Blue and Gold Illustrated

BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 1, 2025 49 BY TODD D. BURLAGE F or her entire athletic career going all the way back to grade school, Notre Dame sophomore Morgan Gaerte was always so naturally gifted, she never faced many challenges or hurdles. A two-time first-team All-Indiana honoree as an outside hitter, and rated by Volleyball Magazine as the fifth-best player in the country in 2023 out of little Angola High School, Gaerte was always head and shoulders above her competi- tion, literally. At 6-foot-5, Gaerte became a four- time team MVP at Angola. She led the Hornets to four Indiana Northeast Cor- ner Conference championships and four league tournament titles, and garnered multiple All-America honors along the way. A versatile athlete, Gaerte was also a two-time Indiana state qualifier in the high jump and a terrific basketball player. "I was always just very tall, so that led to me being recruited for every sport that I ever played," Gaerte said with a laugh. But volleyball was always her first love, and rightfully so. Gaerte could've attended about any college in the coun- try. But she chose Notre Dame because of the unmatched athletics and aca- demics balance, and the chance to play for Irish head coach Salima Rockwell, a former U.S. National Team member and a proven leader as an assistant coach at Penn State and Texas. "[Rockwell] has accomplished so much as a player and a coach, I couldn't wait to play for her, and I couldn't be happier with my decision" Gaerte said. "I love the school and how committed everyone is to it. The program is going in a really good direction right now." That's in no small part because of the contributions Gaerte is making. Through 14 games this season, Gaerte led the Irish and ranked third in the ACC with 4.44 kills per set and was fourth in the league with 5.05 points per set. More recently, Gaerte surpassed 200 kills for the season, becoming only the seventh league player to reach that milestone. And in a match against Illinois Sept. 5, Gaerte set a Notre Dame program record with 34 kills in the five-set showdown. "I've been really happy with my performance so far," Gaerte said. "I can obviously get a little better in a lot of different areas, but I've been really happy about how I've been attacking the ball." Perhaps the only setback Gaerte has faced during her splendid ath- letic career came as an Irish fresh- man last season when a strained abdominal muscle and later a stress fracture in her foot side- lined her for 13 of the team's 29 matches. Back and fully healthy this sea- son, Gaerte embraces her role as Notre Dame's top scoring option. "I've become kind of the go-to [hitter], and I take that responsi- bility seriously," she said. "So my big focus during the spring was being able to find and learn some different shots. I'm always hunt- ing out a good spot to put that ball away." ✦ Volleyball Star Morgan Gaerte Is Living Up To Her High School Hype N O T R E D A M E S P O R T S Through 14 matches this season, Gaerte led the Irish and ranked third in the ACC with 4.44 kills per set and was fourth in the league with 5.05 points per set. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS Irish Roundup HOCKEY (1-2 OVERALL) Opened the season with a pair of losses in the 2025 Icebreaker Tournament at Tempe, Ariz., falling 5‑3 to host Arizona State Oct. 10 and 7‑2 versus Quinnipiac Oct. 11 … Defeated St. Lawrence 8‑2 in their home opener Oct. 16 in Compton Family Ice Arena. MEN'S SWIMMING (0-2 OVERALL) Began the season with a two losses in a tri‑meet with Michigan and Wisconsin Oct. 10 in South Bend, falling 183‑117 to the Wolverines and 155‑143 to the Badgers. WOMEN'S SWIMMING (0-2 OVERALL) Also started the season with a pair of defeats in a tri‑meet against Michigan and Wisconsin Oct. 10 in South Bend, losing 218‑82 versus the Wolverines and 194.5‑105.5 against the Badgers. MEN'S SOCCER (7-2-4 OVERALL, 2-1-2 ACC) Played Virginia to a 1‑1 draw Oct. 10 in Charlottesville, Va. WOMEN'S SOCCER (12-0-1 OVERALL, 7-0-0 ACC) The No. 1‑ranked Fighting Irish blanked SMU 3‑0 Oct. 12 at Alumni Stadium in the South Bend. VOLLEYBALL (7-7 OVERALL, 4-2 ACC) Ran their winning streak to three straight with a pair of home wins, 3‑0 over Virginia Oct. 10 and 3‑1 versus Virginia Tech Oct. 12.

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