Oct. 26, 2007
Game Notes
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The University of Notre Dame volleyball team takes to the road for the second time this week as the squad will tackle a pair of BIG EAST Conference matches over the weekend. Visits to UConn (Oct. 27) and St. John’s (Oct. 28) follow a 3-2 Irish loss at LSU earlier in the week.
Former Irish standout Emily Loomis is a first-year assistant coach for the Huskies after spending the past year as a Service Director with City Year Washington, D.C. Loomis spent 2001-04 playing for the Fighting Irish and was named an 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.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
(9-10 overall, 4-4 BIG EAST)
UConn Huskies
(13-9 overall, 3-5 BIG EAST)
Saturday, Oct. 27, 2007 • 2:00 p.m.
Storrs, Conn. • Gampel Pavilion
Series vs. UConn: Notre Dame leads 16-1
Series Streak: Notre Dame – won 13
Last Meeting: Oct. 20, 2006 – Notre Dame, 3-0
Live Stats: UND.com
St. John’s Red Storm
(22-3 overall, 7-1 BIG EAST)
Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007 • 2:00 p.m.
Queens, N.Y. • Carnesecca Arena
Series vs. St. John’s: Notre Dame leads 12-1
Series Streak: Notre Dame – won 1
Last Meeting: Nov. 18, 2006 – Notre Dame, 3-1
Live Stats: UND.com
Last Time Out …Notre Dame came out on the short side of a 3-2 (30-27, 28-30, 30-16, 26-30, 15-15) battle with LSU in Tuesday evening’s non-conference match at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center … Notre Dame is now 1-2 against teams from the Southeastern Conference after splitting matches with Florida and Alabama earlier in the season … the Irish will have a chance to even its record against SEC foes in a match at Tennessee on Nov. 23 … senior Adrianna Stasiuk collected 21 scoops to move into third-place on the school’s all-time digs list … she also had 15 kills and was one of two Irish players to post double-doubles, with sophomore Serinity Phillips joining her with 20 kills and 17 digs … leading the Irish in the digs category with 23 was freshman Megan Dunne, the most recorded by any member of the team this season … dishing out 57 assists was senior Ashley Tarutis, who was bettered only by Maggie Lonergan’s 66 for LSU (18-4 overall, 9-3 SEC) … sophomore Jamel Nicholas came off the bench to get under 16 digs for Notre Dame … Notre Dame fell behind in the match’s opening stages but an attack error by LSU’s Kyna Washington drew the first tie at 5-5 … Megan Fesl dropped a kill to put ND ahead, 13-12, and Phillips’ sky shot gave them the lead by two … at 14-14, junior Justine Stremick’s second attack of the play fell for the Notre Dame score and a 15-14 lead … LSU posted the next three points and Stremick smacked a crosscourt roller to bring Notre Dame within one … Phillips shot one down the left line to tie it at 17-17 … Tarutis put up a quick set for freshman Kellie Sciacca to tie the count at 23-23, then the game was locked again (24-24) when Stasiuk and Stremick teamed for a block … kills from Stasiuk and Phillips kept ND alive and within one (28-27), but a Brittnee Cooper kill and an errant set was all the Tigers needed for the win … Cooper would total 13 blocks and 21 kills in the match with a .613 hitting percentage … Phillips had seven kills on 13 swings in the game, and the Irish out-hit LSU .277 to .255 … Lauren DeGirolamo also had seven of her match-high 23 kills for LSU throughout an opening period that featured 18 ties and eight lead changes … three service errors and three receiving errors nearly doomed the Domers in game two, but Phillips added six more kills to spark a late rally as ND hit .298 in the frame to tie the match, 1-1 … ND finished the third game with a .022 hitting mark, and LSU posted its highest percentage of the match by swinging at a .366 rate … LSU took the first three scores in game five … the frame was then tied at 6-6, 8-8, and 9-9 … Cooper broke loose with a trio of blocks to give LSU a 12-9 edge and a lead it would not to surrender.
