Blue and Gold Illustrated

Nov. 7, 2016

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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58 NOV. 7, 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED ND SPORTS BY DAVID MCKINNEY I n his second year in South Bend, Notre Dame volleyball head coach Jim McLaughlin has been the engi- neer behind an extreme program re- surgence. In the last two regular seasons, the Irish amassed a dismal record of 13-48 overall, with a 2-33 mark in the ACC. That losing trend, however, did not continue into 2016. In 22 matches so far this season, the Irish have gone 18-4 while post- ing a 9-1 record in their first 10 ACC games. The 18 wins have included 13 sweeps, as well as championship titles in the season-opening Golden Dome Invitational and the Art Carmichael Invitational. During the resurgence that has been the 2016 season, the Irish have had two three-game winning streaks, a four-game winning streak and a seven-game winning streak. McLaughlin attributed the turn- around to his team buying in. "There's a higher level of commit- ment," McLaughlin said. "There are varying levels of commitment, and these kids are committing at a high level. "They have an understanding of how to learn and how to make changes better. I don't think it's magic, I think it's a lot of good, hard work." Those familiar with McLaughlin shouldn't be surprised that he's been able to turn things around for Notre Dame, though they may not have ex- pected it to happen so quickly. The 25-year NCAA volleyball coaching veteran is the only coach in history to win a national championship with both a men's squad (USC, 1990) and a women's team (Washington, 2005). It's not been just coaching. McLaughlin had to have the pieces in place for a successful run. Several players have had huge seasons for the Irish in 2016. Jemma Yeadon was named ACC Freshman of the Week after leading the way in straight-set wins over Syracuse and Boston Col- lege in early October. In addition, se- nior Katie Higgins is the team leader in attack percentage with a mark of .361. Even with McLaughlin at the helm and the wealth of talent on the floor, after Notre Dame's last two years, nobody in the volleyball world was expecting the Irish to put together a championship-caliber team in 2016, and there's a lot of season left. McLaughlin said the first part of the season is cause for celebration, but he also doesn't want his team to lose sight of what's in front of them. "We have to keep getting better ev- ery day," McLaughlin said. "What I'd like to see them do is not be too con- tent with what's happened. "Grab on to it, celebrate it, but let's keep moving forward." ✦ Second-year head coach Jim McLaughlin's vol- leyball squad started this season 18-4 (9-1 ACC) while becoming a major surprise. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS Volleyball Team Is In Midst Of A Huge Turnaround CROSS COUNTRY The Notre Dame men's and women's teams both competed at the ACC Championships Oct. 28 in Cary, N.C. The women placed second as a team behind sophomore Anna Rohrer, who crossed the finish line first with a time of 19:26.4 — nearly 25 seconds ahead of the second-place runner — to lead three Irish athletes in the top 10. The men placed 10th as a team, with sophomore Anthony Williams the top finisher at 28th in a time of 24:02.1. Next up for both squads is the NCAA Great Lakes Regionals Nov. 11 in Madison, Wis. MEN'S GOLF Notre Dame's fall season came to an end Oct. 25 when it wrapped up competition in the Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational at Vero Beach, Fla. The Irish placed 13th out of 15 teams, carding a 4-over-par 878. Sophomore Miguel Delgado was the top finisher for the Irish, placing 21st with a 2-under 214. WOMEN'S GOLF The Irish notched a ninth-place finish at the Betsy Rawls Invitational Oct. 17-18 in Austin, Texas. Junior Jordan Ferreira fired a 4-under 68 in the final round to finish in a tie for 14th with a 3-over 219. Notre Dame concluded its fall season at the Landfall Traditional Oct. 28-30 in Wilmington, N.C. HOCKEY (3-3-1, 0-1-0 HOCKEY EAST) Notre Dame split two games at Minnesota Duluth Oct. 14-15, losing the first 4-3 before bouncing back for a 3-1 win. The Irish returned home and played a pair of overtime contests against Penn State Oct. 21-22, losing the first 3-2 and tying the second 3-3. The Irish looked to get back in the win column versus Connecticut at home Oct. 27-28, but dropped the first game 4-2. MEN'S SOCCER (10-5-1, 3-3-1 ACC) After ascending to No. 1 in the national rankings, the Irish have struggled mightily. From Oct. 11-25, they dropped four straight contests — including 1-0 defeats to Virginia Oct. 14 and Michigan State Oct. 25 — to fall to No. 12 in the rankings. Notre Dame played its final game of the regular season at home against North Carolina Oct. 28, before heading into postseason play with the ACC Tournament Nov. 2-13. WOMEN'S SOCCER (12-2-4, 7-1-2 ACC) No. 14 Notre Dame went unbeaten in its final four matches to clinch its first regular-season crown since joining the ACC, notching a 1-0 win versus North Carolina Oct. 14, a 0-0 double overtime tie with Virginia Tech Oct. 20, a 1-0 win at Wake Forest Oct. 23 and a 2-0 triumph over Miami Oct. 27. The top-seeded Irish will take part in the ACC Tournament, starting with a quarterfinal match at home Oct. 30 against North Carolina State. — David McKinney Irish Roundup

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