Nov. 15, 2007
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – After posting four straight wins to close the regular season, the Notre Dame volleyball team not only played its way into the 2007 BIG EAST Conference Championship, but earned the tournament’s fourth seed in the process.
Notre Dame will battle Cincinnati, whom it beat last Friday (Nov. 9) by a 3-1 score, Friday at 11 a.m. (ET) in the Al McGuire Center. The Bearcats are the tournament’s No. 5 seeded team. Live stats and video will be available on the BIG EAST’s web site, which will be linked through the volleyball section of UND.com.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
(13-12 overall, 9-5 BIG EAST)
BIG EAST Conference Championship
Nov. 16-18, 2007
Milwaukee, Wis. – Al McGuire Center
Live Stats / Video: UND.com
Last Time Out … Appropriately, a pair of seniors on the University of Notre Dame volleyball team came up huge on Senior Day during Sunday’s BIG EAST Conference win over No. 17 Louisville … Ashley Tarutis and Adrianna Stasiuk each notched double-doubles as the Irish toppled UofL, 3-1 (30-28, 30-16, 25-30, 30-28), in front of 1,511 fans at the Joyce Center … Tarutis had a match-high 58 assists – which brought her season total to 1,032 – with 11 digs and Stasiuk converted 11 attacks with 11 digs … the pair has posted a 90-39 (.698) overall record spanning the past four seasons including a 37-14 (.725) mark at home … “the win meant a lot to Ashley and Adrianna,” noted Irish head coach Brown … “it (the win) will be a special memory for them for a long time … it was their last home match, and knowing how hard the team battled and what they had to overcome to earn the win, it thrills me that they will be able to carry that feeling and memory with them forever” … the win cracked a two-match losing streak to UofL and exacted a bit of revenge for a loss to the Cardinals in the 2006 BIG EAST Championship final … Louisville’s setback dropped its record to 20-5 overall and blemished what was previously an undefeated league mark, heading home with a 13-1 conference record … “it was a great win for the team and for the program,” Brown said after the match … “I think that the progress we’ve made over the last two weeks has gotten our confidence at the place it should be as we head into the conference tournament … we went in and executed our game plan very well, and the heart and character of this team really showed today … we had every reason in the world to win this match, and I’m proud of the team for earning this great win against a Top 25 program” … Notre Dame extended a season-high four-match winning streak and a sixth straight win on its home floor … the squad hopes to carry the momentum into this season’s BIG EAST postseason tournament, set to be hosted by Marquette from Nov. 16-18 … the Irish earned the No. 4 seed in the tournament and will face fifth-seeded Cincinnati … Notre Dame won the regular-season meeting with the Bearcats, handing them a 3-1 loss on Nov. 9 … Tarutis captained the offense to a .267 hitting mark for the match and aided three players to impressive averages … sophomore Megan Fesl racked up a match-high 21 kills for a .341 average and junior Justine Stremick finished with a .333 average and nine kills while tying Louisville’s Lecia Brown for a match-best nine blocks … sophomore Serinity Phillips had 17 kills, and freshman Kellie Sciacca had 16 with a .433 clip … getting under 10 digs was sophomore Jamel Nicholas … Stremick had a solo block (5-5) which was followed by two Stasiuk kills from the left side to give Notre Dame an 8-5 lead in game one … Sciacca came through with an ace (9-5), and Tarutis tossed a quick set to Stremick for a kill (12-6) after Phillips laid down a pair of kill … Fesl delivered a strike to put the Irish ahead by eight, 18-10, when UofL put together a pair of rallies to cut the score to 21-19 … Stasiuk went through the block (23-21) and Fesl had a tip fall into enemy territory (24-22) to stay up by a deuce … Louisville came right back and tied things at 27-27 with Jana Matiasovska’s monster kill … Matiasovska led UofL with 16 kills on 32 swings in the match, but was denied by Stremick and sophomore Tara Enzweiler on an attack that was