History 101 …Serinity Phillips led an Irish attack with a match-high 16 kills in an Oct. 20 win over UConn in 2006 … her 16 kills set a new career-best … the rookie carried a .500 hitting percentage, going 16-for-28 with two errors … she also blocked four shots and totaled 18.5 points … ND and Connecticut will meet for the 18th time in 2007 … the Irish have rattled off 13 straight wins in the series … the teams have three times played in five-game affairs, with Connecticut gaining its only victory over ND 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, 6 tournament) … in the semifinals of that season’s BIG EAST Championship, UConn won the first two games before Notre Dame won three straight to ignite a 12-match winning streak against the Huskies … the Irish have won 50 of 59 games … Christi Girton 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 middle/outside hitter Emily Loomis is a first-year assistant coach for the Huskies after spending the past year as a Service Director with City Year Washington, D.C. … 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 … a Notre Dame win over the Red Storm in the semifinals of the 2006 BIG EAST Tournament marked the Irish’s first victory against a ranked opponent on the season … Mallorie Croal she led Fighting Irish with 16 kills and also tallied 19 digs in the upset of No. 24 St. John’s (Nov. 18) … the game scores went 30-23, 30-28, 28-30, 30-20 … it was only the second loss of the season for St. John’s, while the first was at the hands of No. 4 USC … Serinity Phillips tied a career-high with eight blocks … Notre Dame’s lone loss to St. John’s came earlier in the 2006 season, a 3-0 home defeat … libero Kathleen Yee led St. John’s in a 3-2 loss to No. 9 Minnesota in the second round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament by collecting match-high 20 digs to become the seventh Red Storm athlete to record 1,000 career digs … the Red Storm closed out their record-breaking season with a 31-5 mark … the their final contest of 2006, Latoya Blunt recorded 13 kills, while setter Wioleta Leszczynska dished out 44 assists.
Vintage Records …Notre Dame was victorious against DePaul last weekend for the fifth-straight time against the Blue Demons … the home sweep 3-0 (30-12, 30-13, 30-15) was the second-quickest match in the history of the Joyce Center, finishing in 1:04 … Kim Kristoff tied a career-high total in the ace category with five … the Irish coasted to post the widest margin of victory in the program’s history, as the fifty-point spread was six more than the total number of points the Irish put on the board against Loyola in 2002 … a stifling Irish defense limited DePaul to a -.034 hitting percentage for the match, including a pair of sub-.000 games … it was the first time Notre Dame held an opponent under .000 hitting since Cincinnati finished with a -.057 mark in a 2005 match … for the first time since Notre Dame traveled to DePaul during the 2006 season to pick up a 3-0 win, not a single Irish player recorded double-digit kills … the match was played in front of 2,276 fans – the tenth-largest home crowd in Notre Dame history .
I Hit `Em High …Justine Stremick turned in several career-best marks in ND’s match at Syracuse … she helped spark the Irish attack with 19 kills on 36 attempts, and was responsible for 24.0 points … setter Ashley Tarutis coaled the offensive fire and dished out a 58 assists in the contest, which was a season-high for the senior,
You Hit `Em Low …Adrianna Stasiuk totaled enough digs against LSU (21) to move into the No. 3 spot on the all-time digs list … ahead of her is Christy Peters (1991-94) with 1,640 … Stasiuk has 1,375.
Trading Spaces …Heading into the Marquette match, Notre Dame had never dropped a decision to the Golden Eagles … the Irish left Milwaukee with its first loss to the team in 10 tries … previously, Notre Dame held a 9-0 all-time edge over Marquette … on the latter side of the BIG EAST weekend, Syracuse – who had won the first of the 16 all-time matches between the Orange and Irish – fell to Notre Dame for the 15th-straight time since the series-opening win.
With Honors …Junior Justine Stremick turned in an incredible performance against Rutgers by finishing the match with a .706 hitting percentage, which was the highest mark by any Irish player since she turned in a .750 clip last season against South Florida … the clip tied her for the 12th-best hitting percentage by a player in program history … also against the Scarlet Knights, freshman Kellie Sciacca hit over .400 (.412) for the fifth time this season … both players were recognized on the BIG EAST’s weekly honor roll for their accomplishments … Sciacca also received the honor on Oct. 15 … the BIG EAST also named Sciacca its Freshman of the Week on Oct. 22.
Good Reason To Get Defensive …In a 3-0 win over Rutgers, Notre Dame did more than just pick up its third BIG EAST Conference win of the season … the team picked up the spirits and hopes of fans, friends, and family by raising $5,900 for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure grassroots network of Northern Indiana in its first-annual Dig for the Cure match, with the total amount going towards breast cancer research … “the Dig for the Cure was a wonderful event for us, and I hope we got the annual match off to a great start,” said Irish head coach Debbie Brown … “we’ve already thought of ways to make the entire experience better in hopes of raising even more money next season” …. fans were challenged to equal or exceed Brown’s pledge of $5 for each of her team’s digs in the match … the Irish defense scooped 39 digs in the three-game tilt to produce $1,848 in donations … commemorative jerseys with pink lettering worn by the team during the conference showdown were donated by adidas … the jerseys were then auctioned off to yield a total of $2,125, with the top earner bringing in $250 … a trio of Dig for the Cure t-shirts autographed by the team were auctioned off during intermission, with each going for $200 … “I was impressed with the number of people that bid on jerseys, bought t-shirts, and donated money by sponsoring digs,” added Brown. “This was a great starting point for us to build on in years to come.”
