Results - Men's Volleyball

April 11-13. 2008

Notre Dame’s men’s volleyball club finished 21st nationally this year, after back-to-back top ten finished the previous two years. In the opening round of play held in Dallas, TX, The Irish began the tournament by making a statement against the University of Utah. Behind the middle hitting of sophomore Alex Lewis, the Irish rolled the Utes in straight sets, 25-18, 25-21. The momentum continued as Notre Dame was paired up with 29th ranked Texas A&M for their second match of the day. The offense was clicking as the Irish controlled the first game with the dimes dealt by libero John Tibble. The Aggies fought back to take the second game, but Notre Dame was just too strong, and prevailed 25-19, 21-25, 15-9. The match of the day put the Irish up against #5 Virginia Tech. The Irish may have been outsized by the behemoths from Blacksburg, but they were not outhussled. The Irish refused to let a ball drop, making the Hokie offense anemic. Notre Dame’s offense was fueled by the play of Bryan Winther and the outside hitting of Mark Iandolo, who led the Irish to a victory in consecutive games, 25-23 and 25-22.

The Irish opened play on Saturday by rallying against Buffalo, 20-25, 25-10, 15-12. Aggressive serving and inspired defense by Jason Healy helped the Irish’s cause. Immediately after, the Irish were pitted against Long Beach State. The outside hitting of senior Daniel Zibton was a force, but proved to be not enough against the high powered offense of Long Beach. The Irish loss caused a three-way tie in the pool. In order to achieve a top ten finish, the Irish had to win a one-game playoff against Buffalo. Coming off of five straight games played, Notre Dame took the court one last time for the day. The unrelenting schedule took its toll as the rested Buffalo squad took the tiebreaker, 25-21.

On the last day of the team’s season, Notre Dame had an opening round match against Midwestern foe, Grand Valley State. The Irish rushed to an early lead against the Lakers, largely in part to the attacking and blocking of right side, Tim “Sleepy” Goldsmith. The lead was never relented as Notre Dame cruised to a first game victory. The Lakers were apparently not ready to head home and pushed back, taking the second game and forcing the match to a third. Notre Dame refocused and controlled the final game, taking the match, 25-21, 21-25, 15-13.

In the last match of the season the Irish faced rival Marquette. As is always the case, both squads came out with intensity. Marquette jumped to a large early lead that carried to the end. Down 24-20 and facing game point, Notre Dame rallied behind strong serving and blocking to send the game into extra points. Untimely errors by the Golden Eagles opened the door for the Irish to snatch the game, 28-26. Marquette again gained an early lead in the second, and prevailed 25-21. After a back and forth affair, Marquette won a close third game, 15-12, as the Irish closed their season.  

March 28-29, 2008

In their final tune-up before nationals, the Notre Dame men’s volleyball team traveled to Columbus, Ohio to play in the annual MIVA tournament. The tournament brings together thirty teams from three of the most competitive conferences in the nation. With an inconsistent season thus far, the Irish looked to gain some stability and momentum going into nationals.

In the opening day, the Irish placed in a six team pool. Notre Dame played tough all day, but was unable to pull games out when needed. The Irish dropped close contests with Minnesota, Indiana and Cincinnati, while defeating Bowing Green. Going 1-3 on the day, losing 5 sets by a combined 11 points, put the Irish in a deep hole for the second day, but not one that could not be over come. The Irish entered the single elimination bracket portion of the tournament with the 17th seed and plenty of difficult matches ahead of them.

Their first opponent Sunday morning was Grand Valley State. The Irish came out flat in the first game, giving up several short runs that turned into a large deficit and convincing win for GVSU, 18-25. Aggressive serving by freshman Jason Healy kept the Irish in the second set, as the game was close right until the end. A strong defensive push tipped the score in the favor of Notre Dame, as they closed out a squeaker, 25-22. The momentum carried into the third, as the Irish dominated, 15-8.

The next match pitted conference rival, #23 Marquette, a team that had twice defeated the Irish during the season. Playing their most inspired volleyball of the day, the Irish burst from the gates. Outside hitting by Mark Iandolo carried the Irish to the end as they took the first set easily. The Golden Eagles did not go down easily, however, as they responded with a strong 17-25 win that sent the match into a third. Middle blocker Mike Nejedly fueled the Irish’s early push with phenomenal attacking, giving the Irish an early lead that they never relinquished on their way to the match victory, 15-11 in the third game.