blocked by the pair on game point … Sciacca had six kills to start the match and helped her team to a .288 mark, which was bested by Louisville’s .333 percentage … Stremick was 5-of-7 without a hitting error and Tarutis assisted on 18 of the 22 Irish kills in the frame … Tarutis enjoyed an ace early in game two to lift the Irish up by a pair, 3-1 … Stremick had a kill on the slide (6-6) when Louisville broke away with a brief rally … Notre Dame came back within one, 10-11, after Sciacca smacked a kill off the head of a Cardinal defender, and would knot things up (11-11) with Fesl’s slam from the left side of the court … UofL was called for a setting error (12-11) then Sciacca timed her jump perfectly with Phillips for a block (13-11) … coming out of a timeout, Brown muscled a kill to bring Louisville within seven (23-16) … but it would be the last score that UofL would tally in the game … Fesl had three more kills before the Irish finished the stanza with a 7-0 run … Stasiuk caught the Cardinal defense with its feet in cement with a laser to tie game three at 3-3, which the second of six tied scores in the frame … the last would come at 8-8 on a Fesl kill, then Louisville extended its lead to six points on several occasions before pulling out the win by five scores … Fesl had game-high seven kills on 10 attempts in the game for the Irish … but it was the play of Louisville’s Brown, the nation’s leader in blocks-per-game, who was the difference maker the Cardinal defense in holding the Irish to their lowest hitting clip of the match (.234) … Stremick and Stasiuk got Notre Dame on the board with a double block after giving up the first two points of game four to the Cards … Sciacca had an attempt clip the net and hit paydirt for a score, and Stasiuk shot a shallow attack crosscourt to bring Notre Dame within a lone point (7-8) … the Irish trailed by as many as four (7-11) and wound up down by three (9-12) with Stremick’s glider … then Stasiuk had three jump serves fall off the kitchen table for aces to tie the game and swing momentum back into the hands of the Irish … Fesl gave Notre Dame the lead (14-13) and steered a kill through the Louisville double block for a three-point advantage (16-13) … ahead 26-22, Louisville took the next two scores when Fesl put the Irish up by a trey … Phillips made the score 28-25 in favor of the home squad and Louisville once again rattled off two unanswered points … Sciacca’s crosser set up game point, which was redeemed for the win when Phillips connected successfully on a Tarutis dish.
History 101 … In 12 years of league membership, Notre Dame has not seen a season go by in which it did not reach the BIG EAST Tournament championship match … the Irish have claimed nine tournament titles with pair of second-place finishes, and leads all conference squads with a 24-3 (.889) record in the annual postseason event … Pitt’s 10 titles (1982, 1984, 1986, 1988-94, 2003) are the most by any school in front of Notre Dame’s nine … the Joyce Center has played host to the BIG EAST Tournament three times (1995, 2000, 2003) … then-junior Adrianna Stasiuk was the tournament’s MVP in 2005, joining eight other Irish players to earn the honor: Lauren Brewster (2004), Emily Loomis (202), Malinda Goralski (2001), Denise Boylan (2000), Marcie Bomhack (1998), Jaimie Lee (1997), Lindsay Treadwell (1996), and Angie Harris (1995) … the Irish have also won 10 regular-season league crowns … the BIG EAST will be in its third year as the nation’s largest Division I-A conference … the first year with 16 members was wrought with curiosity among those in the world of collegiate athletics and in the media, but the league thrived in its new alignment, enjoying significant success in the athletic arenas, on the playing fields and in the classroom … more than 550 BIG EAST athletes have earned All-America recognition and dozens have won individual NCAA national championships … the BIG EAST has been well represented on United States, foreign national and Olympic teams … several athletes earned gold medals in each of the last five summer Olympics … the BIG EAST is headquartered in Providence, R.I., where the conference administers to more than 5,500 athletes in 23 sports.
