Nov. 12, 2009
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Ranked for the first time since 2006, the Notre Dame volleyball team will host Georgetown (Nov. 13) and USF (Nov. 15) to close out the regular season this weekend at Purcell Pavilion. The 24th-ranked Irish are 12-0 against BIG EAST Conference opponents this season and need one win to clinch the outright regular-season league title. Notre Dame has already secured the No. 1 seed for the conference tournament.
“This is a big weekend for us, and we’re glad to be back at home playing in Purcell Pavilion,” Irish head coach Debbie Brown said. “We know that each BIG EAST opponent brings a different challenge to us. Georgetown is coming off a great win last week over Cincinnati and USF always plays us at a high level. We’re looking forward to some great competition. It’s been our goal all season to win the regular season title and go undefeated in league play. I know our players will be motivated to achieve both of those goals.
“Sunday is the last match on the schedule for the seniors. I can’t say enough great things about them as a class, especially how they’ve responded this year to lead the team to where we are right now. We’d love for this to be a great weekend for them to remember, but we also hope to give them an opportunity to play at home again in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament.”
Six seniors – Tara Enzweiler, Megan Fesl, Christina Kaelin, Kim Kristoff, Serinity Phillips and Jamel Nicholas – will be honored prior to Sunday’s match against USF. The group was tabbed the nation’s fifth-best class by PrepVolleyball.com entering the Irish program as freshmen in 2005.
Live video, audio and stats will be available for both matches at UND.com.
For up-to-the-minute scores and results, sign up for IRISH ALERTS text-messaging services at UND.com.
BIG EAST Conference (regular season)
Live stats: UND.com
IRISH ALERTS (text messaging): Sign up on volleyball page at und.com
Notre Dame Athletics Twitter: twitter.com/und_com
In-Game Twitter: twitter.com/NDVolleyball
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
18-4 overall / 12-0 BIG EAST
[und.com • bigeast.org]
Georgetown Hoyas
13-15 overall / 3-9 BIG EAST
Friday, Nov. 13 • 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center • Notre Dame, Ind.
[guhoyas.com • bigeast.org]
USF Bulls
16-7 overall / 8-4 BIG EAST
Sunday, Nov. 15 • 2:00 p.m. (ET)
Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center • Notre Dame, Ind.
[usfbulls.com • bigeast.org]
The Field …
Georgetown
– Series: Notre Dame leads, 18-1 (14-0 BIG EAST)
– Series streak: Notre Dame has won each of the last 10 meetings
– First meeting: 10.20.86 – at Georgetown – Notre Dame, 3-1
– Last meeting: 9.28.08 – at Georgetown – Notre Dame, 3-0
– The Hoyas had two conference games last week against Cincinnati and Louisville … Georgetown upset the Bearcats in straight sets before falling to the Cardinals, 3-1 … junior Vanessa Dorismond did it all for the Hoyas, registering 27 kills and 11 blocks over seven sets … freshman Lindsay Wise was big at the net by tacking on 11 blocks in the two matches … Notre Dame got 12 kills from Christina Kaelin and nine kills on 15 swings by Kellie Sciacca during its 3-0 win in 2008 … the Irish have won 54 of 65 sets with Georgetown, including each of the last 23 … this season’s meeting will be the 20th overall between the two squads and the 15th in as many seasons, with the Irish riding a 10-match winning streak over the Hoyas … the teams have twice played five-set matches, with the Irish prevailing in both (1999 and 2001 BIG EAST Tournament semifinals) … the lone victory for Georgetown was a 15-11, 15-10, 15-8 triumph in the title match of the 1999 BIG EAST Championship in Pittsburgh, which made the Hoyas the first team to defeat Notre Dame in the conference tournament … the schools played twice before the Irish became a member of the BIG EAST … the Irish won 15-1, 15-6, 10-15, 15-6 at Georgetown in 1986 in the first-ever meeting and were victorious again in four sets during the 1992 William & Mary Invitational … the teams have played three times in the BIG EAST Championship, with the Irish winning in 1998 (3-0) and 2001 (3-2) … Georgetown’s 1999 win snapped an eight-match losing streak against the Irish.
