from the historic 500-win mark in her career.
* A few Notre Dame volleyball players are quickly moving up the career and season charts. Junior Adrianna Stasiuk with her nine double digit digs this season now has 53 in her career which is tied for fifth all-time in the double figure dig mark. She also has totaled 31 double-doubles, which is fifth all-time on that list.
* Ashley Tarutis with her 265 assists this season now has 2,988 assists in her career, which is fifth all-time.
* Freshman Christina Kaelin with five 20+ kill matches this year is just out of the top-10 all-time for matches with 20+ kills for the Irish.
* Ashley Tarutis led the team in assists for all two of three matches at the Courtyard by Marriott Classic and has now led the team in helpers in 69 of the last 74 matches.
* Adrianna Stasiuk has recorded seven double-doubles in the first 11 matches.
* The Irish continue to alternate their two setters this season with both Ashley Tarutis and Jamel Nicholas. Each setter has started and lead the team in assists in at least five matches this season.
* No individual Notre Dame player is ranked among the top-10 in the BIG EAST in assists, yet the Irish thanks to both setters Jamel Nicholas and Ashley Tarutis are third in the conference in assists.
* Justine Stremick currently is third in the conference in blocks per game with an average of 1.49. She enters the week 15th nationally in blocks per game.
* Justine Stremick’s 61 total blocks this year is more than her next two teammates combined.
* Danielle Herndon is second in the BIG EAST with her average of 5.37 digs per game.
* Christina Kaelin is sixth in the conference in kills per game (kpg) at 4.05. She is the only freshman to rank among the top-10 in the conference in this category.
*Justine Stremick’s 14 blocks against Idaho on Sept. 2 is tied for the third most blockers ever recorded by an Irish player in four games.
* Freshman Jamel Nicholas broke junior Ashley Tarutis streak of leading the team in assists against Valparaiso. The streak stood at 64 matches before Nicholas totaled a career-best 36 assists against Valpo.
* Five players reached double figures in kills against then No. 13 Missouri (Christina Kaelin, Mallorie Croal, Justine Stremick, Adrianna Stasiuk & Megan Fesl).
* The loss to then No. 13 Missouri and then No. 6 Santa Clara was the first time Notre Dame has lost consecutive matches since the start of the 2004 season.
* The win over Bowling Green to open the season was Notre Dame’s 16th consecutive to open a season.
* Freshman Christina Kaelin’s 24 kills in her first match against Bowling Green are tied for the second most kills ever recorded by a Notre Dame volleyball player in a three-game match.
* Kaelin for her efforts was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week for the week ending Aug. 27.
* Kaelin was the first Notre Dame BIG EAST Rookie of the Week since sophomore Mallorie Croal in Sept. 2005
* With senior Danielle Herndon leading the team in digs against Bowling Green with 17, it was only the 13th time over the last two years that someone other than former libero Meg Heican was the digs leader.
* Notre Dame has high hopes for the upcoming 2006 campaign as the squad returns three starters and eight monogram winners.
* Joining the strong nucleus this season is one the highest ranked freshman classes in the country (third by Volleyball Magazine and fifth by PrepVolleyball.com).
* Head Coach Debbie Brown returns for her 16th season at the helm of volleyball program and signed a new contract extension in the off-season.
* Two additions to the coaching staff this season are former Virginia Tech head coach Greg Smith and Kevin Lane.
* ND will take on nine teams in 10 matches this season that were participants in the 2005 NCAA Volleyball Tournament.
* ND has four matches on home football weekends this season.
* Danielle Herndon is the lone senior on the team, the first time since 1983 that the Notre Dame roster will only have one senior.
* Over the last 16 years Notre Dame is an impressive 184-31 (.856) at the Joyce Center.
* The Fighting Irish has compiled an overall record of 120-7 (.945) including a record of 67-1 at the Joyce Center during regular season play against BIG EAST competition since joining the conference in 1995.
* This is the 35th anniversary of women’s athletics at Notre Dame, in celebration the volleyball team and the female athletic teams at Notre Dame will wear special patches on their uniforms this season. There will also be a special celebration in April. For more information see the info located toward the back of this notes package.
SCOUTING RUTGERS: The Scarlet Knights have hit a bit of a layoff after not playing last weekend … the last time the volleyball took the floor was a pair of losses to Binghamton and Harvard on Sept. 9 … The Scarlet Knight have lost their last five matches after starting the season with a winning record … senior outside hitter Lora Yankauskas has led the offensive attack for Rutgers with 153 kills an average of 4.03 kills per game … RU also uses a two-setter approach similar to Notre Dame … each setter has totaled 206 assists this season (Jocelyn Greenwald & Roxy Calder) … Orlando Hernandez is in his second season at the helm of Rutgers.
