Dec. 7, 2005
Notre Dame seniors MB Lauren Brewster (Brentwood, Tenn./Brentwood H.S.) and OH Lauren Kelbley (Bascom, Ohio/Hopewell-Loudon H.S.) and sophomore OH Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South H.S.) were named to the American Volleyball Coaches Association’s (AVCA) All-Northeast Region Team when the organization announced its regional honors last night. Notre Dame was one of just 11 schools in the country to boast a trio of all-region selections, and Kelbley is one of only two players in Division I to be a four-time AVCA all-region pick.
The Irish placed multiple players on the all-region/district team for the seventh consecutive year and 10th time in the last 11 seasons. Notre Dame has had at least three players earn all-region/district accolades in five of the past seven seasons. The Irish are one of just four teams in Division I (also Nebraska, Washington, and Louisville) to have multiple players (Brewster and Kelbley) who have gained all-region honors at least once before. Notre Dame’s senior Laurens join Nebraska seniors MB Melissa Elmer and OH Jennifer Saleaumua as the only pairs of teammates in the country to have at least three all-region selections each.
Kelbley is the first Notre Dame player ever to be named first-team all-region/district in each of her four collegiate seasons. The only other current Division I competitor who shares that distinction is libero Paula Gentil of Minnesota. Brewster joins an elite club of five Notre Dame players who have been all-region/district picks on three or more occasions, along with OH Jaimie Lee (1995-97), S Denise Boylan (1997, ’99-2000), and OPP Kristy Kreher (1999-2001). Kelbley and Brewster are the only set of classmates in that club. Brewster also is one of just five players (along with junior OH Christina Houghtelling and sophomore RS/OPP Sarah Pavan from Nebraska and Washington’s pair of senior DS/L Candace Lee and junior S Courtney Thompson) who were named Academic All-Americans last week by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) and also were tabbed all-region by the AVCA.
Stasiuk – the only sophomore on the all-Northeast Region squad – continues Notre Dame’s tradition of sophomore accolades, as she is the fifth second-year player over the past five seasons to be tabbed to the AVCA All-Northeast Region team, joining Kelbley and Brewster (both in 2003), OPP/OH Emily Loomis (2002), and S Kristen Kinder (2001).
The BIG EAST Conference took nine of the 12 spots on the all-Northeast Region team, which also includes players from the Ivy League, America East, the Atlantic 10, and the Patriot League. Louisville joined the Irish with three selections (seniors OH Lena Ustymenko and MB Jennifer Hoffman and junior MB Ana Yartseva), while Cincinnati freshman MB Jessie Nevitt, Pittsburgh senior L/DS Megan McGrane, and senior RS/OPP Kelly Duan from Syracuse also were recognized. OH Hui Ping Huang from St. John’s was named the Northeast Region Freshman of the Year, but was among the six earning honorable-mention all-region accolades.
The all-region selections, determined by a committee consisting of one head coach from each of the region’s conferences, showed a couple of differences from the BIG EAST awards, which were based on voting by the league’s head coaches. Of the nine all-region selections, seven were also among the 12 to receive all-BIG EAST first-team honors. But two second-team all-conference picks (Stasiuk and Yartseva) earned all-region honors accolades, as well. Huang and Pittsburgh sophomore OH Diana Andreyko were honorable-mention picks, but other first-team all-BIG EAST players OH/MB Kim Todd of Marquette, OH Kristen Conway from Syracuse, and Notre Dame’s L Meg Henican (New Orleans, La./Isidore Newman H.S.) were not recognized by the AVCA. Nevitt was the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year and the only freshman on the all-Northeast Region team, but Huang was the regional top rookie.
Junior MB Faye Barhorst from Dayton – who had 18 kills and six blocks in a five-game loss to Notre Dame last weekend in the opening round of the NCAA tournament – was among the non-BIG EAST honorees. Rounding out the all-Northeast Region team along with Barhorst – the Atlantic-10 Conference Player of the Year – were Ivy League Player of the Year junior OH Elizabeth Bishop from Cornell and America East Player of the Year junior Blair Buchanan from Albany.