In the quarterfinals, Notre Dame faced the Flyers from Dayton. Among the storylines of the match, libero John Tibble played against his younger brother, Jim. When asked about the importance of the game, John said, “If his team beats mine, I don’t know if I can ever live under the same roof as him again.” That would not be a problem, however, as outstanding passing from John kept the Irish offense clicking in a two game win over the Flyers, 25-17, 26-24.

For the right to play in the championship, Notre Dame had to play 4th ranked and last year’s national runner-up, Lakeland College. Despite forceful hitting by outside Dan Zibton, who was also named all-conference, the Irish looked as if the seven previous matches had taken their toll. The Muskies took control and didn’t relent, beating Notre Dame in consecutive sets and sending the Irish home with a respectable third place finish.  

February 22-24, 2008

While the rest of the student body was cruising the Caribbean and frolicking in Florida, the #21 ranked Notre Dame men’s volleyball team drove to sunny Milwaukee for the second conference playday. With a third place finish in conference on the line, the Irish came out strong and with determination.

The first match of the day was against former national champion and conference rival, Marquette. With multiple starters entering the gym minutes just before the game, the Irish were not counting on a strong start. Intensity and strong hitting brought by freshman Mark Iandullo spread to his teammates and fueled an early rally by the Irish.

The momentum carried, largely in part to the attacking of newly-converted middle Alex Lewis, as the Irish cruised to a first game victory, 25-15. A shocked Marquette squad seemingly awoke for the second game, returning the favor by beating Notre Dame 15-25. With a third game to decide the winner, both teams came out with their best. Despite numerous defensive pickups by senior libero John Tibble, Marquette claimed the game and match, 15-12.

The next match against Northern Illinois was the final of pool play and a strong factor in the seeding for the single elimination tournament. A slow start by the Irish put them in a bit of a hole. After consecutive kills by outside Daniel Richard Zibton, Notre Dame had crawled back into the game. However, it was too little, too late, as the Huskies were able to close the game out 22-25. Notre Dame came out strong the next game, winning and sending yet another match to a third game. Multiple bad breaks early in the set led to a large Irish deficit. The Huskies reached game point with the Irish only having 9 points. Notre Dame refused to quit, and crawled back behind the serving of Tibble. Before anyone knew what happened, the Irish scored 7 straight points to capture the game and set.

By winning the NIU match, Notre Dame earned the right to a rematch against Marquette in the conference tournament. The Irish came out flat to open the match and could not recover as Marquette took the game lead. Notre Dame regrouped in the second, but it was not enough as Marquette rallied late to beat the Irish, 23-25. The Irish ended with a fifth place finish in conference.

February 15-17, 2008

The University of Notre Dame Men’s Volleyball team traveled to Grand Valley State University this weekend for a tournament that included teams from all over Michigan and Ohio. Shorthanded for the event, many of the first year players were thrust into the spotlight early Sunday morning and stayed there for the duration of the day. After dropping the first game 17-25 to Baldwin Wallace, the Irish stormed back to grab the second and third games, closing out the match 25-22, 16-14.

In the second match of the day, the Irish took on Michigan-B and struggled for most of the game before pulling out a win 29-27, 25-21. In a non-pool play match with no ramifications on the tournament, the Irish began their match against Purdue, and struggled to find their rhythm. Despite an early lead, the Irish couldn’t stave off a game point at 24-23, and Purdue took over, winning the match 23-25, 19-25.

As the quarterfinals of the gold bracket began, the Irish held the #3 seed owing to their two victories in the morning matches. The Irish took on 6th seeded Michigan-A, and ran out to a big lead in game one because of outstanding play of middle hitter, sophomore Mike Nejedly and junior outside Ted Grossestruer. The Wolverines would not be denied in the second game, storming back to steal the game 19-25. In the third game, Right side Daniel Rinzler stepped up and cracked multiple kills down the line and sophomore setter Bryan Winther ran the offense to perfection, leading to an Irish victory in the match, 25-18, 19-25, 15-11.

