Irish Hit Road for Key ACC Contests

NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Notre Dame (18-7, 11-4 ACC) heads back on the road for a pair of key conference matchups against Louisville and Georgia Tech. The Irish meet the Cardinals on Friday, November 22nd at 7 p.m. before taking on the Yellow Jackets on Sunday, November 24th at 1 p.m. Both matches are slated to be streamed live via ACC Network Extra.

NOTRE DAME at LOUISVILLE & GEORGIA TECH
Location: Louisville, Ky. & Atlanta, Ga.
How To Watch: ACCN Extra (Louisville) | ACCN Extra (Georgia Tech)
Live Stats: Live Stats (Louisville) | Live Stats (Georgia Tech)
Twitter Updates: @NDVolleyball
Game Notes: Louisville & Georgia Tech

HISTORY VS. LOUISVILLE
Friday marks the 39th meeting between the Irish and Cardinals, with Notre Dame holding a 22-16 edge in the series. Notre Dame will be looking to avenge a five-set loss to Louisville earlier this season on October 16th. The Irish won the first two sets of that match inside Purcell Pavilion before Louisville came back to earn a five-set victory.

HISTORY VS. GEORGIA TECH
Notre Dame and Georgia Tech will be meeting for the 10th time on Sunday with the Yellow Jackets holding a 5-4 edge in the series. The Irish took down Georgia Tech in four sets earlier this season on October 6th. Charley Niego (16 kills) and Sydney Bent (15 kills) paced the Irish attack while Madison Cruzado earned a game-high 17 digs. Kristin Baer also posted six blocks in the Irish win.

DIGGING THE VIBE
Notre Dame leads the conference with an average of 15.53 digs per set. The Irish have earned 70+ digs in six matches so far in 2019, including a 79-dig effort in a five-set victory over Michigan on September 18th. Junior Madison Cruzado earned a career-high 27 digs in a five-set match vs. Louisville on October 16th.

DE-FENSE
The Irish rank third in the ACC with an opponent hitting percentage of .183. They have kept their opponents under .200 in 10 of 15 ACC contests, including a .022 mark by Virginia on October 27th.

AMONG THE LEADERS
Entering the weekend, a number of Irish see themselves ranked in the top-10 in various statistical categories in the ACC. Zoe Nunez paces the ACC with 1,059 total assists and is third in the conference with a mark of 10.59 assists per set. Charley Niego ranks fourth in the league with 350 kills while Madison Cruzado is fifth in the ACC with 388 digs.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

• 40 — Irish Volleyball is in the midst of its 40th season of competition at the University.
• 15.53 — Entering the week, the Irish lead the ACC with an average of 15.53 digs per set.
• 1,059 — Zoe Nunez leads the ACC with 1,059 total assists and ranks third in the league with a mark of 10.59 assists per set.
• 350 — Sophomore Charley Niego ranks fourth in the conference with 350 total kills. In Notre Dame’s five-set win at Boston College on November 3rd, Niego recorded season-highs with 22 kills and a hitting percentage of .310.
• 388 — Junior Madison Cruzado has notched 388 digs this season, which ranks fifth in the ACC.

—ND—