A total of 27 players faced by Notre Dame this season earned all-region mention from the AVCA, including 20 on the all-region teams. Seven other players taking part in this weekend’s NCAA regional in College Station, Texas, were honored, as Washington had four on the all-Pacific Region team (Lee, Thompson, senior OH Sanja Tomasevic, and sophomore OH Christal Morrison) and one honorable mention (sophomore MB Alesha Deesing), while Purdue freshman MB Stephanie Lynch and Wisconsin senior MB Sheila Shaw were honorable mention all-Mideast Region.
The AVCA will announce its All-America teams on Dec. 14. Brewster was a third-team selection in 2004 after being honorable mention in ’03, while Kelbley has been honorable mention All-America in both of the last two seasons.
The Irish – who stand 30-3 and ranked ninth in the AVCA poll – will make their first appearance in the round of 16 of the NCAA tournament since 1997 when they face the Badgers on Friday at 5 p.m. (CST) in G. Rollie White Coliseum on the campus of Texas A&M University. Live internet audio coverage of the match will be available on Notre Dame’s official athletics website, und.com.
See below season biographical sketches of Notre Dame’s all-region honorees:
#12 Lauren BrewsterSr. • MB • 6-3 • Brentwood, TN • Brentwood H.S. • Impact VBC
One of the top middle blockers in the nation has the ability to dominate matches both offensively and defensively … the second All-American in program history earned third-team accolades in 2004 and is one of the most accomplished and decorated players ever to play for the Irish … named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Second Team, becoming the third Academic All-American in program history (first since 1997) … one of fewer than 50 Notre Dame student-athletes in any sport to be an athletic All-American and Academic All-American … one of just five Academic All-Americans who also have reached the NCAA round of 16 … tabbed the BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year in 2005 after being the conference tournament MVP in ’04 … first-team all-BIG EAST pick in final three seasons (unanimous in ’04 and ’05) to become the first player from any school since 1997 to be a three-time selection on that team (and just sixth overall and second in Irish history, along with Jaimie Lee, 1995-97) … named to thee AVCA all-Northeast Region team in 2003, `04, and `05 … has continued to excel in her final season, saving her best performances for the biggest matches … in the five Irish matches against nationally-ranked teams (ND has won all of them), she is averaging 4.48 kills per game on .312 hitting to go with 1.62 blocks for 5.55 points per game … has increased her scoring production, as she currently boasts career highs in both kill average (3.89) and points per game (4.97) … one of the co-captains on a Notre Dame team that has established itself as one of the best in school history … voted to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 5 First Team, becoming the first Irish player since 1998 to earn academic all-district accolades from the College Sports Information Directors of America … the 2003 NCAA blocking champion ranks among the top 25 in Division I in that category for the fourth consecutive season (12th, 1.64 per game) … also has Notre Dame among the top five nationally in team blocking (4th, 3.61 per game) for the fourth consecutive season … stands just 11 blocks away from the Notre Dame record for blocks in a season (206 by Mary Kay Waller in 1988) … one of just two players who is among the BIG EAST leaders in four categories, ranking second in blocks, fourth in points, seventh in hitting percentage (.316), and eighth in kills (3.86) … combines with Lauren Kelbley to make ND the only team with two in the league leaders in points and pairs with Carolyn Cooper to give the Irish two of the BIG EAST’s top six blockers … in conference action, she finished third in hitting percentage (.396), fourth in points (5.03), fifth in blocks (1.43), and seventh in kills (4.02) … leads Notre Dame in all four of those categories and is bidding to lead the Irish in both kills and hitting percentage for the second consecutive season after no Irish player had done that since 1991 (Marilyn Cragin) … was team’s top performer during torrid start to season that saw Irish pull off three upsets of top-15 teams … tabbed MVP of The Inn at Saint Mary’s Shamrock Invitational (10 GP, 46 K, .310, 15 B, 10 D, 56.5 pts.) and the UTSA Dome Rally (10 GP, 52 K, 18 B, 