The Western Michigan Bronco’s were up next in the semifinals, matching two 3-1 teams. It became obvious quickly that the Irish has all of the momentum after their third game victory over Michigan, and they used that to their advantage storming out to a big 25-19 win in game one on the backs of the two Jasons: junior middle Jason Gott and freshman outside Jason Healy. Both had timely blocks and huge kills in both the first game and the second game, as the Irish again pulled away, winning and moving onto the finals, 25-19, 25-20.

The finals pitted rival and host Grand Valley State University against the young Irish squad. Noting the youth of the Irish squad, everyone in the gym appeared certain that GVSU was going to run away with the title. However, someone forgot to tell the Irish of this, and in a game that proved to be a game of runs, the Irish jumped out to an early lead, quickly worrying the very pro-GVSU crowd. The Lakers clawed their way back in, to tie it at 13 and the match only picked up excitement from there. In a back and forth match, the play of both middles, Gott and Nejedly, as well as libero Peter Balestracci was crucial, and all three stepped up to the task. Balestracci dug ball after ball, frustrating the Laker hitters, and the two middles boomed blocks. After tying the game at 22, the Lakers went on a small run to eek out a first game victory 25-23. The second game proved to be much of the same. With the offensive weaponry of setter Bryan Winther on display, the Irish again pulled out to an early lead only to see Grand Valley chip away at it. In the middle of game two, the Irish defense had its only extended lapse of the match, and struggled to side out the strong GVSU jump servers, giving the Lakers a 22-16 lead. This would not be the end of the Irish however, as they stormed back to close the gap to 23-22. After trading sideouts, the Lakers finished the game with a big kill, sending the Irish home in defeat 25-23, 25-23. The Irish travel to Indiana University on the 23rd and 24th of February to take part in the biggest tournament in the Midwest, the Hoosier-Illini Classic.  

February 7-9, 2008

The 21st ranked men’s volleyball team ventured to NIU and Dekalb, Illinois this past weekend for their first of two conference play days. In a conference featuring the national champions from each of the past three years, the Irish had their work cut out for themselves.

The opening match was against last year’s national runner-up and currently 4th ranked Lakeland College. While the Irish were able to keep pace with the powerhouse for the majority of the match, they were unable to break ahead and grab a victory. Despite the strong outside hitting of Dan Zibton, the Irish began the day with a loss in straight sets, 21-25 and 18-25. Immediately after their loss to Lakeland, Notre Dame was pitted against the slightly less formidable Illinois State. In the first set, starting Irish middle Tim Goldsmith suffered a groin injury that sent him to the bench for the rest of the day, but junior Jason Gott was able to fill in and carry the load. Notre Dame dominated the young Illinois State team in straight sets, 25-19 and 25-20.

The next tests came when the Irish were set to face both top 30 UW-Milwaukee, and current #1 and two time defending national champions, UW-Oshkosh in consecutive matches. The Irish came out strong against UW-Milwaukee, but the quick offense kept Notre Dame on its heels. The Irish lost the first game, but rallied back in the second behind near-perfect attacking by freshman Mark Iamdullo and grabbed the second game, 25-22. A small lapse caused the Irish fall behind in the third, but they rectified it and put the Panthers away, 15-11.

The challenge of the day came against the appropriately named Titans of UW-Oshkosh, holders of the #1 spot for nearly two years straight. After consecutive aces to begin the match, the Irish were given hope that they could beat the unbeatable, but that is about where it ended. UW-Oshkosh regained form and proceeded to control the match, handing Notre Dame their second loss of the day, 25-22, 25-19.

In order to finish above .500, the Irish needed to close out the day with consecutive victories against lower-ranked Ball State and Iowa State. Following the drubbing at the hands of Oshkosh, the Notre Dame looked to pass on the favor to Ball State. With a strong serving attack, led by sophomore Michael P. Nejedly, the Irish succeeded and beat Ball State in consecutive sets, 25-18 and 25-21.

