PREVIEW: Irish Compete in Catholic Challenge at Villanova

VILLANOVA, Penn. – The Irish are back on the road this weekend as they compete in the 2023 Catholic Challenge hosted at Villanova. Notre Dame enters the tournament 1-1 as they face the Villanova Wildcats (3-1) on Friday, September 1 and the Santa Clara Broncos (4-0) on Saturday, September 2.

NOTRE DAME vs. VILLANOVA
Location: Villanova, PA | Jake Nevin Field House
TV: FloSports
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @NDvolleyball 

NOTRE DAME vs. SANTA CLARA
Location: Villanova, PA | Jake Nevin Field House
TV: FloSports
Live Stats: Click Here
Twitter Updates: @NDvolleyball 

Game Notes

A WEEK IN REVIEW

• Notre Dame volleyball opened up the 2023 season with a win on the road as they competed in the Under Armour Challenge, taking down the Wichita State Shockers on Friday, August 25.
• The Irish defeated the shockers in a five-set thriller (25-18, 20-25, 18-25, 25-23, 15-12) to start the season 1-0. 
• Notre Dame was led by junior Sydney Palazzolo, the 2022 Big South Player of the Year, who made her debut in an Irish uniform against WSU. The outside hitter tallied a team-high 24 kills, a .254 hitting percentage, 12 digs, and three blocks. 
• Freshman Ava Lange made her freshman debut and first start at Notre Dame, recording 13 kills and five digs. 
• Graduate transfer Nicole Drewnick also dished out 54 assists and tallied 12 digs in her first Irish game day. 
• Senior middle blockers Lauren Tarnoff and Charity McDowell finished with eight kills and seven kills, respectively, while Tarnoff also defended the net with a team-high four blocks.
• The Irish took on Texas Tech in day two of the tournament, falling in four sets (19-25, 17-25, 25-14, 17-25) to the Red Raiders.
• Sydney Palazzolo and Lucy Trump led the offensive charge with 15 kills and 14 kills respectively. Lauren Tarnoff finished with a team-best seven blocks and chipped in five kills. Nicole Drewnick dished out 40 assists and tallied five blocks for the Irish and libero Hattie Monson recorded 22 digs.
• Palazzolo finished the weekend 39 kills and 17 digs, earning a spot on the Under Armour Challenge All-Tournament Team.

HISTORY VS. VILLANOVA

• This will be the 24th meeting between the Irish and the Wildcats with Notre Dame leading the overall series 19-4.
• The last match up between the two squads was September 12, 2021 on the road as the Irish fell in five (16-25, 25-20, 20-25, 25-23, 9-15). 
•  Notre Dame won the previous match up before the loss in 2021 as the two faced off almost ten years prior on October 21, 2012.
• The Irish took home the road sweep 25-15, 25-18, 25-13 in their last game together as BIG EAST opponents.

HISTORY VS. SANTA CLARA

• This is just the sixth time in program history that the Irish and Broncos have faced off. Santa Clara leads the series 1-4. 
• It has been 13 years since the last game between the two programs. Notre Dame fell in three (18-25, 19-25, 24-26) in the last match up on September 18, 2010 at home in the Notre Dame Invitational. 
• Santa Clara comes into this weekend’s tournament 4-0 after a perfect performance in their home tournament (Santa Clara/SJSU Invitational) this past weekend.

MEET THE TRANSFERS

• Two transfers join the Irish for the 2023 season. Sydney Palazzolo enters into her junior season after spending freshman and sophomore year at High Point. Nicole Drewnick is a graduate transfer hailing from Georgia Tech.
• Palazzolo had a decorated two seasons in North Carolina, earning a plethora of awards at High Point.
• Last season, Palazzolo earned Big South Player of the Year and Big South First Team All-Conference honors and was named the Big South All-Tournament MVP. She was recognized as an AVCA Honorable Mention All-Region player and an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American. She was also tabbed as the Big South Player of the Week three times.
• Palazzolo finished her sophomore season with a team-best 443 kills, 321 digs, 27 blocks, and led the conference with 42 service aces.
• Not only was she recognized as the Big South Freshman of the Year in 2021, but she was also named to the Big South All-Conference Second Team and All-Freshman Team. 
• While Drewnick spent her freshman season at Nebraska, she most recently has spent the last two seasons with Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
• Drewnick appeared in 20 matches and 43 sets last season with the Yellow Jackets and finished the season with 99 assists and 16 digs. 

MEET THE FRESHMEN

• Five freshmen join the Irish for the 2023 season. Freshmen additions include Alyssa Manitzas, Lily Fenton,  Logan Brannan, Olivia Maulding, and Ava Lange.
• Manitzas was a part of the Under Armour All-American game and was also named the 2021 Prep Dig Top Libero in Texas. The San Antonio, TX native is the all-time dig leader at Cornerstone Christian High School.
• Fenton was a First Team All-Conference and All-District player out of Latrobe, PA. Fenton was a three-year captain and was the Greater Latrobe High School program all-time assist leader.
• Brannan hails from Lake Travis High School in Austin, TX and was a First Team All-District and TGCA All-State honoree. 
• A gradute of La Salle Prep, Maulding was named the 2022 Northwest Oregon Co-player of the Year, while also being named to the 2022 Oregon State Championship All-Tournament Team. Maulding was recognized as the 2022 Volleyball Magazine Top Performer in Oregon.
• Lange was a nationally recognized four star player out of Playa Del Rey, CA, who was named to the AVCA All-America Watch List and played in the 2022 USAV Girls 17’s Junior National Championship.

RETURNERS

• The Irish return six rising sophomore, a pair of rising juniors, and a trio of rising seniors.
• Sophomores Lucy Trump and Avery Ross were offensive power houses for the Irish last season as both outside hitters led Notre Dame in their first years in an Irish uniform. Trump led the way with 252 kills, followed by Ross with 227 kills.
• Juniors Phyona Schrader and Paris Thompson return for their third seasons at Notre Dame. Thompson returns after tallying 148 kills and 71 digs across 63 sets last season.
• Schrader led the Irish last season with 877 assists and was second on the team with 333 digs. The setter also led the ACC with two triple-doubles and finished second in the conference with 17 double-doubles. 
• Hattie Monson, Lauren Tarnoff, and Charity McDowell are rising seniors for the Irish after playing in a combined 259 sets as a class last season. 
• Monson played in all 108 sets for the Irish as the libero recorded 453 digs in her junior campaign, while also surpassing the 1,000 career digs mark. She heads into her senior season with 1,163 career digs.
• Both Tarnoff and McDowell return as middle blockers for the Irish as the duo finished with 141 combined blocks; Tarnoff was second on the team with 80 blocks and McDowell was third with 61. Tarnoff also led the Irish with a team-best 15 solo blocks.