Boston College Athletics
Volleyball Begins Homestand Against Notre Dame On Sunday
October 31, 2014 | Volleyball
Chestnut Hill, Mass. -
After a punishing weekend in North Carolina, the Eagles (8-12, 3-6 ACC) are looking to pick up some wins back in their home gym. Sunday, Nov. 2 will mark the first of a three-match homestand. BC will face Notre Dame (5-16, 2-8 ACC), an opponent they recently faced on Oct. 19 in Indiana.
An Inside Look at the Eagles
After a strong start to their ACC season, the Eagles have struggled in the past three matches, dropping to 3-6 in the ACC. Junior outside hitter Katty Workman continues to be a force for BC and is backed up by other strong hitters. Workman leads the team with 113 kills (3.42 kills/set) in ACC matches. Sophomore right side Julia Topor, standing at 6-3 is a threat at the net, putting away 102 kills (3.09 kills/set) and blocking 20 total balls in ACC matches. BC is extremely strong digging, serving and setting, all of which are cornerstones that are crucial for success. As a team, led by senior libero Courtney Castle, the Eagles average 13.5 digs per set. Castle also leads the team in service aces, recording 12 of BC’s 42 in ACC play. Senior setter Kellie Barnum has 298 assists in the ACC and 662 total this season. Barnum is on track to pass Verena Rost on the all-time assist list (3,624).
The Eagles’ downfall however is their hitting efficiency and blocking. Throughout the ACC season BC is averaging a .126 hitting percentage as a team, while their opponents almost double that with a .232 hitting percentage. Though the maroon and gold had a stellar blocking performance against Wake Forest on Oct. 17 (20.0 total team blocks), the performance has not been close to repeated in the succeeding matches. In their ACC matches the Eagles have 54.0 total blocks while their opponents have 110.0 total blocks.
Déjà vu
In their last meeting the two teams battled it out for five sets, with the Fighting Irish eventually taking the fifth set to win the match. Four Eagle hitters had double digit kills against ND last time they met. Middles Anna Skold and Kam McLain both hit .250%. Workman recorded a double-double against the Fighting Irish on their home court and Kellie Barnum had 43 assists. Notre Dame’s blocking (18.0 total team blocks) and hitting efficiency (.266 %) gave them the upper hand in the Oct. 19 match. Both teams served very well against each other, as BC recorded seven service aces and ND tallied six.
Scouting Notre Dame
Notre Dame is lead by 24-year head coach, Debbie Brown and 11-year associate head coach, Robin Davis. The Fighting Irish have four power hitters in Houser (MB/RS), Fry (MB/RS), Smith (OH) and Kuhn (OH). ND has faced four ranked opponents this season, #12 Minnesota (Aug. 29), #6 Wisconsin (Aug. 30), #11 Purdue (Sept. 20) and #25 Duke (Oct. 5). As a team, the Irish are hitting .183 % this season, while their opponents have hit .234 %. The Fighting Irish are a strong blocking team, accumulating 176.5 total team blocks this season, including 48 solo blocks. The Eagles and Irish are an evenly matched team, as demonstrated by the five-set battle in the middle of October.
