Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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58 NOV. 6, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED ND SPORTS BY DAVID MCKINNEY O ctober was a special month for the Notre Dame volleyball team. In the eight matches played between Oct. 1-25 (Notre Dame was slated to host Pitt Oct. 29), the Irish went 6-2 with a pair of three-game win streaks. In the second streak, Notre Dame picked up wins over conference foes Clemson Oct. 15, Florida State Oct. 20 and Miami Oct. 22. The win over Clemson came in dominating fashion, with the Irish sweeping the Tigers 3-0 behind 12 kills from senior outside hitter Syd- ney Kuhn. In the next game, sopho- more Jemma Yeadon matched her career high in kills with 24 to help the Irish escape Tallahassee, Fla., with a 3-1 win over the Seminoles. After falling behind 2-0 to the Hur- ricanes two days later, the Irish ral- lied and took the next three sets to win the match 3-2. Head coach Jim McLaughlin said he's proud of the way his team has competed down the stretch. "We have to keep fighting and scratching for everything," he said. "We have to earn everything. I think that's the biggest lesson in life. That has got to carry over. "Not the situation of the circum- stances but our mindset has to be consistent, and we are learning that." The winning streak came to an end for the Irish Oct. 25, when they dropped a 3-2 decision to visiting Louisville. Notre Dame fought val- iantly, pulling to a 2-2 tie after falling behind 2-0 early. The Irish avoided the sweep, but dropped the final set 15-10. McLaughlin said the hangover of two close wins on the road may have contributed to the loss. "We had a good emotional win that took a lot of energy and emo- tion down in Miami," he said. "We had a bad practice [the day before the match versus Louisville] with no energy or emotion. "We've got to play the same way every time. We can't come out and get behind and not play well. We fought at times. There were some good things, but not enough good things." After hosting Pittsburgh to close out October, the Irish (16-6, 6-5 ACC) head to Tobacco Road to take on Duke Nov. 3 and Wake Forest Nov. 5. Notre Dame, which stood in sev- enth place in the 15-team ACC as of Oct. 27, will then close out the regu- lar season by playing four of its final six matches at home. ✦ CROSS COUNTRY The Notre Dame men's and women's cross country teams participated in the ACC Champi- onships Oct. 27 in Louisville, Ky., with the men placing seventh and the women finishing sixth. The women were led by junior Annie Heffernan, who came in 13th, while the top men's runner was freshman Yared Nuguse, who placed 24th. Both squads will participate at the NCAA Great Lakes Regional Nov. 10 in Terre Haute, Ind. HOCKEY (3-2-1) The No. 8 Irish recorded a 1-1 series split with Sacred Heart at home Oct. 19-20. Notre Dame took a 3-2 lead into the third period, but sur- rendered four goals en route to a 6-4 defeat. The Irish bounced back with a 3-1 victory to salvage the split. Junior forward Joe Wegwerth found the back of the net twice in the triumph. Next up for Notre Dame was a two-game home series against Nebraska Omaha Oct. 26-27, be- fore hitting the road to open up Big Ten play against Ohio State Nov. 3-4 in Columbus, Ohio. MEN'S SOCCER (9-4-2, 3-2-2 ACC) No. 16 Notre Dame battled to a 0-0 scoreless draw versus No. 15 Duke Oct. 20 in South Bend. The Irish outshot the Blue Devils 14-7 and held a 13-4 advantage in corner kicks, but had to settle for the tie and a final home record of 6-1-2. After a scheduled matchup with No. 7 Michi- gan State Oct. 24 was canceled due to rain, the Irish were slated to face No. 3 North Carolina Oct. 27 in Chapel Hill, N.C. The ACC Tournament begins with first-round games Nov. 1, followed by the quarterfinals Nov. 5. WOMEN'S SOCCER (9-5-3, 5-3-1 ACC) The No. 15 Irish picked up a pair of wins in the Sunshine State, topping No. 18 Florida State 4-3 Oct. 19 and then defeating Miami 2-1 Oct. 22. Sophomore forward Jennifer Westendorf scored a goal in the 82nd minute and freshman mid- fielder Sammi Fisher tallied in the 87th minute to rally Notre Dame past the Seminoles. Against the Hurricanes, the Irish scored a pair of first-half markers and held on for the win. Notre Dame finished the regular season with a 1-1, double- overtime tie at No. 4 North Carolina Oct. 26. The Irish were 4-0-2 in their last six road games and posted a 3-3-2 record against ranked teams. The ACC Tournament begins play with the quarterfinals Oct. 29. SWIMMING AND DIVING Both the men's and women's swimming teams headed into late October ranked higher than they've ever been. The women checked in at No. 10 nationally, while the men were No. 14. The previous high for the men's team was No. 16, reached in 2006. The women's previous best was No. 18 in 2012. Both teams started the season 3-1 in head-to- head matchups. The men also finished in sec- ond place out of four teams in the Dennis Stark Relays to open the season, while the women finished second out of five squads. — David McKinney Sophomore Jemma Yeadon was named Co-ACC Player of the Week after leading Notre Dame to back-to-back road wins over Florida State Oct. 20 and Miami Oct. 22. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME MEDIA RELATIONS Volleyball Making Late-Season Surge Irish Roundup