USF
– Series: Notre Dame leads, 4-0 (4-0 BIG EAST)
– Series streak: Notre Dame has won each of the last four matchups
– First meeting: 10.21.05 – at Notre Dame – Notre Dame, 3-0
– Last meeting: 9.26.08 – at USF – Notre Dame, 3-1
– USF split matches with Louisville (3-0) and Cincinnati (0-3) last weekend … senior Marcela Gurgel had one of her best matches of the year against the Cardinals, posting 18 kills on a .385 clip … Allie Boaz knocked down 10 kills and added five blocks against the Cardinals … senior Alli Arbogast had seven kills and four blocks against Cincinnati, moving her into a tie for second in the USF annals for block assists … Gurgel took sole possession of second place on USF’s all-time kills list after her 10-kill output in the match … Sciacca sliced USF for 20 kills on 28 attempts for a .643 average during Notre Dame’s 3-1 victory on the Bulls’ home court in 2008 … she was errorless on her first 16 swings … three players combined for 53 of Notre Dame’s 72 kills during the 2007 matchup between Notre Dame and USF … Serinity Phillips and Justine Stremick each had 18 kills and Megan Fesl totaled 17 in front of a Joyce Center crowd of 1,205 … both Stremick and Phillips also had seven blocks … Sciacca had 10 kills on 18 swings with an error for a .500 mark, as the Irish managed to finish the match with a .275 hitting percentage … the offensive efforts of Phillips and Stremick merged to total half of Notre Dame’s 30 points in game one … Stremick killed 15 shots against USF in 2006 and her .750 hitting percentage was the highest mark for Notre Dame on the season and the highest for an Irish player that averaged at least four attacks per set since 2001 … Notre Dame swept the Bulls in the first meeting between the programs in 2005 and then again in 2006 … the 20-point margin in the first set of the 2005 match is tied for second-largest margin of victory for Notre Dame in a period.
Next week: Notre Dame travels to Louisville for the BIG EAST Conference Championship (Nov. 20-22).
Bump, Set, Spike …
• Notre Dame is off to its best start since 2005 when that squad was 21-1 through the first 22 matches of the campaign … the Irish won each of their first 11 BIG EAST contests that season … Notre Dame is currently the only team in the BIG EAST without a league loss (12-0) … the team’s last loss came Sept. 20 at Florida State.
• Notre Dame has won 12 in a row – all against league foes – and 15 of its last 16 matches … six times since joining the league in 1995, the Irish have streaked through the conference schedule without a loss … the last time was in 2001 (12-0) … the Irish have never dropped their final home regular-season BIG EAST match … the Irish are now 100-7 (.935) in their home confines against conference foes.
• Irish head coach Debbie Brown has shelved over 400 wins with Notre Dame and won five BIG EAST Conference Coach of the Year awards since joining the league in 1995 … the 2009 season is her 19th at the helm of the Fighting Irish program … with a career record of 559-250 (.691) in her 25th season as a head coach, Brown has a 442-167 (.726) mark at Notre Dame.
Cracking the Poll …
After receiving votes in the AVCA Top 25 Poll for nine consecutive weeks, the Irish found themselves ranked 24th on Nov. 9 … the Irish were last ranked for the first two weeks of the 2006 season (21st) … RichKern.com deemed Notre Dame the 23rd-best team in the nation according to its Nov. 9 poll while the Irish are No. 29 in the Pablo Rankings … Volleyball Magazine ranks Notre Dame as its 24th-best team in the nation … the Irish have an RPI of 14 … Notre Dame is the highest ranked BIG EAST Conference team in each poll.
Streaking Across the Nation …
The 12-straight wins put together by the Irish is the nation’s fifth-best active streak behind Penn State (26), Northern Iowa (22), Florida International (19) and Hawaii (19).
Claiming and Clinching …
Notre Dame has clinched at least a share of the BIG EAST regular-season title and needs one win this weekend to secure the outright distinction (it could be the first outright title since 2004 after tying for first in 2005) … the Irish have already secured the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament … Notre Dame has won 10 regular-season titles since joining the league in 1995.
