Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/871976
www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 18, 2017 49 ND SPORTS BY LOU SOMOGYI N otre Dame women's basketball head coach Muffet McGraw confirmed Sept. 5 that senior All- American forward Brianna Turner will sit out the 2017-18 season while rehabbing from an ACL tear she suf- fered March 19 during Notre Dame's second-round NCAA Tournament victory versus Purdue. "We discussed it with Bri, we dis- cussed it with her parents, and we all agreed that it's in her best interest to sit out this year," McGraw said. "She'll continue rehabbing, but she won't be playing." The plan is for Turner to return as a medical redshirt in 2018-19 while enrolled in graduate school. A two-time All-American who also has twice been the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, the 6-3 Turner 's absence will leave a huge void with low-post scoring and with her defen- sive presence. "It's going to be a different kind of team," McGraw said. "You saw what we did against Ohio State in the tour- nament. I think we will be a much more perimeter oriented, three-point shooting team." Minus Turner, the Irish still defeated Ohio State in the Sweet 16, 99-76, with six different players scoring in double figures while collectively shooting 12 of 24 from three-point range. Notre Dame then lost by one point in the Elite Eight to Stanford. The likely four-guard lineup fea- tures juniors Arike Ogunbowale and Marina Mabrey, who averaged 15.9 and 14.6 points per game last sea- son, respectively, plus two-time All- Pac-12 point guard Lili Thompson, a graduate transfer from Stanford. McGraw is also anticipating a huge breakout campaign from sophomore guard Jackie Young, the Naismith High School Player of the Year in 2016, who thrived on occasion last year while averaging 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Senior forward Kathryn Westbeld, who has been most effective as a 6-2 high-post passer, will round out the projected starting five. Fifth-year 6-4 senior Kristina Nelson and 6-3 freshman Mikayla Vaughn will be the main candidates to help in the low post. Meanwhile, former top-five re- cruit and two-time All-Big Ten 6-4 forward Jessica Shepard submitted paperwork to the NCAA earlier this month appealing for a waiver to be eligible at Notre Dame this season as a junior. A reply is expected later this month. This past summer, Shepard transferred from Nebraska, where she averaged 18.4 points and 9.7 re- bounds per game last season for the 7-22 Cornhuskers. If Turner, Shepard, Ogunbowale, Mabrey and Young all return in 2018-19, Notre Dame will be pro- jected to challenge the Connecticut dynasty for the national title. The 2001 national champion Irish had fifth-year senior and now current Notre Dame assistant coach Niele Ivey at point guard after she too had to battle back from an ACL injury. A couple of years ago, Madison Cable had a marvelous fifth season after bouncing back from stress frac- tures in her feet. "These injuries can be life-chang- ing," McGraw said. "To now have to sit out a year and not have basket- ball, it's changed a lot of things. She's attacked it, she's determined to come back healthy, but it's been difficult … "I know she's trying to get in- volved in some other things — she's going to be a coach on the bench. She's going to have a different role, but she's still going to have a big role for us." ✦ Irish Roundup CROSS COUNTRY Both the men's and women's teams saw success at the season-opening Crusader Open Sept. 1 in Valparaiso, Ind. On the men's side, freshman Yared Nuguse finished in first place in the men's six-kilo- meter race with a time of 18:09.3. The top finisher for the women, who placed second as a team, was freshman Anna Sophia Keller with a five-kilometer time of 17:14.2 that was good for second place. MEN'S SOCCER (3-0-0) On. Sept. 2, No. 9 Notre Dame was knotted at 0-0 at UConn in the 84th minute when senior forward Jeff Farina took an assist from sophomore midfielder Jack Casey and buried it in the back of the net to give the Irish a 1-0 lead that would not be relinquished. The goal was Farina's fourth of the season, a mark that leads all Irish scorers. ACC play kicked off for the Irish Sept. 8 at Boston College. WOMEN'S SOCCER (3-1-2) Coming off a heartbreaking, 1-0 two-over- time loss at home to No. 11 South Carolina, the Irish offense bounced back in a big way Sept. 3 on the way to a 4-1 victory over visit- ing Santa Clara. Goalkeeper Brooke Littman locked the Irish net down, finishing the game with three saves to bring her season total to 22. VOLLEYBALL (6-0) Notre Dame is off to its best start since 2005, posting a 6-0 record that includes tournament victories at the Golden Dome Invitational and the Bowling Green/Toledo Invitational. In six matches, the Irish have three 3-0 sweeps and three 3-1 wins. Notre Dame returned to action Sept. 8 at Ohio State. — David McKinney Turner, a two-time All-American and two-time ACC Defensive Player of the Year, tore her ACL in Notre Dame's NCAA Tournament win over Purdue last March. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND Brianna Turner Will Sit Out The 2017-18 Season