Dec. 29, 2017
By Erin Locascio
Erin Locascio is a photography and graphic design intern for the University of Notre Dame. Throughout the year she has taken photos at fall sports such as women’s soccer, football, men’s soccer and volleyball. Take a look at her five favorites from the 2017 volleyball season.
In each post Locascio will give background information on the photo and why she selected it.
Johnson Delivers A Panckae
Natalie Johnson takes home the best action photo of the 2017 volleyball season. Against Georgia Tech, Johnson dives to keep the play alive for the Fighting Irish. The pancake dive executed at the perfect time is one of the best plays in volleyball. The hand just gets under the ball to keep it from hitting the floor. Johnson did this many times this season, sometimes multiple times a match. The athleticism as well as quickness for this to be done perfectly is shown well as her legs are in the air as she dives to get her hand right under the ball. This shot could not have been caught at a better moment, which is why it is one of the best of 2017.
Point Irish!
The Notre Dame volleyball team played Michigan State and Ohio State early in the season as non-conference matchups. The Irish came away with wins in both matches and this specific moment was during the Michigan State sweep. When playing teams that are as good as those two are, the excitement reaches another level, especially at home in front of a great crowd. That was exactly what happened in this, as Jemma Yeadon (12) is airborne celebrating a point won with her teammates. This is one of two of the best celebration shots from this season because the athletes faces are shown more than most. There is no obstruction to cover their screaming faces.
Irish Sweep!
This is second of the two best celebration photos from the 2017 volleyball season and it happens to be from the same match against Michigan State. This particular moment was after the match-point that earned the Fighting Irish the sweep over the Spartans. Ryann DeJarld caught at the peak of her jump while her teammates scream along with their arms in the air shows the relief it felt to win that last point. Michigan State volleyball went all the way to the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament this year and knowing that now makes the win Notre Dame had even more impressive. The moment behind the photo is always what makes it mean even more, which is why this is my favorite celebration photo from 2017.
Moringstar Celebrates
Volleyball celebrations are always the most exciting moments to capture throughout the season. Even though most of the girls celebrate the same way most of the time, each point celebration is unique and you never really know what the celebration will come out as in the photo. This is one of my favorites for a couple reasons. The first reason being that Meg Morningstar is showing great emotion by screaming and pumping her fists. Her hair flying as she moves to celebrate with her teammates adds to the excitement. The final reason this is one of the best of the season is because she is shown by herself. Its unique and cool to have the focus on just the one athlete, compared to most of the celebration photos which show the whole team.
Pure Volleyball Moment
The last photo chosen as one of the best from the 2017 volleyball season is a bit different than the rest. This is a moment that happens so quickly and frequently during each game. While a player is serving, the teammates on the court have to move to their set positions which is usually not where they are initially during the serve. That is why in this photo we see Ryann DeJarld (4) serving while Caroline Holt (8) and Madison Cruzado (20) are in the motion of moving to their set spots, which they can not do until Dejarld makes contact with the ball. This is a great shot that can only be caught on a volleyball court and is shown perfectly from this angle which is on the other side of and underneath the net. A moment that occurs every time DeJarld serves is paused in time and that’s what makes it one of my favorites from 2017.