SERIES VS. RUTGERS: The schools will meet for the 12th consecutive season and the 14th time overall … Notre Dame has won all 13 previous meetings, taking 39 of the 40 games … ND won 30-23, 30-19, 30-27 a season ago in the Joyce Center … the Irish are 5-0 in New Brunswick against RU … 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 RU have met once in the postseason, in the 2000 BIG EAST Championship title match 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 ’03 is tied for its third-largest margin of victory since the 30-point format was adopted.
SCOUTING VILLANOVA: The Wildcats are playing as well as they have all season with three straight victories after a slow start … Villanova has proven to be a streaky team with two four match losing streaks and their current three match winning streak … senior middle blocker Adrian Semrau has paced the offensive attack with 154 kills … sophomore outside hitter Alona Cherker has also played well with 147 kills and 110 digs … Villanova also uses a two setter approach with senior Jenna Link totaling 252 and freshman Chelsea Graham tallying 231 helpers … Gilad Doron is in his third year as the head coach of Villanova … Doron led the Wildcats their first winning season since 1997 .. Semrau was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week this past week (9/18) for leading her squad to three consecutive sweeps.
SERIES VS. VILLANOVA: The Irish and Wildcats will meet for the 12th consecutive season and 16th time overall … Notre Dame has won all 15 previous contests, including two wins last season … the Irish swept the Wildcats 30-13, 30-25, 30-23 in the regular season and defeated VU by the scores of 28-30, 30-24, 30-26, 30-23 in the BIG EAST Championship … Notre Dame is 5-0 all-time at the Jake Nevin Fieldhouse … the teams have played one five-game match, as 12th-ranked Notre Dame rallied from a 2-0 deficit to prevail (15-12 in the fifth) in 1996 in the Joyce Center … the schools met once prior to the Irish becoming a BIG EAST member in 1995: Notre Dame won 15-7, 16-14, 15-4 in 1982 at Villanova … ND and VU have played three times in the BIG EAST Championship, with the Irish triumphing in three games in the semifinals in 1995 and in four games at the semifinals in 2005 … ND took four games in 1997 to win the title … ND has been ranked all three times it has played Villanova in the BIG EAST Championship … only five times in the series has Notre Dame needed more than three games to defeat VU…. the Irish lead in games won 42-6 … Notre Dame’s 15 victories against Villanova are the most without a defeat against any opponent … in 1999, the Irish turned in their third-highest hitting percentage in school history against VU, with 60 kills and just eight errors on 102 swings for a .510 mark.
MORE HONOREES: Following a strong three-day tournament at the Courtyard by Marriott Classic both Adrianna Stasiuk and Justine Stremick were give awards. Stasiuk led the team in kills in two of the three matches and was in double figures in digs in two of the matches to be named the Co-Best Attacker of the Tournament, while Stremick took home the title as the Best Blocker in the Tournament after averaging a block a game, with a high of six against Butler.
A STREAK ENDED: Senior Danielle Herndon extended her consecutive leading the team in digs streak to nine against Butler, but the streak was snapped when freshman Megan Fesl led the team in digs against Duke. Herndon’s nine-match streak of leading the team in digs was the third longest recorded at Notre Dame.
GOOD WEEK FOR THE ROOKIES: Freshman Megan Fesl had a strong week on the court for Notre Dame leading the team with a career-best 20 digs against Duke then leading the team in kills for the first time in her career with 13 against Arizona State. Fellow freshman Kim Kristoff also played well as she hit .462 against both Butler and Duke over the weekend. For the weekend Kristoff had 15 kills and a .429 hitting percentage.
JUST NOT OUR DAY: Notre Dame has yet to win a game let alone match on Sunday’s this season after falling to Arizona State on Sunday, Sept. 17 the Irish are now 0-2 and have gotten swept both times.
AGAINST THE OPPONENTS:
* Junior Adrianna Stasiuk has always played well against Rutgers with a career average 3.17 kills per game and 3.83 digs per game.
* Sophomore Mallorie Croal has a career average of 4.00 kills per game.
* Setter Ashley Tarutis is average 10.83 assists per game in her career against the Scarlet Knights.
*Ashley Tarutis is average better than 12 assists per game against the Wildcats (12.30)
* Notre Dame has never lost a match to either of these rivals. During the Debbie Brown era Notre Dame is a combined 26-0 (12-0 vs. Rutgers and 14-0 vs. Villanova) against this weeks opponents.
SNEAKING UP ON HISTORY: Head Coach Debbie Brown is quickly approaching the 500-win mark. Coach Brown is only three wins away and closing quickly. She has amassed a record of 497-210 in her 22 years as a head coach
A WEEKLY WATCH: These are the individual player both season and career stats to be on the lookout for this week.