63.5 pts.), one of the nation’s top in-season tournaments, featuring four nationally-ranked teams, to bring her career total of tournament MVP awards to five … was ND’s top performer in winning the BIG EAST tournament, posting 3.25 kills per game on .318 hitting to go with 2.17 blocks and 4.62 points per game … became the first player from any school since the Irish joined the league in 1995 to be the solo BIG EAST Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks, winning the honor on Sept. 5 and 12 … her eight awards of that type are by far the most in Irish history … also has been listed on BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll five times (8/29, 10/10, 10/31, 11/7, 11/14) … became the first Notre Dame player since 1993 to be named National Player of the Week by any organization, winning the honor from Collegiate Volleyball Update on Sept. 6 after the Shamrock Invitational … posted 10 kills on .381 hitting to go with four digs and two blocks in the two game fives in that tournament, leading the Irish to a pair of victories … averages 2.50 kills on .278 hitting to go with 1.00 blocks and 3.02 points in her career in fifth games … is all over the Irish record book, ranking among the top 10 in 15 categories … already broke the ND records for career total blocks (727, previous record was 699 by Mary Kay Waller from 1985-88) and block assists (605, previous record was 516 by Mary Leffers from 1996-99) … also ranks second all-time in attack percentage (.316) and block average (1.66) … in BIG EAST final at #7 Louisville, became the fifth player in Irish history – and the first to play predominantly at middle blocker – to register 1,400 career kills … stands just three kills behind Zanette Bennett for third place on the Irish career kills list … is the only player to rank among Notre Dame’s all-time top five in both hitting percentage and kill average … on other career lists, ranks third in solo blocks (122), tied for third in matches with 10+ kills (80), fifth in kill average (3.34) and matches leading the team in kills (44), and seventh in matches with 20+ kills (8) and attack attempts (3,327) … combines with Lauren Kelbley to be just the second set of classmates to post 1,400 kills each … together they have put together 2,913 kills, the second-highest total by Notre Dame classmates (3,023 by current AVP players Angie Harris and Jaimie Lee from 1994-97) … has played in 439 of the 453 games over the past four seasons, a 96.9% mark that is on pace to break the Irish record (currently 96.5% by Jenny Birkner from 1993-96) … has played in all 125 matches and could join Birkner and Janelle Karlan (1990-93) as the only Irish players ever to play in every match during their Notre Dame careers … her outputs in 2005 place among the all-time Irish season top-10 lists in total blocks (2nd), solo blocks (4th, 45), matches with 10+ kills (T-4th, 27), kills (6th), block average (9th), matches with team-high kills (15, T-9th) … already holds three of the top 10 season block averages in ND history … has led Irish in blocks 20 times, points 16 times, kills 15 times, attack percentage on 11 occasions, and twice in aces … has had nine or more kills in 29 of 31 matches this season and 10+ in 25 (78 during her career) … has hit over .300 in 15 of the last 18 matches (.400+ 10 times, .500+ three times) and on 19 occasions overall this season … has hit .500+ on 17 occasions during her career and has notched double-digit blocks 16 times … began the season with 16 kills on .416 hitting and six blocks in a three-game win against Michigan … registered 18 kills and 12 blocks (her 18th career double-double) to go with five digs and two aces for 25.5 points in five-game upset of #11 Texas … delivered solo block on Dariam Acevedo on game point to put Irish up 2-0 … had three kills – including one on match point – and two blocks in final 11 points after Irish trailed 8-6 in decisive game vs. Longhorns … followed that up with a career-high 28 kills on .328 hitting and season-high 31 points the next day vs. Arizona State … that marked the second-most kills ever by a Notre Dame middle blocker and the most by any player in the Joyce Center since 2000 … had 17 kills and six blocks in upset of #8 USC … posted 20 kills – a career high in a three-game match – on .429 hitting to go with seven blocks for 24.5 points in upset of #6 Florida … had 14 kills on .448 hitting vs. Seton Hall … posted 17 kills on .389 hitting against St. John’s and 16 kills on .483 hitting at Connecticut