Nov. 27, 2017
By Robby Hamman
NOTRE DAME, Ind. — Three University of Notre Dame volleyball student-athletes were selected to All-Atlantic Coast Conference teams on Monday, Nov. 27. The teams were voted on by the conference’s 14 head coaches.
Junior Ryann DeJarld became the first Notre Dame player in program history to garner first team All-ACC recognition. The attacking duo of senior Sam Fry and sophomore Jemma Yeadon earned second team All-ACC status.
DeJarld staked her claim as one of the top liberos in the country this season, shattering the program record for digs in a season with 731, which ranks fourth in the nation. The junior enters postseason play averaging an astounding 6.14 digs per set. DeJarld has also made an impact from the service line, hammering out 41 aces, the second most on the team this season.
DeJarld set the all-time Notre Dame program record for career digs this season, accumulating 1,792 digs in just three seasons of play. The Chicago native ranks fifth for all active players in Division I in career digs per set with a mark of 5.06.
Monday’s recognition marks the third straight season that Fry has received All-ACC second-team honors. The middle blocker has had a career year, posting personal bests in blocks (162), blocks per set (1.36), kills (257) and hitting percentage (.326). The senior leads the ACC and ranks 10th in blocks for the season with 257.
Fry has 497 career blocks, setting the program record for career blocks. The record dates back to 2008 when the NCAA changed the scoring to 25-point sets. Fry also reached the 1,000-kill milestone this year. With three more blocks this season, Fry would become just the sixth player in Notre Dame history to record 1,000-plus kills and 500-plus blocks in their career.
Coming off an impressive freshman campaign in 2016, Yeadon has taken her play to another level this season. The sophomore is averaging a team-high 3.91 kills per set to total 442 on the season. Yeadon has also added 311 digs, 69 blocks and 29 aces.
Yeadon has been consistent in the attack all season, posting double-digit kills in 26-of-29 matches she played in during the year. The Mercer Island, Washington, native recently posted a career-high 27 kills against Syracuse (11/22), the most any Notre Dame student-athlete has logged in a match since the 2012 season.
The Irish earned their first NCAA Championships berth since the 2012 season after posting a 22-9 record in the regular season. Notre Dame is set to play Western Kentucky at 5 p.m. ET on Friday, Dec. 1 in Lexington, Kentucky, in the first round.
First Team All-ACC
Olga Strantzali, Sr., OH, Miami
Nika Markovic, So., RS, Pittsburgh
Julia Brown!, Sr., OH, NC State
Wilma Rivera, Jr., S, Louisville
Santita Ebangwese, Jr., MB, Syracuse
Melanie McHenry, So, OH, Louisville
Milica Kubura, Sr., RS, Florida State
Gabriela Stavnetchei, Sr., OH, Georgia Tech
Haley Templeton, Sr., S, Miami
Kamalani Akeo, Jr., S, Pittsburgh
Stephanie Williams, So., OH, Pittsburgh
Kylie Pickrell, Jr., S, NC State
Beth Nordhorn, Sr., MH, North Carolina
Ryann DeJarld, Jr., L, Notre Dame
Second Team All-ACC
Sam Fry, Sr., MH, Notre Dame
Taylor Leath, Jr., OH, North Carolina
Jemma Yeadon, So., OH, Notre Dame
Molly Sauer, Jr., L, Louisville
Taryn Knuth, Fr., MB, Florida State
Cadie Bates, Sr., OH, Duke
Jaila Tolbert, Jr., OPP, Virginia Tech
Kylie Long, Sr., OH, Wake Forest
Kaitlyn Kearney, Sr., MB, NC State
Tess Clark, Sr., OH, Louisville
Bree Bailey, Gr., OH, NC State
Maggie DeJong, Sr., MB, Louisville
Jasmine Bennett, Jr., MB, Louisville
Kaylin Korte, So, OH, Clemson
All-Freshman ACC
Taryn Knuth, MB, Florida State
Kayla Lund, OH, Pittsburgh
Chinaza Ndee, MH, Pittsburgh
Payton Schwantz, OH, Duke
Ella Saada, OH, Syracuse
Kaity Smith, OH, Virginia Tech
Melissa Evans, OPP, NC State
Summer Brown, MB, Duke
Sarah Billiard, OH, Virginia
— ND —
Robby Hamman joined Fighting Irish Media as athletics communications assistant director in September 2016, coordinating efforts for the volleyball and men’s lacrosse program. Hamman is a 2010 graduate of Bethel College, where he earned bachelor’s degrees in sport management and business administration, and earned his master’s degree in business administration from Defiance College in 2013.