* Junior Adrianna Stasiuk with her nine double figure digs matches this season now has 53 in her career, which is tied for fifth all-time at Notre Dame with Jessica Fiebelkorn. Her seven double-doubles this season move her to into sixth with 31
* Junior Ashley Tarutis with 265 assists this season now has 2,988 assists in her career, which is fifth on the Notre Dame assist list. She is 12 from reaching the magical number of 3,000.
* Freshman Christina Kaelin with five 20+ kill matches this season, is creeping up on the top-ten all-time at Notre Dame for 20+ kill matches in a career. Three former Notre Dame players (Christi Girton, Kathy Cunningham and Mary Kay Waller) hold the career mark of six 20+ kill matches.
GETTING HER GROOVE BACK: Junior Ashley Tarutis led the squad in assists two of the three matches of the Courtyard by Marriott Classic and has now led the team in assists in 69 of the last 74 matches.
DOUBLING UP: Junior Adrianna Stasiuk has had a double-double in kills and digs in seven of the first 11 matches this season.
AN INTERESTING SITUATION: Notre Dame has switched up their two setters junior Ashley Tarutis and Jamel Nicholas through the first 11 matches, where each one of them has led the team in assists in at least five matches this season. Due in part to the two-setter approach no individual setter is ranked among the top-10 in the BIG EAST, but Notre Dame as a team is third in the conference in assists.
SENDING THEM BACK: Sophomore Justine Stremick is third in the conference with her average of 1.49 blocks per game. Her 14 solo blocks are the most in the BIG EAST. She is also 15th nationally in blocks per game.
A POINT SAVER: Senior Danielle Herndon is second in the conference in digs per game at 5.37. Herndon and the Irish are fifth in the conference in digs per game (17.13).
MAKING AN IMPACT: Christina Kaelin is sixth in the conference in kills per game with her average of 4.05. She is the only freshman in the BIG EAST Conference to rank in the category.
SHE STANDS ABOVE ALL: Justine Stremick is not only the tallest player on the team at 6-3, she also has more than double the amount of blocks with 61 this season than her next two closest teammates combined (Adrianna Stasiuk and Mallorie Croal), who total 43 together.
HONORS AND SELECTIONS: Junior outside hitter Adrianna Stasiuk and junior setter Ashley Tarutis were both chosen for the preseason All BIG-EAST squad.
Christina Kaelin was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Week on Aug. 28 and Sept. 4.
Justine Stremick and Christina Kaelin were both named to the Shamrock Invitational All-Tournament Team on Sept. 2.
Danielle Herndon was a member of the UNI Invitational All-Tournament Team, Sept. 9.
Adrianna Stasiuk and Justine Stremick were both took home some hardware from the Courtyard by Marriott Classic. Stasiuk was named the Co-Best Attacker of the Tournament while Stremick was named the Best Blocker.
SHE’S THE BOSS: Irish head coach Debbie Brown is now in her 16th season as the leader of the Notre Dame volleyball program. She has led the Irish to a 380-127 mark (.750), while holding an overall record of 497-210 (.703). Brown’s Notre Dame teams have earned 14 consecutive NCAA tournament bids, advancing to the quarterfinals in 1993 and the round of 16 in ’94, ’95, and ’97. Her squads have won 20 or more matches 13 times. A 10-time conference coach of the year and the only five-time BIG EAST coach of the year (4 in the Midwestern Collegiate and one in the Pac-10), she has coached 12 Irish players to All-American honors. The Irish have also claimed 14 regular season conference titles (4 Midwestern Collegiate, 10 BIG EAST) and 13 league tournament titles (4 MCC, 9 BIG EAST) under her watch. A co-captain of the 1980 U.S Olympic volleyball team after winning a pair of national championships and earning All-American honors twice while playing at USC, Brown graduated from Arizona State in 1982 and coached her alma mater from 1983-88, helping the Sun Devils to five NCAA Tournaments.
BROWN’S EXTENSION: Debbie Brown – a 10-time conference coach of the year and finalist for national coach of the year in 2005 – has signed a multi-year contract extension to remain the head coach of the University of Notre Dame’s women’s volleyball program, it was announced July 17 by director of athletics Kevin White. After leading the Irish to one of their best seasons ever in 2005, Brown is in her 16th year at the helm. Last season, Brown’s squad peaked at fifth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll before posting its first 30-win season since 1994 (all four defeats came in five-game matches). The Irish went 5-1 against top-15 teams, earned an all-time high seeding of No. 6 in their 14th consecutive trip to the NCAA Championship (ND is one of only eight schools with such a streak). Notre Dame played host to the first two rounds and advanced to the round of 16 for the first time since 1997 before falling in five games. The Irish – which had a 15-match winning streak and spent a program-record 10 weeks in the AVCA top 10 – went 13-1 to win their 10th BIG EAST Conference regular-season championship (in 11 years of league membership) and then won in five games at Louisville in a battle of top-10 teams to claim ND’s ninth conference tournament title. The squad also featured the first player in program history – 2006 graduate Lauren Brewster – to be both an athletic and Academic All-American. For her efforts, Brown became the first five-time BIG EAST volleyball coach of the year and was named the top coach in the AVCA’s Northeast Region, making her one of the finalists for the national award.