the following day … posted 15 kills on .545 hitting at DePaul … registered eight blocks vs. Illinois State … had 12 kills on 22 errorless swings for .545 hitting vs. South Florida … hit season-high .571 (10 kills, 2 errors, 14 attempts) and had eight blocks against Georgetown … once again came through with big match against a top-10 team, posting 20 timely kills on .366 hitting against #6 Louisville … kill at 26-26 ignited late run in first game that ended 30-28 … posted kills on three of final five points in game two after Louisville cut lead to 27-26 … broke 25-25 game-four tie with a kill that sent Irish to victory … joined Adrianna Stasiuk, who also had 20 kills, to be the first Irish duo to have 20 kills each since Oct. 8, 2000 (Christi Girton-30, Kristy Kreher-22) … had 17 kills on .481 hitting at West Virginia and 20 on .364 hitting at Pittsburgh … did not make an error in two matches over the final weekend of the BIG EAST season, slamming 19 kills on 42 attempts (.452) and adding nine blocks against Villanova and Rutgers … posted 15 kills on .400 hitting to go with eight blocks for 20 points in BIG EAST quarterfinals against Villanova … turned in 11 blocks (two solo) in semis vs. Cincinnati, matching the highest total by an Irish player in a three-game match in the 15-year Debbie Brown era … was the top performer in the BIG EAST title match, posting a match-high 19 kills on .359 hitting to go with seven blocks for a match-high 24 points … ended 31-29 game two with a kill and had two kills and a solo block to lead the Irish to an insurmountable 8-3 advantage in the decisive fifth game … posted 15 kills without an error on .484 hitting against Rice … notched 12 kills and eight blocks vs. Tennessee … posted 16 kills on .333 hitting to go with nine kills in NCAA first round against Dayton … had two kills – one on match point – and three blocks in fifth game to stave off Flyers’ upset attempt … notched 10 timely kills and nine blocks in second-round sweep of Northwestern … pounded five kills during the final 10 points of game two (32-30 ND win), including four in a row when the score was tied … also notched a kill on match point.
#6 Lauren KelbleySr. • OH/MB • 6-1 • Bascom, OH • Hopewell-Loudon H.S. • Black Swamp VBC
Talented and versatile player has established herself as one of the best in Notre Dame history … stands as the only current Division I hitter to have been an AVCA all-region selection in each of her four seasons (Minnesota libero Paula Gentil also shares that distinction) … also was AVCA honorable mention All-America in 2003 and ’04 … one of just three players from any school ever to be tabbed to the all-BIG EAST teams in each of her four seasons (first team in 2003 and ’05, second team in ’02 and ’04) … key leader on one of the best teams in Notre Dame history … one of the most-reliable producers ever to wear an Irish uniform, as she has posted 10+ kills on 89 occasions during her career (27 In 2005), more than any other player in ND history (record was 88 by current AVP player Angie Harris from 1994-97) … became the sixth Irish player ever to post 1,400 career kills in regular-season finale against Tennessee … stands just one kill away from fifth place on the Irish all-time kills list, which is currently occupied by another current AVP player, Jaimie Lee (1994-97) … has improved her serving throughout her career, increasing her ace output in each of the last three seasons … leads Irish in 2005 with 42 aces (0.35 per game) … her season totals place her tied for seventh on the all-time Irish list of top season ace totals … ranks ninth in BIG EAST in points (4.40 per game) … combines with Lauren Brewster to make Notre Dame the only school with multiple players among the league leaders in points … in league-only action, she was tied for eighth in the BIG EAST (17/0.36) in aces … in addition to leading team in aces, also ranks second on Irish in kills (423/3.55) and points (524) and third in hitting percentage (.287) … has posted career-best numbers this season in kills and points … ranks among Irish career leaders in 16 categories, including fourth in service aces (119) and kill average (3.34), and sixth in kills (1,445) … other rankings include fourth in percentage of games played (95.4%) and attack attempts (3,470), fifth in matches with 20+ kills (10), sixth in hitting percentage (.291) and solo blocks (79), tied for seventh in percentage of matches played (97.6%), eighth in total blocks (413), and ace average (0.28), tied for eighth in