PREVIEW: Irish Invitational

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame opens up at home this week as they host Illinois and Oklahoma in the 2023 Irish Invitational at Purcell Pavilion. The Irish (2-2) will take on the Fighting Illini (4-1) on Thursday, Sept. 7, in their home opener at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Sept. 9, Notre Dame faces the Sooners (4-1) in Purcell at 2 p.m.

NOTRE DAME vs. ILLINOIS
Location: South Bend, Ind. | Purcell Pavilion
TV: ACCNX
Live Stats: Click here
Twitter Updates: @NDvolleyball 
Promotion: First 100 students will receive a replica jersey tank top

NOTRE DAME vs. OKLAHOMA
Location: South Bend, Ind. | Purcell Pavilion
TV: ACCNX
Live Stats: Click here
Twitter Updates: @NDvolleyball 
Promotion: Camper Reunion

Game Notes

A WEEK IN REVIEW

• Notre Dame volleyball finished the weekend 1-1 in the Catholic Challenge hosted by Villanova as they opened up the tournament with a sweep over the Wildcats (25-17, 25-20, 25-17).
• Sydney Palazzolo led the offensive charge for Notre Dame with 12 kills and a .333 hitting percentage on the night. 
• Lauren Tarnoff and Ava Lange each finished with nine kills a piece, followed by Phyona Schrader with seven kills. Nicole Drewnick dished out 30 assists for the Irish and Charity McDowell chipped in a team-high five blocks. 
• The Irish took on Santa Clara in day two of the tournament, falling in five sets (25-23, 21-25, 25-18, 23-25, 9-15) to the Broncos.
• The Irish were led by Sydney Palazzolo with 23 kills and five service aces. 
• Ava Lange finished with seven kills, followed by Lauren Tarnoff and Phyona Schrader who each recorded six kills a piece. 
• Charity McDowell tallied a team-best five blocks, while Tarnoff and Nicole Drewnick chipped in four blocks each. 

HISTORY VS. ILLINOIS

• This will be the seventh meeting between the Irish and Illini and the first match up between the two squads in 30 years. 
• Notre Dame last faced Illinois on September 10, 1993 as the Irish won in five (15-13, 8-15, 13-15, 15-6, 15-13) in the Reebok Challenge in Chicago, Ill.
• While the Irish won the last match up, the Illini won the five previous matches and lead the overall series 5-1. 
• Illinois enters the tournament 4-1, with their only loss coming from Wichita State who took down the Illini in five. The Irish defeated the Shockers in their season opener on August 25 in the Under Armour Challenge at Texas Tech. 

HISTORY VS. OKLAHOMA

• This is also just the sixth time in program history that the Irish and Sooners have faced off. Notre Dame leads the overall series 3-2. 
• The two programs last played in in 2005 in the UTSA Dome Rally in San Antonio, Texas where the Irish defeated the Sooners in three (30-28, 30-27, 30-17). 
• Four of the five matches were held at neutral sites with just match played in South Bend previously (Oct. 5, 1990). 
• Oklahoma comes into this weekend’s tournament 4-1, playing in the Asics Invitational most recently where they fell to Oregon State in three and defeated Boise State four.

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.