Twice the Celebration …With the Notre Dame football team’s 20-6 win over UCLA and an Irish volleyball sweep over Rutgers, Saturday (Oct. 6) marked the first time this season that both the football and volleyball teams were victorious on the same day … the volleyball team had previously won on three football game-day Saturdays … the next time the two squads could potentially play on the same date is Nov. 17, when the football team wraps up the home portion of its schedule against Duke … the Irish netters could be competing simultaneously in the second round of the BIG EAST Conference Championships hosted by Marquette.
Serene Killer …One week after racking up a career-high 23 kills at West Virginia, sophomore Serinity Phillips exploded for 26 in a five-game match with Villanova … she had only six errors on 63 swings for a .317 average … Phillips leads the Irish with 261 total kills and 3.39/game.
Game Four Was a Bottomless Pitt …Notre Dame downed conference foe Pittsburgh 15-straight times between 1992-2002, but since then Pitt has taken five of the last seven meetings, including a 3-1 home win for the Panthers in 2007 … in that battle, Notre Dame combined to score 82 points with Pittsburgh in the fourth game of a match that was also both team’s BIG EAST Conference opener … there were 27 ties and 15 lead changes in the elongated period, and senior Adrianna Stasiuk contributed nine of her 14 kills in the game … the Irish set a school record for most points in a four-game match (131), and tied the program’s mark for the fourth-highest point total in an affair of any length … their 40 points in game four was the most ever won in a single game, eclipsing the previous high of 37 in game one of a 3-1 victory over Eastern Washington in 2003.
If the Jersey Fits …Adrianna Stasiuk started each of the matches during the opening conference weekend at the libero position, and even tied a season-high mark of 21 digs at Pittsburgh … Stasiuk fired home 14 kills in the final two games against the Panthers after being relieved of libero duties … she had 17 scoops at West Virginia and came one kill shy of recording her eighth-straight double-double … it was the first time the senior had not notched 10 or more kills in a match since the season opener against Minnesota.
(Taru) Tis Better To Give …Ashley Tarutis had 12 assists in game one against Pittsburgh to push her four-year total over 4,000 … she became the third player in school history to record at least 4,000 in a career, joining Janelle Karlan (5,197: 1990-93) and Denis Boylan (4,687: 1997-2000) … Tarutis’ 47 assists against Missouri pushed her past Kristen Kinder (2000-03) for third-place on the school’s all-time assist list.
Line Fusion …A pair of shifts in the Irish starting lineup by head coach Debbie Brown to start BIG EAST play gave junior Mallorie Croal (at Pittsburgh) and sophomore Kim Kristoff (at West Virginia) their first starts of the season … Serinity Phillips, Kellie Sciacca, Megan Fesl, Justine Stremick, Adrianna Stasiuk, and Ashley Tarutis have all started each contest this year … two of Stasiuk’s starts have been at the libero spot … Croal, Kristoff, Megan Dunne, and Angela Puente have also received starting nods.
Take Five …Serinity Phillips (14), Kellie Sciacca (14), Megan Fesl (13), Justine Stremick (10), and Adrianna Stasiuk (14) comprised the five-player group that had 10+ kills in a 3-1 loss at Pittsburgh … the feat was a first for an Irish squad since Christina Kaelin (24), Mallorie Croal (14), Stremick (14) Stasiuk (13) and Fesl (13) did the same versus Missouri on Sept. 2, 2006 … ND dropped that match, 3-2.
A Long Time Coming …A run of four losses to ranked teams this season came to an end when ND downed No. 22 Santa Clara … before doing so, the last ranked team Notre Dame dismantled was No. 24 St. John’s during the 2006 BIG EAST Tournament (Nov. 18).
Rolling In the Conference Honors …Middle blocker Kellie Sciacca was voted the league’s Freshman of the Week (9/17) after she posted career-best marks in every major statistical category for the Irish at the Bronco Invitational in Santa Clara, Calif. … Sciacca became the first Irish player to record 10+ blocks – since teammate Justine Stremick did so last season against Idaho – when she registered 10 against No. 11 California in Notre Dame’s 3-2 loss … she turned in the team’s highest individual hitting percentage of the season (.625) with a personal-best 16 kills against No. 22 Santa Clara while adding career-highs of three aces and six digs in the winning effort … she finished the three-match invite with 37 kills and a .361 mark over 14 games.
Hoisting the Hardware …Freshman Kellie Sciacca was recognized on the BIG EAST’s weekly honor roll (Sept. 10) after posting 15 kills (.524) and nine blocks against Alabama in the Shamrock Invitational, which she followed with a 12-kill performance vs. No. 13 Ohio … Megan Fesl was a part of the same list one week earlier (Sept. 3) after a 20-kill output at Missouri while earning all-tournament honors at the Tiger Invitational.