Her tenure as the Irish head coach has seen Notre Dame compile a 378-126 (.750) record, and she has a 495-209 (.703) mark as a head coach. Brown’s Notre Dame squads have finished in the AVCA top 25 on nine occasions and reached the final 16 in the NCAAs six times – including a quarterfinal run in 1993. The Brown era has seen 15 consecutive winning seasons, with all but one featuring 20+ victories. Her teams have been outstanding against conference opposition, winning 14 regular-season titles and 13 league tournaments, while compiling a staggering 147-7 (.955) regular-season record against conference rivals (83-1 at home). Brown’s squads have been outstanding at home, accruing a 184-31 (.856) record, including five winning streaks of 14 or more matches. Individually, her Irish players have earned All-America accolades 14 times and have combined for 54 all-conference honors (nearly four per season), including 33 on the first team.
A NEW MAN IN PLACE: The Fighting Irish in 2006 will have a new assistant coach in place as Greg Smith, formerly the head man at Virginia Tech, has joined the Notre Dame volleyball family this season. Smith compiled a record of 81-94 (463), including 37-38 (.493) in his five years in command of the Hokies. Smith replaces Robin Davis who took the head position at Boise State. Also joining the volleyball coaching staff, as volunteer assistant is Kevin Lane. Lane is an experienced coach on several levels having most recently spent time at Indiana University-Purdue University at Fort Wayne, aiding the Mastodons to a runner-up finish at the National Independent University Tournament.
AN IMPRESSIVE STREAK: Notre Dame’s current 14 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances is behind only seven other schools nationally (Stanford (25), Penn State (25), UC Santa Barbara (25), Nebraska (24), Long Beach State (19), USC (15) and Florida (15)) for consecutive appearances in the Big Dance.
HOME SWEET HOME: Notre Dame’s Joyce Center has become one of the most difficult places in the nation for road teams to win at, especially since the arrival of head coach Debbie Brown in 1991. Over the last 16 seasons, Notre Dame has posted a 183-31 record (.855) home record. The Irish have put together some impressive winning streaks on the home court, winning 14 or more matches in a row at home on five different occasions, highlighted by a streak of 27 (1993-95), and 36 (2000-02) straight home victories. Notre Dame also won 74 in a row in regular season action against conference opposition from 1991-2004. On 15 different occasions Notre Dame has topped a ranked team at the Joyce Center, including five upsets of teams ranked in the top-10. During the Brown era Notre Dame holds a home record of 174-10 (.946) against unranked teams at home.
CLASS OF THE CONFERENCE: Notre Dame has experienced unprecedented success in the 11 years since joining the league in 1995. The Irish have compiled a 120-7 (.945) regular season mark, highlighted by 10 titles and winning streaks of 45 and 35 consecutive matches. Notre Dame is 67-1 (.985) in BIG EAST regular-season contests in the Joyce Center. The Irish have won nine BIG EAST tournament championships, posting a mark of 22-2 (.917) in the event and reaching the final every season. The Fighting Irish have also dominated the conference awards; winning player-of the-year honors six times and coach-of-the-year five times. On nine occasions an Irish player has been named to the league tournament’s most outstanding player. Also, Notre Dame players have taken home 40 all-conference accolades, including 24 first team honors.
KEEPING UP WITH VOLLEYBALL: For the fastest results of Notre Dame volleyball matches call the Notre Dame sports hotline at (574) 631-3000 and choose #5 and #1. The hotline provides schedules and results information for all Irish varsity sports and serves as a supplement to the match recaps and weekly releases provided on the official athletic website at www.und.com. In addition, media members and fans can be added to the sports information e-mail release list by contacting sports information assistant Joe Prisco, at prisco.3@nd.edu. All requests for story ideas, interview access, match credentials and further information on Irish volleyball should also be directed to Prisco. Credential and interview requests should be made at least 24 hours in advance.
UP NEXT: After a hectic couple of weeks the Irish will only have a single road match next weekend against BIG EAST conference rival Seton Hall in South Orange, N.J. on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 2 p.m.