Nationwide …
Notre Dame ranks 21st nationally with a .262 team hitting percentage … the Irish are 23rd overall with 14.09 kills/set and 32nd with 12.86 assists/set … Jamel Nicholas is 22nd nationally with 11.18 assists/set and Kellie Sciacca ranks 55th with a .351 hitting pct.
Inside the BIG EAST …
In conference-only play, Notre Dame ranks first in opponent hitting percentage (.143) and kills (14.40), second in hitting percentage (.259) and assists (13.21), and third in blocks (2.93) … Kellie Sciacca is second in hitting percentage (.401) … Christina Kaelin is fifth with 3.76 kills/set … Jamel Nicholas is third with 11.40 assists/set … Tara Enzweiler is fourth overall with 1.35 blocks/set.
Kaelin Cops BIG EAST Player of the Week Award …
Christina Kaelin became the fourth Fighting Irish player to be named BIG EAST Player of the Week this season, earning the honor on Nov. 9 … Kaelin shouldered much of the offensive load for Notre Dame in a pair of conference road wins at Marquette (Nov. 6) and Syracuse (Nov. 8) … she registered double-digit kills in both matches with 17 versus the Golden Eagles and 13 versus the Orange … the win over Syracuse snapped a 10-match home winning streak for the Orange.
Cleaning Up On the Road …
Syracuse recorded eight blocks and held Notre Dame to a season-low 15 points in the opening frame of a Nov. 8 match but the Irish rallied back to sweep the remaining sets while snapping the Orange’s 10-match home winning streak … Notre Dame kept its own streak alive by winning its 12th consecutive match … Notre Dame is now 7-0 in four-set matches this season and has won eight of nine contests on the road … thirty ties and 13 lead changes marked Notre Dame’s victory at Marquette to snap a two-match skid to the Golden Eagles … Notre Dame was aided by 15.0 blocks in the win including eight apiece from Hilary Eppink and Serinity Phillips.
Nicholas Earns Academic All-District Honor …
Senior setter Jamel Nicholas was named ESPN The Magazine second-team Academic All-District V, as announced Nov. 5 by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) … to be nominated for the distinction, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at her current institution … in addition, nominated student-athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s games at their respective positions … Nicholas, a co-captain for this year’s team, was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week on Oct. 12. She also earned nods on the Notre Dame / adidas All-Tournament team and the Xavier Invitational All-Tournament team earlier this season … Nicholas has a 3.34 grade-point average and is pursuing majors in sociology and film, television and theater … she plans on enrolling in Notre Dame’s ACE program after graduation … the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) is a two-year service program offering college graduates the opportunity to serve as full-time teachers in under-resourced Catholic schools across the southern United States.
Punctuated Performances at Purcell Pavilion …
Notre Dame started last weekend with a 3-1 win over Seton Hall (Oct. 31) in the opening match of the newly renovated Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center … Kristen Dealy had 18 digs and accounted for 18.0 points with 16 kills (.483), two blocks and a service ace to open the match … the win gave Notre Dame a 7-0 record in the month of October … the sixth BIG EAST sweep of the season for Notre Dame came against Rutgers (Nov. 1) as the Irish sent the Scarlet Knights home with a 3-0 defeat and held the visitors without a service ace … it was the 17th consecutive win over Rutgers and the 100th win for Notre Dame on its home floor against league opponents … the victory gave Notre Dame another feather in its cap as the Irish have now registered 10 or more BIG EAST regular-season wins for the 11th time since joining the league in 1995.
Dealy Headlines Honor Roll …
Sophomore outside hitter Kristen Dealy has been a steady force throughout the season for Notre Dame and most recently appeared on the BIG EAST Honor Roll (Nov. 2) … Dealy led the Irish in kills against Seton Hall (16) and Rutgers (11) and also had a match-high 18 digs versus the Pirates while chipping in six more versus the Scarlet Knights … she cleanly fielded nine serves against Rutgers while anchoring an Irish defense that held the Scarlet Knights without an ace … Dealy tossed up the first serve ever in Notre Dame’s newly-renovated Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center in Saturday’s match against Seton Hall, which resulted in an ace … she hit .483 against Seton Hall and finished with weekend with 27 kills on a .365 average … when the dust settled, Dealy totaled 29.5 points with 3.86 kills/set and 3.43 digs/set … she had only four errors on 63 swings.