Hello…Is It Me You’re Looking For?Coming off an injury, preseason all-BIG EAST choice Mallorie Croal saw her first action of the season in an Irish loss to No. 11 California … Croal, who played sparingly, had a kill and two digs … she put together a band of seven consecutive double-doubles to end the 2006 season, which is the second longest streak in the record books.
Join the Club …In a five-game tilt with Alabama, Adrianna Stasiuk smashed the 1,000th kill of her career to tie game three at 25-25, and in doing so joined 16 other players in the program’s history to reach that plateau … she also became only the seventh Notre Dame player ever to register 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in a career, as Jamie Lee (1994-97) and Angie Harris (1994-97) were the last to do so … not too much later in the frame with the Irish ahead 29-28, Stasiuk connected on kill No. 1,002 to put the finishing touches on the Crimson Tide.
They’re Grrrrrreat!Both Megan Fesl and Serinity Phillips earned spots on the all-tournament team at Missouri’s Tiger Invitational after posting career performances … Fesl turned in a personal-best 20 kills against Florida International and a season-high 16 digs against Missouri … with 19.0 points against the Golden Panthers, Phillips set a career-high in that stat column … she also had a (then) season-high 15 kills and seven blocks in Notre Dame’s win over FIU.
Sweet Home (Win Against) Alabama …The Irish were in a familiar – yet uncomfortable – spot during a 3-2 win over Alabama … just two matches earlier against Florida International, Notre Dame lost the first game and was trailed, 2-1, going into the third frame … instead of hitting the panic button, ND came back to win both matches to remain undefeated in five-game contests this season … several program milestones were eclipsed, which include the last time: a Notre Dame player had 20+ kills [Megan Fesl (20)]; five Notre Dame players had 10+ digs [Serinity Phillips (10), Ashley Tarutis (15), Megan Fesl (19), Adrianna Stasiuk (16), Angela Puente (15); four Notre Dame players had 15+ digs [Ashley Tarutis (15), Megan Fesl (19), Adrianna Stasiuk (16), Angela Puente (15)]; Notre Dame had 80+ digs (80); Notre Dame player hit .500+ [Kellie Sciacca (15-4-21, .524)]; Notre Dame hit .500+ as a team in a game … Sciacca’s .524 mark is third-best in school history for a five-game match … one week previous, the Irish set a school record by hitting .538 in game five against Florida International.
Gimme Five…or Four …It’s nice when two or three players connect on 10+ kills in a match … but it’s even better when five can pull it off … that’s just what then-20th Notre Dame did when they faced Missouri last season, who was ranked 13th coming into the Sept. 2 match … Christina Kaelin (24), Mallorie Croal (14), Justine Stremick (14) Adrianna Stasiuk (13), and Megan Fesl (13) all had double-digit kill performances for Notre Dame … in the 2007 matchup, four Irish players hit the double-digit mark in that category: Serinity Phillips (11), Fesl (14), Stasiuk (10), and Stremick (13).
What a Difference a Year Makes …In game two against No. 13 Ohio, and attack from Tara Enzweiler got through the Bobcat defense to give ND a 16-14 lead … she soon assisted on a Megan Fesl kill to put the Irish ahead by three at 18-15 … it was not just a rare assist for the middle blocker, but a very rare assist … her last dish came exactly one year prior to the Ohio match against Kansas State at the Northern Iowa Invitational in Cedar Falls, Iowa (Sept. 9, 2006).
Shining at the Shamrock …Two Irish players earned spots on the Shamrock Invitational all-tournament team, as Serinity Phillips and Megan Fesl represented Notre Dame after career weekends … Phillips had a (then) personal-high 18 kills against Alabama on 48 attempts, and her 12 digs in first-round action with College of Charleston was also a career-best … Fesl’s second 20-kill match of the season came against the Crimson Tide with a pair of aces … a (then) career-high 5.0 blocks came against College of Charleston for the sophomore.
Volleyball’s Cal Ripken …Ashley Tarutis saw action in each of Notre Dame’s eight games over the course of the Tiger Invitational, which then pushed her total of consecutive games played to a school-record 365 … libero Meg Henican played in 363 straight games between Nov. 17, 2002 – Dec. 9, 2005 … Tarutis is the only player in the history of the program to play in each game of every match (427 of 427) throughout a career … next on the list is Lauren Brewster (.969 – 444/458) … Tarutis is also one of four players to play in every career match.
Four Hands Are Better Than Two …Ashley Tarutis and Jamel Nicholas passed out 35 and 20 assists, respectively, in an Irish loss against No. 7 Florida … the occasion marked the second time in three matches that Notre Dame had two players record 20+ assists … the same duo accomplished the feat in the 2006 finale against No. 10 Wisconsin in the NCAA Tournament … Tarutis had 45 assists with Nicholas adding 21 in the BIG EAST opener at Pittsburgh … both handed out 20+ vs. Villanova.
–ND–