Team Celebration vs. Toledo

Irish Hit Road For Pair of ACC Matches

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame wraps up its four-match road swing to open ACC play with contests at Clemson and Georgia Tech. The Irish face the Tigers at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Sept. 28, and then take on the Yellow Jackets at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Sept. 30. Both matches will be streamed on ACC Network Extra via the WatchESPN app.

NOTRE DAME VS. CLEMSON & GEORGIA TECH
Location: Friday – Clemson, S.C. | Sunday – Atlanta, Ga.
How To Watch: ACC Network Extra (Friday) | ACC Network Extra (Sunday)
Live Stats: Click Here (Friday) | Click Here (Sunday)
Twitter Updates: @NDVolleyball
Game Notes: Clemson & GT Game Notes

SERIES HISTORY VS. CLEMSON
Notre Dame holds a 6-3 advantage over Clemson in the all-time series. The Irish have won each of the last four meetings, with the last three coming in straight-set fashion. Notre Dame has gone 5-1 against the Tigers since joining the ACC and hold a record of 3-2 against Clemson when playing away from home.

SERIES HISTORY VS. GEORGIA TECH
The Irish and Yellow Jackets will meet for the eighth time in the all-time series on Sunday. Georgia Tech currently leads Notre Dame 5-2 and has won each of the last four matchups. Notre Dame’s last victory over Georgia Tech came in a 3-0 victory in Atlanta on October 12, 2013.

BLOCK PARTY
The Irish block has been impressive in 2018, as Notre Dame has outblocked the opposition 112.5 to 76. Senior Meg Morningstar has led the front line of defense, posting a team-high 60 blocks for an average of 1.46 blocks per set. Sophomore Hannah Thompson is also averaging more than a block per set (1.16), as she has 43 on the season. The Irish rank 19th in the country in blocks per set (2.74).

SHATTERING RECORDS
Ryann DeJarld became Notre Dame’s all-time career dig record holder last season as a junior. The Chicago native has 2,043 digs over her four seasons, becoming the only player in program history to reach the 2,000-dig mark. DeJarld also set the single-season digs record in 2017, amassing 747 digs for an average of 6.12 digs per set (ranked fourth in the country).

BREAK OUT THE BROOMS
All seven of Notre Dame’s wins have come in straight-set fashion during the 2018 season. The Irish have recorded sweeps over Weber State, Toledo, Northern Kentucky, Oakland, Miami (OH), Chattanooga and UNC.

FEATURED FRESHMEN
The freshmen duo of Zoe Nunez, Charley Niego and Sydney Bent have featured heavily on the court for the Irish this season. Nunez has been the team’s starting setter and Niego has received action at outside hitter. Nunez currently has 396 assists, 91 digs, 25 blocks and 22 kills while Niego is second on the team in kills with 105 and second in digs with 121.

Another freshman who is coming on strong is Sydney Bent. The outside hitter has totaled 31 kills, 13 digs, six blocks and four aces over her last three matches.

DOMINATING DEFENSE
The Irish have been great on defense this season, holding opponents to a hitting percentage of just .130. Notre Dame currently has the second-best hitting-percentage allowed this season in the country. The Irish have held four opponents under .100 this season.

One of the main reasons the Irish defense is playing so well is the ability of the backline to generate big dig numbers. Notre Dame paces the ACC in digs per set with an average of 17.71. DeJarld leads the way for the Irish, averaging 5.73 digs per set.