Life On the Road …
The Irish did not lose a set three weeks ago while racking up wins at Pittsburgh (Oct. 17), West Virginia (Oct. 18) and DePaul (Oct. 23) … the Irish snapped a four-match losing skid to the Panthers while handing Pittsburgh just its second conference loss of the season.
Phillips Picks Up BIG EAST Player Of The Week Award …
Senior outside hitter Serinity Phillips was named the BIG EAST Volleyball Player of the Week on Oct. 19 … Phillips led Notre Dame to wins at Pittsburgh (Oct. 17) and West Virginia (Oct. 18) to improve the team’s BIG EAST record to 7-0 … Phillips made sure there was no letdown one week after recording her 1,000th career kill against Cincinnati (Oct. 10) … she had an all-around effort at Pittsburgh by helping Notre Dame to a victory with 11 kills, seven digs and five blocks … against West Virginia, Phillips hit .351 while racking up 18 kills and adding five digs and five blocks … the Valley Center, Calif., native led all BIG EAST players that week with 5.67 points/set.
Nicholas Notches BIG EAST’s Weekly Award …
Senior captain Jamel Nicholas came through with big play after big play while helping maintain her team’s flawless BIG EAST record with wins over two of the conference’s top squads in Cincinnati (Oct. 10) and Louisville (Oct. 11) … the efforts earned her the BIG EAST Player of the Week award on Oct. 12 … Nicholas led the Irish past the Bearcats with 52 assists, three kills, eight digs and two blocks … each of her three clutch aces in the fifth set of that win were part of a 6-0 Irish run to close the books … she went for 45 assists and 14 digs against Louisville.
Serinity Hits 1,000 …
Senior outside hitter Serinity Phillips recorded her 1,000th career kill against Cincinnati (Oct. 10), finishing with 17 kills (.298), seven digs, six blocks and 20.0 points in that match … Phillips became the 18th player in program history to record at least 1,000 career kills … the last to do so was Irish volunteer assistant coach Adrianna Stasiuk … she accomplished the feat during her senior season in 2007.
20+ for Kaelin … Again …
Notre Dame got 20 kills from senior outside hitter Christina Kaelin versus the Cincinnati (Oct. 10) … it was the ninth match of her career with 20 or more kills … the effort tied her for sixth all-time in that category with Kristy Kreher (1998-2001).
Brown Reaches Milestones …
When Irish head coach Debbie Brown guided her team to a 3-0 win against Villanova on Oct. 4 it marked her 800th overall match on the sideline as a head coach and 600th with the Irish … to top the cake, it was Brown’s 550th career win.
Revenging Villanova …
One of the nation’s top serving teams came into the Joyce Center for a league matchup on Oct. 4, but it was Notre Dame that aced visiting Villanova for a 3-0 win … the Irish recorded eight aces – including four from senior setter Jamel Nicholas – against a Wildcat squad that entered the match ranked second in the country with 2.33 aces/set … Villanova mustered just a pair of aces against Notre Dame … furthermore, the Irish win snapped a two-match losing streak to the Wildcats after Notre Dame had won the first 16 meetings between the two schools.
I Know What You Did That Weekend …
BIG EAST Conference play started with the Irish posting a four-set win at Connecticut (Sept. 25) to improve to 14-1 all-time in BIG EAST openers … senior outside hitter Serinity Phillips posted outrageous numbers in that match and nearly clinched a triple-double … Phillips had 16 kills, 12 digs and nine blocks for 21.5 points against the Huskies to open BIG EAST play (she was also one block shy of a triple-double against Marquette in 2008) … senior outside hitter Christina Kaelin led Notre Dame to a 3-0 win at St. John’s with 13 kills and a .500 hitting percentage as the Irish posted their first sweep over the Red Storm since 2004.
Phillips Earns Honor Roll Recognition …
Senior outside hitter Serinity Phillips was part of the Sept. 21 edition of the BIG EAST Honor Roll … Phillips put up stellar numbers and inched closer to the 1,000-kill mark for her career with 37 kills (3.70/set) at Florida State’s Seminole Tri-Tournament … she also averaged 1.70 digs/set over the weekend … Phillips followed an 18-kill, 13-dig, and five-block performance in a win over Miami (Sept. 19) by tagging the host Seminoles (Sept. 20) for 19 kills on a .432 hitting average (her best ever in a five-set match) … she also had two aces and four blocks against the Hurricanes while adding five blocks versus Florida State … Phillips averaged 4.35 points in her 10 sets played and posted 20+ points in both of Notre Dame’s matches.