In their sixth and final match against Iowa State, Notre Dame was eyeing a respectable finish. Behind outstanding defense by sophomore Arthur Kinsey and outside hitting of Ted Grossestreuer, the Irish gained an early lead. The Cyclones caught fire and proceeded to take the lead and close out a first game win. With their backs against the wall, Notre Dame found the intensity they needed, and pushed back against ISU. The Irish closed out the final two games and the match, 20-25, 25-23, 15-12, finishing the day 4-2 and in position to make noise in the rest of conference play.  

January 25-27, 2008

IRISH STUN SPARTANS

The walls started shaking. The earth was quaking. The Notre Dame men’s volleyball team was making some noise in the little town of St. Joseph, Michigan. The annual “Battle at the House of Noise” at Lake Michigan Catholic pitted Notre Dame against rival Michigan State on Saturday night. In the four year history of the game, the Irish have fallen short in every match. With key additions to the team, such as Peter Balstracci and Daniel Rinzler, the Irish looked to end their losing streak. The gym was packed to the brim, full with fans eager to watch an excellent volleyball match.

The Irish broke from their pep talk by head coach Lindsey Miller with a fury. After the announcer gave his trademark, “It’s time for let’s play volleyball”, the first serve was put in play and it was apparent Notre Dame was not going to simply lie down. Fueled by high-powered hitting by middle blocker Tim Goldberg, the offense was going on all cylinders in the first game. The Spartans had no match for the Irish, as Notre Dame cruised to a first game victory, 25-17.

Following a verbal lashing by their coach, the Spartans came out for the second set with intensity. An early run by Michigan State left the Irish in a hole for the majority of the game. Despite superb defense by outside hitter Alex Lewis, the Irish could not make up the early deficit as Michigan State held on and took the second set, 21-25.

With the sets tied at 1-1, both teams eyed to capture the pivotal third set. Early in the set, the Spartans held onto the momentum generated in the previous game. The Irish were down 17-24, facing a Spartan game point, when libero John Tibble went back to serve. Following blocks by Mike Nejedly and kills by outside hitter Dan Zibton, the Irish found themselves rallying back. Notre Dame inched back into the game and passed the Spartans with an 8-0 run. At 25-24, the crowd was on their feet and biting their fingernails as every point was crucial. The Spartans were able to get Tibble off the back line with a sideout and regain the serve.

Notre Dame pushed back to regain the lead at 26-25, but were unable to keep their momentum as Michigan State proceeded to score three straight points to win the third set, 26-28. Notre Dame was then in a must-win situation entering the fourth game, and the Irish played accordingly. Starting opposite Mark Iandolo was an unstoppable force, putting down a kill almost every time he touched the ball. In a back and forth game, the Irish emerged victorious, 25-22.

As in the previous two years of the match, the rivals found themselves in a fifth and determining set. The Irish jumped out to an early 3-1 lead and had their eyes on a victory. The Spartans were able to claw back and tie the game at 7-7. The Irish took a one-point lead, but needed to create a larger one. With a trick play signaled and a perfect pass, Mark Iandolo flew into the middle and found a net with no blockers. Iandolo proceeded to do what he does best and bounced the volleyball into the rafters, leaving a crater in the hardwood, gasps from the crowd, and killing the hopes of the Spartans. Notre Dame controlled the rest of the game and closed the match with a 15-12 fifth set win, taking home their first victory from the “Battle at the House of Noise”.  

December 1-2, 2007

On Saturday, December 1st, the Notre Dame Men’s Volleyball Team played host to 7 teams from around the Midwest in the Irish Invitational at Rolfs Athletic Center. When all was said and done, the Irish fell to the Indiana University Hoosiers in a rematch of a game earlier in the day. The Hoosiers got their revenge in the championship match in three hard fought games 25-21, 22-25, 15-10. With the tank running on empty, the very young Irish team, playing in their first tournament of the season, struggled to get momentum going in the second and third games of their 5th match of the day despite the outstanding play of middles senior Tim Goldsmith and sophomore Mike Nejedly. Notre Dame finished with a 4-1 record on the day and placed 2nd. The Irish reached the finals by defeating Ball State University in two games in the semifinal, 25-20, 25-22. Senior outside hitter Dan Zibton and sophomore OH Alex Lewis lead the offense, while senior libero John Tibble anchored the Irish defense.

