It’s been more than two years since Notre Dame volleyball last played a match on three consecutive days. This weekend, a three-day stretch awaits the 3-1 Irish. Coming off trips to the Catholic Challenge in California and the StarkVegas Classic in Mississippi, the Irish will travel to Northwestern on Thursday before hosting Colorado State and Northwestern on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Due to Notre Dame’s presidential inauguration events occupying the Joyce Center, both Friday’s home opener and Saturday’s game will take place inside Compton Family Ice Arena. The Irish volleyball program last played at the home of Notre Dame hockey in August 2017 when it went 3-0 in the Golden Dome Invitational.
Schrader doing it all for the Irish
In year four of her college career, senior setter Phyona Schrader is off to her best all-around start. A player who has improved across the board with each season, Schrader currently ranks among Notre Dame’s leaders in nearly every category available.
Schrader’s 46 kills only rank behind go-to senior outside hitter Sydney Palazzolo, but her .337 hitting percentage clears Palazzolo’s by nearly 200 points. She is one of two Irish players with more than 70 assists, and her total of 73 trails only that of graduate setter Ella Sandt. Schrader leads the team in service aces (9) while ranking second in both digs (45) and blocks (13). To sum up her early-season body of work, Schrader accounted for just under 23 percent of Notre Dame’s points, with her total of 62 placing second on the team.
Last weekend, Schrader played a starring role in Notre Dame’s five-set defeat of Mississippi State. The senior collected her fourth career triple-double, compiling 18 kills (at a .375 hitting percentage), 25 assists and 14 digs. A day prior against Michigan, Schrader arrived a kill shy of another triple-double, finishing with 19 assists and 16 digs in just four sets.
Scouting the opposition
Although Notre Dame and Northwestern are both located in the Midwest, they have not squared off on the volleyball court since 2005. Overall, the Irish hold an 8-4 advantage in the all-time series against the Wildcats. They’ll head to Evanston for the first time since 1990 on Thursday.
The Wildcats have been slow starters this season after producing their best Big Ten finish (9-11, eighth place) in a decade last year. Northwestern holds a 0-4 record with losses to UNLV, Pacific and twice to Long Beach State. Three of Northwestern’s four setbacks have required a fifth set, so the Wildcats certainly haven’t been distant from a first win. Thursday’s match will be the first at home for new Wildcats head coach Time Nollan.
The big name to watch for Northwestern is Buse Hazan, a Turkish transfer from South Florida. Hazan finished as an All-American Athletic Conference First Team selection in 2023, leading the Bulls with 467 kills and 46 aces. This season, she leads the Wildcats in kills (61) after a 20-kill performance last Saturday at Long Beach State.
Colorado State, meanwhile, has not faced Notre Dame since 2000. The Rams have won all three previous meetings with the Irish and enter Friday’s contest 2-4 on the season. Power Four opponents Florida, Michigan State and Oregon have already challenged the Rams, whose two wins came against Central Arkansas and Grand Canyon.
The Rams have returned six starters, including four 2023 All-Mountain West players, from a team that went 19-12 overall and 12-6 in conference play last year. Head coach Emily Kohan, who has been with the program since 2016, is in her second season at the helm.
Colorado State’s returners have already produced well, beginning with Emery Herman, the 2023 Mountain West Newcomer of the Year. The top-notch setter is averaging 10.22 assists and 2.7 digs per set. Malaya Jones, who last year broke the Rams’ single-season kill record, leads the team with 107 kills this year. Naeemah Weathers, another multi-year all-conference selection, has 23 blocks to pace the Rams.
Notre Dame will visit Northwestern at 8 p.m. on Thursday, host Colorado State at 6 p.m. on Friday and host Northwestern at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