Career Day for Dealy …
Sophomore outside hitter Kristen Dealy went for 21 kills against No. 19 Florida State (Sept. 20) … the mark was a new career high for the second-year swinger, who also added seven digs, two blocks and an ace versus the Seminoles for 23.0 points … the output came one day after Dealy logged her second double-double of the season against Miami with 14 kills and 11 digs.
The Miami Marathon …
Four Irish players posted double-figure kills as the Irish rallied to down Miami, 3-2, in opening action at the Seminole Tri-Tournament hosted by Florida State … Notre Dame trailed, 2-0, before taking the final three sets behind 18 kills and 13 digs from Serinity Phillips … Christina Kaelin (11), Kellie Sciacca (14) and Kristen Dealy (14) each joined Phillips with 10+ kills on the day … the last time Notre Dame dropped the first two sets in a win was against Houston in 2003 … Dealy added 11 digs to match Phillips’ double-double in Notre Dame’s first five-set match this season … Sciacca had seven blocks – three solo – with Phillips adding four more of the team’s 11.5 rejections.
Stalemates at the Seminole Tri-Tournament …
Notre Dame faced a formidable field at the Seminole Tri-Tournament with matches against Miami (Sept. 19) and No. 19 Florida State (Sept. 20) … both matches lasted five sets and featured 63 knotted scores and 26 lead changes … 18 ties highlighted the second set of the match versus the Hurricanes.
Irish Earn Stripes at Notre Dame / adidas Invite …
The Irish hosted the Notre Dame / adidas Invitational and swept the competition with wins over Wisconsin (Sept. 11) and New Mexico State (Sept. 13) … after dropping the first set of the matchup against Wisconsin, Notre Dame rallied to take the final three periods en route to a 3-1 win … not only was it the first win against the Badgers for Irish head coach Debbie Brown in six tries – and Notre Dame’s first since 1987 – but it was just the second win overall for Notre Dame against a Wisconsin program that eliminated the Irish from their last three NCAA Tournament appearances (2004, 2005 and 2006) … it was the first time Notre Dame lost the first set in a win since Nov. 22, 2008, against St. John’s.
Trio Find Spot On adidas All-Tournament Team …
Sophomore Kristen Dealy and seniors Serinity Phillips and Jamel Nicholas were each named to the Notre Dame / adidas All-Tournament team for their performances against Wisconsin (Sept. 11) and New Mexico State (Sept. 13) … Dealy, the tournament MVP, averaged 4.43 kills/set and 2.57 digs/set … Phillips went for 3.86 kills/set and 1.71 digs/set while Nicholas put up stellar numbers with 11.14 assists/set and 2.57 digs/set while leading Notre Dame to a .324 hitting percentage … in playing pivotal roles for Notre Dame in the opening match against the Badgers, Dealy and Phillips slammed down 19 kills apiece, a career-high for Dealy and season-high for Phillips.
Hang It On the Fridge …
Sophomore outside hitter Kristen Dealy was named the BIG EAST Conference Player of Week on Sept. 14 … the Santa Barbara, Calif., native earned the honor on the heels of being named MVP of the Notre Dame / adidas Invitational after leading the Irish to wins over Wisconsin (Sept. 11) and New Mexico State (Sept. 13) … Dealy posted a season-best 19 kills with 13 digs for a double-double and three aces in the tournament’s opening match against the Badgers … Dealy added 12 kills against New Mexico State while cleanly fielding 24 serves in the tournament finale.
Aces By Irish …
Notre Dame showed signs of improvement in its serving as is evident by its 14 aces and 12 errors in two matches at the Notre Dame / adidas Invitational (Sept. 11-13) … heading into the event, Notre Dame had just 30 aces and 68 service errors … five players – Kristen Dealy, Jamel Nicholas, Megan Dunne, Stephanie Slatt and Frenchy Silva – had multiple aces during the tournament … in fact, a career-high four aces came off the stroke of Slatt after she went back-to-back from behind the stripe on a pair of occasions during pivotal Irish runs against New Mexico State (Sept. 13).