To reach the top bracket, the Irish had to knock off the Hoosiers, which they did 25-20, 25-21 on what proved to be a showcase of young talent for Notre Dame. Freshman setter Mark Iandolo and right side hitter Jason “that’s why I worked on my hands” Healy led the team to victory, including multiple assists from Healy while Iandolo was busy on defense.

The Irish opened pool play against Grand Valley State-B in the first match of the day, and struggled out of the gate but hung on for the victory in three games, 25-20, 22-25, 15-12 with great defense from freshman Peter Balestracci and senior Frank Dax who was playing in his last tournament with the team. Notre Dame also defeated the Michigan State Spartans in two games, 25-17, 25-21 for the third victory in pool play. The Irish finished pool play in their home tournament 3-0 for the third straight time.

University of Illinois-B finishes third, and Grand Valley State-A defeated Indiana-B for the silver bracket crown and 5th place. This tournament concludes the fall schedule. The Irish now get set for conference play and the Battle at the House of Noise in January and February.  

April 13-15, 2007

The sixth ranked Notre Dame’s men’s volleyball team ventured to Louisville, Kentucky this past week for the club volleyball national championships.  The top fifty Division 1 teams in the country competed.  With their highest final ranking in the club’s history, the Irish had high expectations to make a deep run in this year’s tournament.
           
The Irish opened their first day and pool play against the Naval Academy.  Despite having a top notch defense, the high-powered offense of Notre Dame proved to be too much for Navy as outside hitter Drew Williams seemingly got kills at will.  The match was over soon after it began, as Notre Dame won in convincing fashion, 25-21 and 25-20.
           
For their second match the Irish were paired against Dayton University and featured a battle between brothers, Notre Dame’s John and Dayton’s Jim Tibble.  Behind inspired defensive play of John Tibble, Notre Dame was able to divide a household and defeat Dayton in straight sets, 25-23 and 25-21.
           
In their final match of their day, Notre Dame was looking to lock up a first place finish in their pool and continue onto the next stage of the tournament undefeated.  In order to do this, the Irish had to beat New England powerhouse, Northeastern University.  Not knowing what to expect from the Huskies, the Irish made it a point to come out with intensity.  The match was always in the control of the Irish as setter Nolan Kane kept the opposing defense guessing.  Notre Dame put the Huskies down in straight sets, 26-24 and 25-18.
           
Moving into the second day with an unblemished record, Notre Dame found themselves needing to win one of their two matches to move into the final sixteen of the tournament.  With the Irish in the pool were archrivals Michigan State and Boston College.  First up for the Irish was Boston College.   This was the first meeting between the two traditional rivals.  Through most of the first set, the teams traded sideouts and neither team had a clear advantage.  Middle blocker James Foresman stepped up to sway the game in favor of the Irish, who took it 25-23.  The momentum of the win carried on into the second game, as the Irish controlled the game in its entirety.  With the match won, Notre Dame had secured its spot in the gold bracket and had to play the match against Michigan State for an opportunity to move up in its seeding.  At first, the Irish struggled to get their balls around the large Spartan block and fell to an early deficit.  Late in the game, Notre Dame rallied and made a comeback; however, it was too late for the game to slip from the Spartan grasp.  Michigan State took the first game 23-25, but the Irish had gained momentum.  In a tight, back-and-forth battle, the Irish were unable to develop a commanding lead.  The teams pushed the game into extra points and Mike Nejedly substituted in to serve.  With the score being 27-26 and the Irish having game point, Nejedly sped a jump serve over the net and in the court, untouched by an opponent to win the game.  With the match going to a third set, the Irish stepped up their game accordingly, exploding to an early lead.  The lead held as the Irish took the game and match, 15-12.
           
