Senior captain Adrianna Stasiuk reached a milestone with her 1,000th kill this weekend as the Irish took two of three matches at home.
Stasiuk had 14 kills and became the 7th player in Notre Dame history to obtain her 1,000th career kill in a 3-2 victory over Alabama Saturday night.
"I think it's a reflection of the team," Stasiuk said. "It just shows how well the passes and sets are and how well our team works together."
Notre Dame got things started in the Shamrock Invitational with a 3-1 (30-24, 24-30, 30-26, 30-19) win over the College of Charleston. Four Notre Dame players recorded double-doubles in a game where the Irish pulled through with a powerful finish.
Stasiuk recorded two aces for points 29 and 30 of the third game to put the Irish ahead 2-1.
After three tough games, Charleston seemed lifeless in the fourth contest. There were a few early ties, but Notre Dame stepped on the throttle and never looked back for a convincing 3-1 final.
Sophomore outside hitter Megan Fesl led the way for the Irish with 19 kills and 15 digs. Both Stasiuk and sophomore outside hitter Serinity Phillips added 16 kills and 12 digs, while Stasiuk also had three aces. Senior setter Ashley Tarutis had a game-high 54 assists while recording 15 digs.
The Cougars were led by the effort of freshman setter/outside hitter Cole Dawley, who amassed 15 kills. Senior defensive specialist Megan Parkerson tallied a team-high 18 digs. Senior middle blocker Annie Uthe helped with 12 kills, and freshman outside hitter Whitney Russell added 10 kills.
The Irish recovered from a 2-1 deficit to narrowly defeat Alabama 3-2 (25-30, 30-28, 24-30, 30-19, 15-9).
Tarutis assisted 56 hits and marked 15 digs during the match play while Phillips had 18 kills and 10 digs.
Crimson Tide All-American player Crystal Hudson marked the most kills of the game with 19.
Heading into the final match of the weekend with an overall record of 3-3 and an undefeated Shamrock Invitational record, the Irish struggled to compete with No. 13 Ohio. Though they kept their losses within a seven-point margin and won the second game of the set, the Irish ultimately lost 3-1 (26-30, 30-25, 28-30, 23-30).
Stasiuk and Fesl dominated in kills for the evening while freshman libero Angela Puente held the defense together.
Though the Irish played effective defense, Bobcats' sophomore Ellen Herman's offensive attacks were unstoppable. Senior Stephanie Blackburn also had a big game for Ohio serving the ball as well as on defense.
"Overall, we played a really tough weekend schedule," Fesl said.
The Irish left the weekend with a tournament record of 2-1 and an overall season record of 3-4. Ohio also finished with a weekend record of 2-1, while the College of Charleston and Alabama both went 1-2.
"This weekend we saw a lot of improvement. It's very exciting and gives us a lot
of hope and encouragement for the rest of the season," Stasiuk said. "[We] played some really good teams and pulled it together especially at the end of the matches."
Notre Dame travels to The Bronco Invitational in Santa Clara, Calif., Friday to play UC Santa Barbara, No. 15 Cal, and No. 19 Santa Clara.
