The Notre Dame Fighting Irish hit the road as they head to No. 12 SMU on Friday, Oct. 25 and No. 1 Pitt on Sunday, Oct. 27. Notre Dame’s next four matches are against ranked opponents as they will play No. 4 Louisville in back-to-back matches at Louisville on Oct. 30 and at home on Nov. 2.
NOTRE DAME vs. #12 SMU – Friday, October 25 at 8 PM ET (7 PM CT)
Location: Dallas, TX | Moody Coliseum
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NOTRE DAME vs. #1 PITT – Sunday, October 27 at 1:00 PM
Location: Pittsburgh, PA | Fitzgerald Field House
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HISTORY VS. #12 SMU
- This will be the first-ever meeting between the Irish and the SMU Mustangs.
- This conference match up comes after the addition of SMU, Stanford, and Cal to the ACC this summer.
HISTORY Vs. #1 PITT
- This weekend will be the 43rd meeting between Notre Dame and Pitt with the Irish leading the overall series 25-17.
- Falling in the last four matches against the Panthers, the last Irish win against Pitt came on Oct. 16, 2020 in a close five-set battle at home (22-25, 17-25, 25-21, 25-20, 17-15).
- The Irish last faced the Pitt Panthers on Sun, Oct. 22, 2023 at home, falling in three (16-25,23-25,19-25). Lucy Trump and Sydney Palazzolo led the Irish with seven kills a piece.
PHYONA SCHRADER
- Phyona Schrader was named ACC Setter of the Week on Monday, Sept. 16 after guiding the Irish to a perfect 3-0 week, with two wins over Northwestern and the program’s first-ever win over Colorado State.
- She is now second in the nation for triple-doubles this season (8).
FRESH FACES
- Notre Dame’s incoming freshman class ranked 13th in the nation according to Prep Dig.
- The Irish welcome six freshman to the team, bringing the Irish to a roster size of 22 – Rockwell’s largest roster since starting in 2022.
- The freshman class consists of Grace Langer (MB), Anna Bjork (MB), Kailyn Greene- Gordon (OPP), Mia Radeff (OH), Morgan Gaerte (OH), and Mallory Bohl (MB).
- Gaerte was the number one recruit coming out of Indiana, hailing from Angola High School, just a little over an hour from South Bend.
- Notre Dame also welcomes setter Ella Sandt to the 2024 squad, a graduate transfer from Saint Mary’s.
KEY RETURNERS
- The Irish return five rising sophomores, six rising juniors, a pair of rising seniors, and a pair of graduate students.
- Notre Dame’s two graduate students, Hattie Monson and Lauren Tarnoff, are each using their fifth and final seasons to…