Irish and the BIG EAST … Though all 16 members of the BIG EAST Conference field women’s volleyball teams, Providence College ceased its league participation in the sport after the 2002 season … the other 15 schools take part in round-robin play during the regular season, and the top eight teams then participate in the BIG EAST Championship, a single-elimination tournament with the winner receiving the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament … this championship format is a departure from the traditional four-team event that had been in place since the Irish joined the league (with the exception of 1999, when the league experimented with an expanded three-day, six-team event) … Notre Dame has experienced unprecedented success in the 12 years since joining the league in 1995. …entering the 2007 season, the Irish have compiled a 130-11 (.922) regular-season mark, highlighted by 9 tournament titles and winning streaks of 45 and 35 consecutive matches … Notre Dame once earned 58 straight victories at home in BIG EAST regular season play … Irish volleyball squads carried a home conference winning streak of 74 straight matches from 1991 to 2004, which includes wins over both Midwestern Conference and BIG EAST opponents … the Irish have won nine BIG EAST Tournament championships, posting a 24-3 (.888) mark in the event while reaching the final match in each of their 12 appearances … Notre Dame has also dominated the league’s post-season awards, winning player-of-the-year honors six times and coach-of-the-year award on five occasions … on nine occasions, Irish players have been named the league tournament’s most outstanding player … Notre Dame student-athletes have garnered 43 all-conference accolades – including 26 first-team honors – which accounts for nearly one-third of the total first-team honors handed out during the span … prior to joining the BIG EAST, Notre Dame was a member of the North Star Conference from 1983-87 and the Midwestern Collegiate Conference from 1990-94 … the Irish won regular-season and tournament titles in the NSC in 1986 and 1987, then captured both the regular-season and tournament championships in the MCC from 1991-1994 … in 22 years of conference participation, Notre Dame has won 16 regular-season crowns and 15 league tournaments while compiling a 187-24 (.886) mark in regular-season conference matches.
On the North End of the BIG EAST Stats Lines … With the conference’s regular season schedule complete, several Irish players ended up near the top of the statistical charts … in conference play, Kellie Sciacca ranked sixth in hitting percentage with a .366 clip (her overall hitting average of .340 is 84th nationally) … a 10.92 assists/game average was good enough for ninth-place finisher Ashley Tarutis … Adrianna Stasiuk was ninth in aces/game with 0.37 … she was also 10th in digs/game, scooping 3.48 … in the blocks/game department, Sciacca was tenth (1.19) and Justine Stremick was fourth (1.58).
Thou Shall Not Kill … Of 325 Division I volleyball programs, Notre Dame ranked 19th in blocks/game at the end of the regular season with 3.10/game … individually, Justine Stremick has the 26th-best average with 1.40 stops-per-game.
Play On, Playas (of the Week) … For the first time this season, a pair of teammates has swept the BIG EAST Conference’s weekly volleyball awards … the league announced on Monday (Nov. 12) that Notre Dame sophomore Megan Fesl was named its Player of the Week and freshman Kellie Sciacca up her third Rookie of the Week award on the season … Fesl is only the second sophomore to win the award through twelve weeks of play … the duo led the Irish attack to two wins, as Notre Dame ran its winning streak to four matches … the team has only dropped three games over that four-match stretch, including recent wins over then-No. 17 Louisville (Nov. 11) and a 3-1 victory against Cincinnati (Nov. 9) … setting a career-best 21 kills against Louisville was Fesl … in the last two matches, she has combined for only eight errors on 72 attempts with 35 kills for a .375 average … on Friday, she put down 14 kills on a .429 hitting percentage while facing her sister, Annie, who is a setter for Cincinnati … Sciacca hit over .400 in both of Notre Dame’s matches over the weekend … the middle blocker swung for a .417 average versus Cincinnati and had a .433 clip in a four-gamer with Louisville … only four errors on 54 swings and eight blocks capped off her two-match performance, as she posted 3.38 kills/game and 1.00 block/game … heading into the BIG EAST Tournament, she ranks first on the team in hitting percentage (.340) and is second in blocks/game with 1.13 … the recognition marked the third time Sciacca has won the weekly freshmen award – the most among BIG EAST rookies – and she has been named to the league’s honor roll on four occasions this season.