matches leading the Irish in kills (38), and 11th in games played (432) … combines with Lauren Brewster to be just the second set of classmates to post 1,400 kills each … together they have put up 2,913 kills, the second-highest total by Notre Dame classmates (3,023 by current AVP players Angie Harris and Jaimie Lee from 1994-97) … has led Irish in aces 15 times this season and has been tops in kills nine times, points and attack percentage on seven occasions, and blocks four times … also a big reason that ND has a service ace-to-error ratio of 0.750, which would rank as third-best in Irish history … listed on BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Oct. 3 … began season with 15 kills on .361 hitting to go with three aces against Michigan … recorded first career double-double against Arizona State, finishing with 18 kills and 10 digs, plus four blocks for 22 points … posted season-high 25 kills and three aces for 29 points in Notre Dame’s four-game upset of #8 USC … had seven kills in game two, including two that erased game points after the Women of Troy (already up a game) led 29-27 … final kill came on match point to give ND first win over USC since 1995 … her 10th kill against #6 Florida came at 28-28 in the third game to give the Irish a match point – which they converted … also had a kill to finish game one … had 15 kills on .412 hitting and five blocks and three aces at Tulane … posted 13 kills on .367 hitting against Seton Hall … pounded 24 kills on 32 attempts for .688 attack percentage at Loyola Chicago … also matched career high with four aces (and no service errors) against the Ramblers … had 15 kills on .324 hitting vs. Syracuse … posted 13 kills and three blocks vs. Valparaiso … posted 14 kills and no errors on 22 swings for .636 hitting mark against DePaul … turned in six blocks at Illinois State … had nine kills on 18 attempts for .444 hitting vs. South Florida … had 11 kills, seven digs, three aces, and two blocks in four-game win against #6 Louisville … finished with 13 kills on .357 hitting vs. Cincinnati … registered 14 kills on .565 hitting against Saint Louis … had 16 kills and five digs at Pittsburgh … had 13 kills against Villanova and #7 Louisville in the BIG EAST tournament … converted half of 14 swings for kills (.429 hitting) in semis against Cincinnati … matched season high with three solo blocks against the Cardinals … had 10 kills on 18 errorless attempts (.556) against Rice to go with a season-high seven blocks … posted 22 kills and only one error for .412 attack percentage in five-game loss to Tennessee … had a dozen kills in NCAA opening round against Dayton … followed that up with one of the top hitting performances in Irish NCAA history, converting 13 of 23 attempts for kills and making just a single error for a .522 hitting mark.
#10 Adrianna StasiukSo. • OH/OPP • 5-10 • Park Ridge, IL • Maine South H.S. • Sports Performance VBC
Notre Dame’s best all-around player has been a big contributor for the second year in a row … has settled into role as starting outside hitter after playing some libero early in season … the only sophomore named to the AVCA all-Northeast Region team … named to all-BIG EAST second team and was the BIG EAST Championship Most Outstanding Player (12 GP, 35 K, 33 D, 3 SA, 39.5 pts.) … made Notre Dame the first school ever to have multiple players honored as Collegiate Volleyball Update’s National Player of the Week (following Lauren Brewster) by winning the award on Oct. 25 after having outstanding all-around week … averaged 4.30 kills on .396 hitting to go with 3.90 digs and 1.50 blocks for 5.75 points per game in wins against Illinois State, South Florida, and Georgetown … during that week, she posted match-high numbers on nine occasions in six different categories … is the only non-libero among the BIG EAST leaders in digs, coming in eighth in overall play (407/3.84) and finishing eighth in conference action (174/3.70) … pairs with Meg Henican to make ND the only team to have two players among the conference digging leaders … that duo has combined for 1,008 digs, which is the most ever by Irish teammates in a season, topping their own mark of 884 in 2004 … became only the fourth Irish player ever to post 400 digs in a season … also one of the team’s top two serve receivers, combining with Henican the last two years to make that an Irish strength … a year ago, they held opponents to just 0.96 aces per game (the second-best mark in program history) … this season, the Irish are surrendering