Nov. 6, 2015

Weekend Notes

By Russell Dorn

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After four tough matches on the road, the University of Notre Dame volleyball team returns to the friendly confines of Purcell Pavilion this weekend for a pair of Atlantic Coast Conference matches against former BIG EAST foes Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh.

ACC Weekend #7 (vs. Virginia Tech / vs. Pittsburgh)
Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavilion)
November 6 & 8, 2015

Weekend Schedule

Friday, Nov. 6
7 p.m.: Virginia Tech (14-10, 5-7 ACC) @ Notre Dame (6-18, 1-11 ACC) – / WatchND

Marketing & Promotions: Free Shirt Friday (first 500 fans) … Friday Night Block Party (If ND reaches nine blocks, all fans receive a voucher courtesy of Papa John’s)

Sunday, Nov. 8
1 p.m.: Pittsburgh (19-5, 9-3 ACC) @ Notre Dame (6-18, 1-11 ACC) – / WatchND

Marketing & Promotions: Military Appreciation Day (Free ticket with military I.D. … free ticket for guest of military veteran by going to vettix.org … free camo bandanas for first 300 fans … post match autographs at the media tables.

Updates

Facebook: /NDVolleyball / Twitter: @NDVolleyball / Instagram: NDVBall Snapchat: NDVolleyball / Text Alerts: Irish Alert! Text Messaging (Sign Up On UND.com)

—

1. Notre Dame will meet a pair of former BIG EAST foes this weekend in the Hokies and Panthers … the Irish have played Pitt every year since 1992, with 18 matches coming in the BIG EAST and three coming in the ACC … ND was 13-5 against the Panthers in the BIG EAST, but just 1-2 in the ACC, including a 3-0 setback to end the 2014 season at home … the Hokies and Irish met just three times in the BIG EAST (2001-03) before VT moved to the ACC … the series is tied at three wins apiece.

2. Freshman libero Ryann DeJarld has really put together an impressive year at a critical position … the third true freshman in the last four years to start for Notre Dame at libero, the Chicago native is seventh in the ACC in digs per set (4.03) … in ACC matches she sits eighth (4.18 per set) … she has totaled 15+ digs in a match 12 times in 24 matches and has recorded totals of 30 and 28 (twice) at different points this year … in the rally-scoring era (2001-present), DeJarld holds three of the top 11 dig performances by an Irish player … her 28 digs last week at North Carolina were the sixth most in a four-set match, while her 30 digs against Hofstra earlier in the year were the fourth-most in a five-set contest.

3. As a defensive specialist, sophomore Natalie Johnson has gotten better as the year has gone along … she is third on the team in digs (195) and tied for second in service aces (19) … the Pasadena, California native boasts three matches with 15+ digs, including 17 last week at North Carolina … elsewhere, sophomore outside hitter Sydney Kuhn totaled back-to-back double-doubles last weekend at NC State and North Carolina and sophomore middle blocker Sam Fry put together two more matches with 10+ kills and 5+ blocks … she has eight of those performances this season.

4. The Panthers have been blazing hot of late, as they have soared to fourth in the ACC standings in large part to wins in seven of their last eight matches … they have earned sweeps in five of those wins and boast a perfect 11-0 record at home … senior middle Amanda Orchard, a preseason all-ACC selection, is second in ACC matches only in attack percentage (.423) and 10^th in blocks per set (1.14) … Pitt sits sixth or better in the ACC in all seven major statistical categories during league contests only, including second in assists (13.82 per set) and kills (14.52 per set).

5. Virginia Tech is 10^th in the ACC standings with a 14-10 record (5-7 ACC) … the Hokies are in the midst of a three-match losing streak … VT is led by junior standout Lindsey Owens – a preseason all-ACC selection – during conference play, as he its ninth in kills per set (3.49) … for the season, she averages 3.91 points per set.

—

Individual match tickets for Notre Dame volleyball are on sale throughout the rest of the season. Visit und.com/tickets or call the Murnane Family Ticket Office at 574-631-7356 for more information.

For the latest Irish volleyball coverage, be sure to log on to UND.com or follow the program on Facebook (/NDVolleyball), Twitter (@NDVolleyball), Instagram (NDVBall) and Snapchat (NDVolleyball).

–ND–

Russell Dorn, athletics communications assistant director at the University of Notre Dame, has been part of the Fighting Irish athletics communications team since 2011 and coordinates all media efforts for the Notre Dame volleyball, rowing and baseball programs. A native of Greenwood, South Carolina, Dorn graduated from Furman University in 2008 with a bachelor’s degree in history before earning his master’s degree in sports communications from Georgia State University in 2011.