Feelin’ Hot, Hot, Hot … The Irish are riding a season-best four-match winning streak, which started with a win over Georgetown on Nov. 2 … the team is hitting .301 over that stretch … Justine Stremick has posted a .421 hitting percentage and 2.07 blocks/game … and it should come at no surprise that the last time Stremick hit under .300 was during a five-game contest at LSU on Oct. 23, when she finished with a .289 mark … speaking of skills, the junior middle blocker also played the national anthem on her saxophone before Notre Dame’s Senior Day win against No. 17 Louisville … Ashley Tarutis has been good for 14.00 assists/game, Megan Fesl has put up 4.00 kills/game with a .323 average, and Kellie Sciacca carried a .426 percentage with 49 kills on 94 attempts with only nine errors.
Play Hard, Study Harder … Adrianna Stasiuk and Justine Stremick both earned spots on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V volleyball team … Stasiuk, an accountancy major with a 3.72 cumulative GPA, found a seat on the first-team for the second time in as many seasons … with a GPA of 3.76 as a mathematics / life sciences major, Stremick was one of six members on the second-team … she was also a third-team selection in 2006.
Set It Off … Coming off a 58-assist effort in a four-game duel with No. 17 Louisville, setter Ashley Tarutis surpassed the 1,000-assist mark … she now has 1,032 dimes on the season heading into Friday’s match versus Cincinnati … Tarutis had 1,150 assists as a freshman, 1,573 as a sophomore, and 860 last season … her 10.28 assists/game average is eighth on the all-time list … before she checked in with 63 assists earlier this season against South Florida, the last time an Irish player had 60+ assists in a match was in 2005, when Tarutis logged 62 in a 3-2 win at Louisville.
Family First? Last Friday’s match against Cincinnati marked the first time that sisters Megan Fesl (Notre Dame) and Annie Fesl (Cincinnati) were on opposite sides of the net … the two were teammates at John Hersey HS in Arlington Heights, Ill. … adding to the mix, their father, Rich, will sang the national anthem to open the match … “I’ve always thought it would be pretty cool to sing the national anthem at a sporting event,” Rich says … “and here, the opportunity presents itself” … Rich and his wife, Joan, sat with their large extended family and were seen donning specially designed t-shirts, which featured both the Fighting Irish and Bearcat logos, capturing their divided loyalties … the elder Fesl and her Irish squad came out on top of round one of the Fesl Feud … Megan sported a .429 hitting average by means of 14 kills on 28 swats with only two errors … Annie logged 43 assists and had a pair of service aces.
One More Can’t Hurt … Adrianna Stasiuk needed one kill last week against Cincinnati to enter Notre Dame’s top ten list for kills in a career … she got one, and a few more … the senior totaled 22 kills over the two matches this past weekend, pushing her career mark to 1,243 … she also had a pair of double-doubles, moving her to second on that career list with 61.
Stremick Continues Hot Streak … Firing in a .684 hitting percentage against Georgetown was junior Justine Stremick, a mark that put her in a tie for 23rd on the program’s top single-match performance chart … she hit .708 earlier in the season against Rutgers, and is third on the program’s career-average list with a .312 clip … Stremick hung 13 kills on the Hoyas, then lit up the Bulls for 18 converted swings on a .382 average … last season, she had 15 kills on 20 attempts without an error for a .750 percentage as Notre Dame beat the Bulls, 3-0, in Tampa … Stremick also had seven blocks against both Georgetown and South Florida, bringing her average to 1.48 blocks/game in conference contests, ranking her fourth in the league … overall, her 1.40 blocks/game puts her at 37th among players across the nation.
Calling Baton Rouge … Looking back at Notre Dame’s matchup with the LSU Tigers … 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 … 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 … the match marked the first time since 1989 that neither team held a national ranking entering the contest … the Irish have battled in six five-gamers this season, going 3-3 in those matches … consecutive tilts with California and Santa Clara earlier in the season were the first back-to-back five-game matches Notre Dame played since 2005, when they split a pair with Tennessee (L, 3-2) and Dayton (W, 3-2) … the Irish played a total of four five-gamers in 2006.