Still boasting a perfect record going into the final day, the Irish were fighting for a spot in the quarterfinals against a strong Santa Clara team.  Santa Clara jumped out to an insurmountable early lead behind impenetrable defense and strong blocking.  This lead held for the game’s entirety as the Broncos won, 17-25.  With their backs against the wall, Notre Dame had to fight in the second game.  As the Irish’s intensity grew, so did their lead that they held for most of the game.  Behind the outside hitting of Dan Zibton, who was later named as Honorable Mention to the All-America team, the Irish were able to send the match to a third set with a score of 25-21.  The intensity carried over to the final set as the Irish built a quick 3-0 lead.  Following some back and forth play, Santa Clara brought the game back into their reach by tying it at 10-10.  Next, back-to-back blocks by the Santa Clara right side shifted the momentum and led to a disappointing Irish loss, 11-15.  With the loss, Notre Dame finished ninth in the nationals.  Two Irish league rivals, Wisconsin Oshkosh and Lakeland, battled in the championship game, with Oshkosh claiming the title.

March 30-April 1, 2007

Notre Dame’s men’s volleyball club again posted six victories in eight matches over the weekend. The Irish opened play with a 25-19 win over Grand Valley State on Saturday. The squad dropped the next match to Illinois, 29-27, 25-19, and then rebounded with wins over Western Michigan, 25-16, 27-25, and Wisconsin, 25-18, 25-17 to close the Saturday competition.

On Sunday, the Irish again started strong with wins over Northwestern, 25-13, 25-18, and Illinois State, 25-27, 25-27, 15-12. After taking a third victory for the day against Marquette, 25-22, 25-12, the Irish closed the tournament with a second loss to the Illlini, 25-16, 25-17.  

March 23-25, 2007

On Saturday, the 6th ranked Notre Dame men’s volleyball club ventured to Marquette University for their final day of conference competition. With their national ranking and seeding for the national tournament on the line, the Irish were looking to have a solid showing in Milwaukee.

Notre Dame opened up the day with a continuation of the conference round-robin, where they were matched up against the nationally 4th ranked team, Lakeland College. The Irish surprise Lakeland by taking an early lead on the strong serve receive of libero John Tibble and defensive specialist Frank Dax. Notre Dame never relented as they cruised to an upset first game victory by the score of 25-18. Lakeland responded with dominating outside hitting, which proved too much for the Irish blocking and defense. Lakeland locked up the second game with a convincing 18-25 win. The match came to a third set, which would ultimately determine who would emerge from round-robin play in second and third place. The set was neck and neck as the teams swapped sideouts until Lakeland went on a run to take a 9-12 lead. With little time, the Irish took a hold of the match and went on a 6-1 run to finish the set, winning 15-13. Following the match, Frank Dax said, “The defense, myself included, really stepped up for us in this one.”

To close up the round-robin play, the Irish had to first beat Northern Illinois University and Iowa State University. Both teams proved to be a challenge for the Irish, but neither was able to pull off the upset. Northern Illinois gave the Irish two very tight games, but the blocking of the Irish middle blockers, James Foresman and Joe O’Connell, in key situations tipped both of them in favor of the Irish, 25-22, 27-25. In the final match of the round robin, the Irish were paired up against Iowa State. With the powerful attacking of Ted Grossestreur, Arthur Kinsey, and Mike “Peanut Butter and” Nejelly, the Irish were able to defeat the Cyclones in three sets 25-13, 22-25, and 15-7.

After playing every team in the conference, Notre Dame came out with a lone loss and an 8-1 record. They were seeded second going into the tournament portion of the conference play and matched up against rival Marquette ranked 21st . As the host team, Marquette filled the stands with observers who cheered loudly against the Irish. Maintaining focus, Notre Dame took care of business in the first game with a victory, 25-22. In the second set, the Irish burst from the gates, getting an early 5-0 lead. That is about all that went well for the Irish, however, as the Golden Eagles fought back and took control of the set. Ultimately, Marquette handily won the second set 16-25 and forced the match into a third set. Notre Dame came out early and with determination, taking a quick lead. By the time Marquette started playing on par with Notre Dame, it was too late as the Irish cruised to a 15-8 set and match victory.

With the win over Marquette, the Irish met again with Lakeland College, with the winner advancing to the conference championship against top ranked University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. Lakeland began the match quickly and with intensity, seeking revenge for the earlier upset. Strong serving by the opposition kept the Irish offense out of system and prevented them from putting up a strong fight in the first set, as Lakeland took it 19-25. Notre Dame rebounded as serve receive improved, and as a result so did the offense. The outside hitting of senior Drew Williams and junior Dan Zibton beat on the Lakeland defense, leading to a 25-19 Irish second set victory. Early in the third set, the teams traded sideouts, with neither team gaining an advantage. The Irish then earned back-to-back points, increasing their lead to three. This lead held to 12-9, when Lakeland rallied. Timely hitting errors on the part of the Irish aided Lakeland, who went on a strong run to finish the game. The match ended as Lakeland took the final game, 13-15, and sent the Irish off with a third place finish in the conference tournament.  

