Volleyball Begins ACC Slate at Home Against Notre Dame

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Boston College Volleyball team returns to the Margot Connell Recreational Center this weekend as they welcome Notre Dame and No. 4 Louisville to open ACC play. The Eagles take on the Fighting Irish on Friday, September 25 at 1 p.m., followed by the Cardinals on Sunday, September 27 at 1 p.m. for Alumni Day. Both games will be streaming on ACCNX.

Inside the Match-Up

vs. Notre Dame
BC will host Notre Dame at the Margot Connell Recreation Center in the ACC opener. The matchup will mark the 30th meeting between both programs, with the series dating back to 1991. Notre Dame holds a 24-5 advantage in the all-time series, with BC's most recent victory coming in 2024.

Notre Dame enters ACC play with a 3-6 record. The Fighting Irish opened the season with losses to Ball State and Xavier before earning their first victory at Toledo. Notre Dame then faced Georgia, Northern Kentucky, Duquesne and College of Charleston before rebounding with its two straight-set victories over Eastern Illinois.

vs. Louisville
Boston College will host Louisville on Sept. 27 to close out their opening weekend of ACC play. The Eagles and Cardinals will meet for the 17th time, with Louisville holding a 14-2 all-time series lead, with BC's most recent win coming in 2019.

Louisville enters ACC Play with a 10-2 record and ranked No. 4 in the AVCA Volleyball Poll. The Cardinals opened the season with five ranked victories, only suffering losses to No. 6 Wisconsin on Aug. 22 and No. 4 Kentucky this past Sunday. They open their ACC schedule on the road at Syracuse.

NON-CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
Boston College wrapped up its non-conference schedule with an impressive 9-2 overall record. The Eagles established clear net dominance throughout the opening stretch, out-blocking opponents 106.0 to 64.0 overall and averaging 2.79 blocks per set compared to opponents' 1.68.

Audrey Ross anchored the offense for the BC, leading the squad in kills with 165 (4.34/set) and points per set at 5.05. Ross posted a .277 hitting percentage while also contributing on defense with 87 digs (2.29/set) and 28 total blocks. Sam Hoppes provided high-efficiency scoring in the middle, hitting .370 on 211 total attacks with 104 kills (2.74/set). Hoppes ranked second on the team in total points (123.0) and blocks (33.0, 0.87/set).

Naomi Watson spearheaded the Eagles' front-row defense, racking up a team-leading 52.0 total blocks (1.37/set) including 14 solo blocks and 38 block assists. Brooklyn Yelland leads back-row defense with a team-high 131 digs (3.45/set). She also set the tone from the baseline, leading BC with 17 service aces (0.45/set).

Across the four tournaments, Boston College went 9-1.

ACC RANKINGS
Entering conference play, Boston College and several players rank among the top 10 in team and individual categories.

In 38 sets, Boston College ranks second in blocks (2.79/set), fifth in hitting percentage (.266) and sixth in service aces (1.55/set).

Audrey Ross ranks second in points (5.05/set) and fourth in kills (4.34/set). Sam Hoppes enters the top 10 in the ACC in hitting percentage (.370), ranking eighth overall.

Defensively, Naomi Watson is averaging 1.37 blocks per set, good for sixth. Brooklyn Yelland (0.56) ranks ninth in the ACC in digs (3.45/set) and ninth in service aces (0.45/set).

NOTEWORTHY PERFORMANCES

Audrey Ross recorded a career-best 24 kills in a win vs. Air Force (8/30)
Ava McBride logged 20 assists vs. Quinnipiac (8/30), a career-best
Sam Hoppes (17 Kills) and Reese Dunkle (11 Kills) both recorded career-best in a win vs. New Hampshire (9/5)
Naomi Watson had a personal-best 13 total blocks in a win vs. Quinnipiac (9/18)
Lucie Vesela logged a career-high 30 assists vs. Quinnipiac (9/18)

Volleyball Begins ACC Slate at Home Against Notre Dame

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Players Mentioned

Reese Dunkle

Sam Hoppes

Ava McBride

Audrey Ross

Lucie Vesela

Naomi Watson

Brooklyn Yelland

Boston College Athletics