just 0.80 per game, which would smash the Notre Dame record (0.94 in 2003) … has taken 31% of serves and made just 27 errors in 795 attempts, a reception percentage of 96.6% … went five straight matches without a reception error from Oct. 5-17 … also has combined with Henican to make this one of the best defensive teams in Notre Dame history … the Irish led the BIG EAST in digs in conference action (17.70 per game; runner-up West Virginia had 16.76) after never before placing higher than sixth … ND also leads the league in overall digging (17.93; best-ever finish is sixth) and ranked among the NCAA leaders for most of the season … average would rank as second-best in program history (record is 18.25 in 1992) … ranks second on team in digs, as well as third in kills (310/2.92), points (385/3.63), assists (57/0.54), and reception percentage, and fourth in blocks (78/0.74) … in second collegiate season, has increased kill average (from 2.49 in 2004 to 2.92 in ’05), hitting percentage (.168 to .212), serve percentage (.887 to .897), dig average (2.96 to 3.84), and point average (2.38 to 3.63) … in career record book, would rank third in dig average (3.39) and fifth in service ace average (0.29) … has put together an outstanding defensive season, as her dig average would rank as the fifth-highest season average ever and most by an Irish non-libero (and by a player other than Henican) since 1993 … is averaging 5.25 digs per game in matches against nationally-ranked opposition … posted first Notre Dame triple-double since 1998 as a rookie and has 14 double-doubles this season to bring her career total to 23 … currently has double-doubles in five consecutive matches, which is the third-longest string in Irish history … posted four consecutive double-doubles (vs. Marquette, Valparaiso, St. John’s, and Connecticut) earlier in season … has had 10+ kills 17 times this season and has hit the 20-dig mark on four occasions (after not doing that at all in 2004) … has led team in digs nine times, aces seven times, kills and points on six occasions each, plus three times in attack percentage and blocks … missed first three matches of season due to an offseason rib injury … returned in first career appearance as Irish libero against #8 USC and responded with career-high 29 digs and 21 receptions without an error in leading ND to upset victory … had 24 digs two days later in helping Notre Dame to a sweep of #6 Florida … posted 24 digs against LSU … has played only at outside hitter since Sept. 27 … had 14 kills on .355 hitting to go with 21 digs (career high when not playing libero) against Marquette … followed that up with 13 kills and 12 digs, plus 24 receptions without an error against Valparaiso … had 16 kills and 10 digs at St. John’s and 10 kills and 11 digs, plus four blocks vs. Connecticut … turned in 12 kills on .579 hitting at DePaul … had 20 kills on .349 hitting to go with 16 digs and four blocks for career-high 22.5 points against Illinois State … notched nine kills on 17 swings (.471) and 13 digs and four blocks vs. South Florida … posted 14 kills on .419 hitting to go with 10 digs and season-high seven blocks (career-high four solo) vs. Georgetown … cranked career-high 21 kills to go with 18 digs in leading Notre Dame to an upset of #6 Louisville … combined with Lauren Brewster to be the first set of Irish teammates to hit 20 kills apiece in a match shorter than five games since Oct. 8, 2000 (Christi Girton-30, Kristy Kreher-22) … converted at 29-28 in game one and ended match with another kill … had 14 digs at West Virginia and 13 at Pittsburgh … registered seven kills on 23 errorless swings (.304) against Villanova, while accounting for 15 digs and five blocks … notched 10 kills and 14 digs vs. Rutgers … had 10 kills, 10 digs, three blocks, and three aces for 14.5 points in BIG EAST quarterfinals vs. Villanova … posted 18 kills and 13 digs in title match at #7 Louisville … had 10 kills on .333 hitting to go with 12 digs against Rice … notched third consecutive double-double vs. Tennessee, with 14 kills and 13 digs, plus three aces, five assists, and three blocks … posted 16 kills, 19 digs, four blocks, seven assists, and two aces for 20.5 points in NCAA first round against Dayton … had 16 kills on .364 hitting to go with 10 digs and four blocks for 19 points in second-round sweep of Northwestern … in four matches (12 games) at libero early in season, averaged 6.25 digs per game (75 total) and had a .976 (3 RE, 130 attempts) reception percentage.
— ND —