February 17-25, 2007

The Notre Dame men’s volleyball team made their annual trip down to Bloomington, Indiana this past weekend for their biggest pre-nationals tournament. The Hoosier-Illini Classical perennially features the best teams in the country, with this year being no exception. Eighteen of the top thirty teams were among the forty in attendance as the #10 Irish arrived to play among the nation’s elite.

The Irish opened on Saturday with pool play, where they were first paired up against the University of Illinois’ B team. Behind the pinpoint passing of libero John Tibble, the Irish made quick work of the Illini, closing the match in straight sets, 25-19 and 25-23. Next for the Irish was Western Illinois, who proved to be much more of a match. The Leatherbacks caught the Irish off-guard in the first set, taking an early lead which they never surrendered. After the first set loss of 19-25, Notre Dame caught on and put them back in position to win the match as they controlled the second set. The superb backrow play by Frank Dax gave the Irish the boost they needed, leading to a match-tying second set victory of 25-19. The momentum carried into the third set as the Irish dominated the Leatherbacks, 15-8. When asked about his play in the pivotal match, Dax responded, “Yes, I did play pretty well, didn’t I?”

Looking to finish pool play undefeated, the Irish first had to beat The Ohio State University. In similar fashion as the previous match, Notre Dame started off slowly and was unable to recover as the Buckeyes grabbed the first set, 14-25. The Irish would not go quietly, however, and played with ferocity in the second set. Crucial blocks late in the game by middle blocker “Lips” Foresman swayed the game and momentum in the favor of the Irish, as they tied the match up with a set victory of 25-23. With confidence and the momentum, Notre Dame easily wrapped up the match with a third set win of 15-10.

After coming out of their pool in first, Notre Dame was given an opportunity to improve their seeding in a match against western powerhouse, #2 Arizona. Even though setter Nolan Kane, who was later named to the tournament all-star team, was running the offense with great efficiency, the Wildcat offense was too much for the Irish defense. After a hard-fought two set, Arizona came out with the victory in straight sets, 19-25 and 17-25.

Notre Dame opened up early Sunday morning in position to make a run for the championship as the single elimination tournament play began. There first round match-up were the #3 Nittany Lions of Penn State. The Lions had defeated the Irish earlier in the season, but the Irish refused to let history repeat itself. Behind the intensity of junior Jamie Ward, Notre Dame willed their selves two an easy match victory in straight sets, 25-20 and 25-16.

Now in the quarterfinals, Notre Dame found themselves closer to the title game, but with a difficult match at hand. They met with #1 and defending national champions University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. The Irish started the match strong, holding the lead for much of the first part, but they ran into a strong server who rallied off a long string of points. The set shifted into the hands of the Titans, who ran with it until the end, where it ended 13-25. The second game was a dogfight from the beginning, largely in part to the attacking of outside hitter Dan Zibton, but the power of the Titans proved to be enough to end the Irish’s run towards the championship when they took the set and match on a 22-25 victory.  

February 9-11, 2007

After a very promising preseason, the Notre Dame men’s volleyball team opened their regular season last Saturday. Coming into the day ranked tenth in the nation, the Irish looked to prove that they were more than hype.

This Saturday was the first of two conference days, where the Irish played five of the nine other members conference, the first of which was #25 Illinois State. The Irish looked to have more energy in the early morning game, easily taking the first set 25-18. Illinois State played a much stronger second game, taking it 30-28. A third set was played to determine which team would start the day with an unblemished record. The Irish staked an early lead behind the powerful arm of outside hitter Drew Williams and never looked back as they claimed the victory in a lopsided 15-9 set.

