Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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76 PRESEASON 2019 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED ND SPORTS Don't Miss: The No. 9 Irish will look to exact revenge Sept. 17 when they play at No. 2 Indiana, the team that bounced them from the NCAA Tournament last season. WOMEN'S SOCCER First Event: Aug. 22 vs. Saint Louis ACC Predicted Finish: 8th-10th Preseason National Ranking: Un- ranked NCAA Best-Case Scenario: Qual- ify for the tournament Coach's Expectations: Enter- ing his second season as women's head coach, Nate Norman feels like he learned as much during the 8-10 season in 2018 as any of his players. With better familiarity and a solid returning cast of players, he said the goal for this season is the same as any other, and that is not just familiar preseason coach speak. "We want to compete for a national championship every single year and we're not ashamed to say that," Nor- man said. The rigors of the ACC won't be easy. The conference boasts five teams ranked in the preseason top 25. But Norman is quick to remind folks that Florida State finished only sev- enth in league play last season and went on to win the national cham- pionship. "I don't think that is out of the reach for us this season," Norman said. Top Players: The Irish lose their top two scorers from last season but return a couple of juniors that will be asked to fill that offensive void. Midfielder Sammi Fisher was third on the team last year in scoring with 10 points (four goals and two assists) and forward Eva Hurm finished fourth with eight points (three goals and two assists). Athlete To Watch: Defender Au- tumn Smithers comes to Notre Dame as a graduate transfer from the Uni- versity of San Francisco where she earned All-West Coast Conference second-team honors in 2018. Smith- ers led the Dons in minutes played each of her last two seasons there. Don't Miss: With reigning national champion Florida State not on Notre Dame's regular-season schedule, the biggest game comes Sept. 28, when the Irish travel to Chapel Hill, N.C., to take on No. 2 North Carolina. VOLLEYBALL First Event: Aug. 30-31, Golden Dome Invitational (South Bend) ACC Predicted Finish: 3rd-6th Preseason National Ranking: Un- ranked NCAA Best-Case Scenario: Qualify for the tournament Coach's Expectations: Second-year Irish volleyball coach Mike Johnson faced a dilemma this preseason that any coach would love to have. His team is so loaded with talented young players, he didn't have a clue through the preseason exactly what his starting lineup was going to look like on open- ing day. The one thing Johnson does know is that his three talented sophomores — all of who received second-team All- ACC honors as freshmen last season — will be part of the mix. "Oftentimes the biggest improve- ment jump we see as coaches is be- tween freshman and sophomore year," Johnson said. And if that's the case for setter Zoe Nunez and outside hitters Charley Niego and Sydney Bent, then Notre Dame can expect to improve dramati- cally on its 16-12 record from last year that featured plenty of growing pains along with a solid fifth-place finish in the ACC. "I am expecting a lot out of all three of those players," Johnson said. "We are excited about the future of this team." Athlete To Watch: Niego was seem- ingly everywhere on the floor during her freshman season. Notre Dame's 6-0 outside hitter led the Irish with 339 kills, was second on the team with 307 digs and added 62 blocks for good measure. A former Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year and Under Armour All-American, much of the scoring for the Irish will run through this dynamic Chicagoan. Don't Miss: Rivalry renewed as Notre Dame and Purdue resume their annual series Sept. 8 at Purcell Pavil- ion. The Boilermakers claimed a 3-1 victory over the Irish last year in West Lafayette, Ind. ✦ Ready To Rise In The Fall Here are five Irish freshmen to keep an eye on: Nicholas Mota — Cross Country A talented newcomer from Newmarket, Ontario, Mota recently finished fifth at the Canadian Cross Country Nationals. He holds personal records of 8:28 in the 3,000 me- ters and 3:51 in the 1,500. Olivia Markezich — Cross Country A native of Woodinville, Wash., she placed 36th in the 2018 Foot Locker Cross Country National Championships and eighth in her qualifying race at the West Regionals. Zach Dedrick — Soccer The Connecticut product was a three- time captain on the Beachside SC club team and was named a Best XI player in the fall of 2018 by the New England Soccer Journal. Madison Mercado — Soccer A midfielder from San Diego, she was a two-time Southern California state cham- pion and a two-time United States Soccer Coaches All-America selection. Caroline Meuth — Volleyball The outside hitter was a first-team Under Armour All-American last year out of San Antonio Winston Churchill High School, providing her the pedigree to make a quick impact. — Todd D. Burlage Under Armour tabbed incoming volleyball freshman Caroline Meuth as a first-team All-American after a stellar senior season at Winston Churchill High School in San Antonio. PHOTO COURTESY MYSANANTONIO.COM