Vintage Records … Notre Dame was victorious against DePaul (Oct. 19) 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 58 assists in the contest, which was a (then) 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 … she has the second-most of any non-libero to ever play for Notre Dame.
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 Orange snagged the series-opening win in 1981.
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 average against the Scarlet Knights tied her for the 12th-best hitting percentage by a player in program history … also against Rutgers, 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 received that honor on Oct. 15 as well, and the BIG EAST also named her as its Freshman of the Week on Oct. 22 … the pair made an appearance on the Honor Roll on Nov. 5 as well.
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.
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.
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).
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.
Rolling In the Conference Honors … Middle blocker Kellie Sciacca was voted the league’s Freshman of the Week (Sept. 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 … she 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.
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 (at the time) … 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.
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).
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).
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 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+ versus Villanova.
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.
Are You Down for a Road Trip? Missouri’s Tiger Invitational was originally slated to be a four-team tournament … Florida A&M opted to withdraw from the event, leaving Notre Dame without a Sunday match due to the shifted schedule … instead, the Irish left Columbia for St. Louis several hours before their flight departed town to take in some sights … the squad made it to the top of the Gateway Arch and watched the St. Louis Cardinals defeat the Cincinnati Reds in Busch Stadium … with the scoreboard chock full of zeroes, the Cards’ Rick Ankiel led off the sixth inning with a solo homer and soon stepped out of the dugout for a curtain call … but Irish manager Hy Pham may have drawn an even louder ovation from the patrons of section 367 for an earlier performance … Pham took the spotlight by downing two hotdogs and a chicken sandwich – which was followed with a large soda – before the midway point of the first inning … Pham claims he has never used performance-enhancing drugs … Notre Dame also visited the University of Missouri Children’s Hospital on Saturday morning before playing Florida International later that evening … while there, they passed out Notre Dame volleyball collectables in addition to quite a few hugs, smiles, and laughs with patients.
Must Have Been Something She Ate … When Notre Dame cracked open the lid on the 2007 season, Serinity Phillips had three kills on 14 attempts with two errors for a .071 average against Minnesota … whatever she did on her day off between Friday evening and Sunday’s match with Florida must have worked … Phillips responded with a career-best .583 hitting percentage with 14 kills on 24 swats without an error … previously, Christina Kaelin (12-2-18, .556) was the last Irish player to hit .500+ when she did so in a 3-2 win at Cincinnati in 2006.
Closing In … Last season, sophomore Christina Kaelin had five matches with +20 kills last season to finish tied for sixth on the school’s list for +20-kill matches in a single season … Christy Peters holds the all-time single season mark of nine (1994) … after one season, Kaelin is one spot shy Notre Dame’s all-time top-10 list for career +20-kill matches.
Spoiling the Party … The Irish had never dropped a home opener under head coach Debbie Brown since she took over the program in 1991 until this season’s loss to Minnesota … the defeat also marked the first time an Irish team had not started a season – at home or away – with a win since they fell 3-1 to Montana in the 1990 opener.
Re-Joyce Center … Notre Dame is now 21-7 in home openers and had won its last 17 before falling to Minnesota … previously, the last time the Irish dropped an opener in the Joyce Center was in 1989 to Western Michigan, 3-2, in the Notre Dame Invitational … before this season, no ND team had started play on its home court with back-to-back matches against top-10 teams.
And You Thought You Had It Bad … Not only did Notre Dame face two top-10 squads in the season’s first weekend, but seven of its 13 non-conference opponents were ranked among the nation’s top 25 in the CSTV/AVCA Coaches preseason poll … additionally, three more non-conference foes along with Louisville and St. John’s received votes in the standings … the RichKern.com poll had eight future Irish opponents in its preseason top-30, with five more appearing within the following 10 spots.
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