Oct. 29, 2014
If you like numbers, this article is for you.
Last Saturday night, the University of Notre Dame volleyball team lost in five sets to the University of Virginia. While the result was certainly disappointing, the abundance of records that came from the match was almost overwhelming. Let’s take a look at all the career bests that were achieved by the Irish:
From a team perspective, the Irish went over 80 digs (81) for the first time in a year, and also had five players total 10 or more digs in the first time in a year. Even more impressive was the fact that Notre Dame had 72 kills and 67 assists against the Cavaliers, two figures that hadn’t been replicated since the Irish posted 76 kills and 74 assists against Syracuse November 1, 2008.
Despite the entertaining and record-filled match, head coach Debbie Brown said it best after the match.
” ââ’¬¦ So a lot of positives, but just that one huge negative in that we didn’t get the win.”
The Irish (5-16, 2-8 ACC) look to start a winning weekend on Halloween night, as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-13, 3-7 ACC) come to town for a 7 p.m. Friday match at Purcell Pavilion.
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MORE NUMBERS: Houser Records Watch
Quietly, senior Jeni Houser has moved up the career records list in several categories this season. Let’s take a look at these categories now:
Kills: The Louisville, Ky., native became the 13th player in school history to top 1,200 kills for a career, as she moved past 2012 grad Kristen Dealy into 12th place on the all-time list against Virginia. Houser now has 1,207 and is eight kills away from moving into a tie for 11th place with 2002 grad Kristy Kreher. If Houser can get to 1,300 in the season’s final eight matches, she would move into eighth place.
Hitting Percentage: An efficient hitter throughout her time in the Notre Dame blue and gold, Houser currently sits in a tie for seventh in school history in attack percentage at .293. When looking at most kills to best hitting percentage, Houser trails just two players – Lauren Brewster (1,485 kills, .314 A%) and Kristy Kreher (1,215 kills, .306 A%).
Matches With 10+ Kills: Already in seventh place with 71 career matches with 10 or more kills, Houser would move into a tie for fifth place with former All-American Adrianna Stasiuk if she can total three more matches with 10+ kills this season.
Matches With Team-High Kills: Throughout her career, Houser has led her squad in kills a whopping 41 times. With eight matches remaining, she would move into a tie for third place in this category if she can lead the team five more times this year.
% Of Matches Played: Houser has played in 111 of a possible 112 matches since she has stepped foot on campus, or .991 percent, which is good for ninth place in school history. If she plays in the final eight matches, she will move into a tie for sixth place with Lindsay Treadwell (1995-98), Emily Loomis (2001-04) and Jamel Nicholas (2006-09), who all played in .992 percent of their team’s matches.
% Of Sets Played: Having played in a remarkable 415 out of a possible 419 sets (.991), Houser will finish her career in third place in this category behind Ashley Tarutis and Andrea McHugh, who played in every set of their careers, if she plays the remainder of the sets this season.
Consecutive Sets Played: Houser sits behind Tarutis and McHugh in another category, as she has played in 365 consecutive sets from November 18, 2011 to the present.
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For behind-the-scenes coverage of the Notre Dame volleyball team, including costume photos from many Halloweens ago, follow the Irish on Facebook (/NDVolleyball), Twitter (@NDVolleyball) and Instagram (NDVBall).
–Russell Dorn, Assistant Media Relations Director
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