Queen City Queens …
Senior outside hitter Serinity Phillips and senior setter Jamel Nicholas both earned all-tournament nods at the Xavier Invitational (Sept. 4-6) … Phillips poured in a season-high 20 kills against Xavier (Sept. 4) on a .459 average and had 11 digs against Tennessee (Sept. 5) … she averaged 3.40 kills/set while Nicholas punched in 11.10 assists/set … for her efforts, Phillips was named to the BIG EAST Conference’s Weekly Honor Roll.
Point Irish, Point Wolverines …
Notre Dame and Michigan combined for 60 points in the second set of a Sept. 6 matchup at the Xavier Invitational, setting the Irish record for scores in the 25-point set era … the set had 13 tie scores and three lead changes … Notre Dame stared at set point after a Lexi Zimmerman attack error (24-23) and Michigan would eventually get the win after converting its sixth set point … previously, Notre Dame and Valparaiso combined for 58 points in the third set of an Aug. 31, 2008, meeting … Valparaiso won the set, 30-28, while escaping with the match victory.
Conquering the Cardinal …
For just the second time in program history – and the first since 1993 – Notre Dame earned a win over a top-five opponent, as the Irish dealt No. 5 Stanford a 3-0 loss on Aug. 29 … Notre Dame’s last win over a ranked opponent came at home against Louisville on Nov. 11, 2007, while the lone win versus a top-five opponent came on Sept. 25, 1993, when the 14th-ranked Irish defeated No. 3 Nebraska at the Joyce Center … the Irish and Cardinal last met in 2003 with Stanford pulling out a 3-0 win … the 2008 NCAA Championship runner-up had never dropped a match to Notre Dame in six tries until this season … the Irish have earned 32 wins against ranked teams and 13 victories over top-10 teams … furthermore, the 1,843 fans in attendance to watch Notre Dame knock off Stanford made up the largest crowd to view a game in the Joyce Center Fieldhouse and the 15th-largest crowd overall in Irish history.
BIG EAST Deals Honor To Dealy …
Sophomore Kristen Dealy was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll (Aug. 31) one day after being tabbed to the Shamrock Invitational all-tournament team … the outside hitter narrowly missed out on a pair of double-doubles during Irish sweeps over Denver (Aug. 28) and No. 5 Stanford (Aug. 29) … Dealy had nine kills against both the Pioneers and Cardinal before peppering LSU with 15 on a .400 average … she also cleanly fielded 40 consecutive serves through three matches before committing an error … Dealy led Notre Dame with 3.67 kills/set and 2.78 digs/set over the three matches.
All-Tournament Nods …
Senior Serinity Phillips joined sophomore Kristen Dealy on the Shamrock Invitational all-tournament team … Dealy led the Irish against the Tigers with 15 kills while narrowly missing out on double-doubles in Notre Dame’s first two matches … Phillips steadied the Irish attack with 3.11 kills/set and 2.89 digs/set in the three matches … LSU’s Michele Williams, who was named the tournament’s most valuable player, finished the three-match event with 37 kills (2.85/set) and 19 blocks (1.46/set) … Brittnee Cooper (LSU), Cassidy Lichtman (Stanford), Gabi Ailes (Stanford) and Emmy Davidsmeyer (Denver) rounded out the all-tournament team.
Preseason Honors …
Senior outside hitter Christina Kaelin and junior middle blocker Kellie Sciacca both earned all-BIG EAST preseason nods, as voted upon by the league’s coaches … the duo brought home second team all-BIG EAST honors at the conclusion of last year’s regular season … Kaelin went on to rack up all-region and Honorable Mention All-America honors from the AVCA in 2009 … Notre Dame was picked alongside Cincinnati to finish second in the BIG EAST standings.
All In the Family …
Senior Tara Enzweiler will be joined on campus this year by a few familiar faces … two of her brothers, Thomas and Matthew, are also undergraduates at the University … moreover, each of the three were valedictorians at Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, N.C.
–ND–