Notre Dame volleyball enjoyed a highly successful opening weekend out west in the Catholic Challenge. The Irish won the event, winning six of their seven combined sets against Villanova and Santa Clara. As a result, they are 2-0 for the first time under third-year head coach Salima Rockwell.
Looking ahead to this weekend, the competition begins to stiffen for Notre Dame. The Irish will make another lengthy trip to Dixieland and face both Michigan and Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi. The StarkVegas Classic will run between Friday and Sunday.
Notre Dame newcomers wasting no time
The Irish entered the season with a potent group of returners led by graduate libero Hattie Monson, senior outside hitter Sydney Palazzolo and senior setter Phyona Schrader. While all three of them performed well last weekend, Notre Dame’s new contributors won the weekend more than anyone else.
Anna Bjork, a decorated freshman middle blocker from Wisconsin, made quite the first impression at the Catholic Challenge. Her .480 hitting percentage led all Irish attackers with at least five kills (she had 14). Already one of the tallest players on the team, she added 11 total blocks, leading the Irish with 1.57 rejections per set. Bjork contributed away from the net, too, compiling two service aces while recording nine digs.
On the other end of the experience scale, graduate setter Ella Sandt has stepped into the role occupied last year by Nicole Drewnick, another fifth-year transfer. Sandt has begun her Irish career with an All-West Coast Conference Honorable Mention season to build on, and she’s off to an excellent start. Last weekend, she paced the Irish with 40 assists (5.71 per set) while also notching 16 digs – good for second on the team.
Michigan making first road trip on short rest
Facing all mid-major programs so far, the Wolverines are off to a 4-0 start after plummeting from 17-13 in 2022 to 7-22 last year. Michigan has defeated Delaware, Kent State (twice) and Eastern Michigan – all at home. The Wolverines head to Starkville having just swept the Eagles on Wednesday in a crisp three sets.
Michigan operates a balanced offensive show that runs through Morgan Burke. The sophomore already has 148 assists to her name, averaging just a hair under 10 per set. Another sophomore, Argentinian Valentina Vaulet, brings a dangerous serve to the table. With 15 service aces this season, Vaulet has been a consistent weapon with at least three aces in all four Michigan games. Her average of one service ace per set comfortably leads the Big Ten.
Notre Dame represents the first of three ACC teams the Wolverines will challenge this year. Michigan will also travel to Duke and North Carolina for a back-to-back two weeks from now. Of course, the Wolverines will also deal with a Big Ten conference that wields a whopping eight ranked teams. Michigan will face all eight of them, including No. 8 Purdue twice.
The Irish are 9-8 against Michigan all-time but have lost four of five meetings over the last 15 years.
Mississippi State hosting Notre Dame for the first time
Overall, the Irish and Mississippi State Bulldogs have met only twice, splitting between 2015 and 2022. Both of those contests were played in South Bend at early-season invitationals. Now, Notre Dame and Mississippi State square off in Starkville for the first time.
Since a rough 2020 season, the Bulldogs have hovered right around .500, finishing 13-15 overall and 6-12 in SEC play last year. They have a 1-1 start going in 2024, having lost in five sets against Samford before rebounding to defeat UAB. Unlike Notre Dame and Michigan, Mississippi State has the luxury of playing regionally to start the season. The Bulldogs won’t travel beyond a neighboring state until the final weekend of September.
Southeast Louisiana transfer Kailin Newsome has led Mississippi State with back-to-back double-doubles. The redshirt senior has 23 kills and 29 digs to start the season. Two other Bulldogs, Amina Shackelford and Karli Schmidt, have more than 20 kills this year. Shackelford’s .400 hitting percentage leads the team.
Notre Dame will take on Michigan at 7 p.m. on Saturday before turning around to face Mississippi State at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