The second match of the day paired the Irish up against perennial powerhouse and former national champion, #16 Marquette. Notre Dame controlled the first set and played with more emotion than their opposition. The Irish never trailed and ended the set with a 25-21 win. The win was bittersweet, however, as starting opposite Bryan Winther was injured landing on an opponent’s foot in the neutral zone. With a rolled ankle, Winther was out for the day, causing the Irish to dip into its reserves. Freshman Alex Lewis stepped in for the second set and the Irish barely missed a beat, taking the game and match in straight sets with a 25-23 win.

When Marquette left the court, Ball State immediately filled the vacancy to start its match versus the Irish promptly. With freshmen Mike Nejedly and Brett Campo leading the charge, the match seemed to end as quickly as it started, with the Irish winning in straight sets, 25-21 and 25-18.

Still sitting on an undefeated conference record, the Irish moved on to face the Panthers from UW-Milwaukee. The Irish jumped out to a commanding 8-1 lead behind a string of serves made by defensive specialist Frank Dax. The team didn’t slow down as the Irish took the game, 25-15. Breaking from the huddle to their rally cry, “1, 2, The New Englander!” Notre Dame hoped to repeat their first set success. With Kevin Overmann filling the shoes of the opposite hitter, Notre Dame won again easily, taking the match with a score of 25-20.

The match of the day was the finale for the Irish, as they faced the #1 ranked and defending national champion University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh Titans. Both teams went into the match undefeated for the day. The Irish put forth a tremendous effort, largely in part to setter Nolan Kane and outside hitter Dan Zibton, but fell just short in the first set, falling 25-21. Notre Dame hoped to reverse their fortune in the second set, staying neck and neck with the Titans late into the game. A strong push by Oshkosh caused the game to slip away from the Irish, ending the match with a 25-20 loss.

The Irish finished the day 4-1, with two victories over ranked opponents. Now they hope to get healthy, continue conference play in a few weeks, and prepare for the nationals.  

January 26-28, 2007

This past Saturday, Notre Dame’s tenth ranked men’s volleyball team ventured north to St. Joseph’s, MI to challenge powerhouse Michigan State. The annual exhibition game, dubbed “The Battle in The House of Noise”, serves as a fundraiser for Lake Michigan Catholic High School and a night of excitement for all who attend. The Spartans ultimately prevailed in a hard fought see-saw contest, 25-20, 19-25, 25-22, 23-25, 15-9.

The match opened to a full house, but apparently the Irish didn’t notice as they fell to an early 6-1 deficit. Despite the strong play from senior Drew Williams, the slow start proved to be too much to overcome as the Irish lost 25-20.

After switching sides and resetting the score, the Irish looked like a different team. They formed an early rally of their own, shifting the momentum the way of Notre Dame. Junior James Ward led the way with a long string of serves before having to roll the ball under the net. Never trailing in the set, the Irish closed it with a win, 25-19.  

The match moved on in a 1-1 tie and both teams sensed it would be another five game contest, as last year’s. Starting middle blocker Joe O’Connell provided firepower at the net, keeping the Spartans on the toes, prior to his night-ending knee injury. The team didn’t miss a beat as Tim Goldsmith jumped in to keep the set neck and neck. In the end, untimely errors on the part of the Irish caused the game to slip away, resulting in a 25-22 loss.

With the Spartans one set away from sealing the match, the Irish needed to hold their ground. The set was tied at its midway point, when the Spartans made a surge forward. The Irish found themselves in a 4 point hole. Freshman Alex Lewis entered the game and provided the spark Notre Dame desperately needed, leading the Irish on an 8-2 run, that resulted in a 25-23 win for the Irish.

Just as the previous year, The Battle in The House of Noise was headed into a 5th and decisive set to 15. Behind the unstoppable attacking of outside hitter Dan Zibton, the Irish jumped to an early lead. However, this lead quickly faded as the Spartans rattled off 8 consecutive points. Though the Irish picked up their play and ended the rally, it was too little, too late as the Irish lost the final set, 9-15, and consequently, the match.  

December 1-3, 2006

The Notre Dame men’s volleyball team traveled to East Lansing Michigan State’s annual Hardwood Classic. Play opened early Saturday for the Irish as they faced a pool of three other teams from across the Midwest.

In the first match of the day, the Irish were paired against the Hawkeyes from the University of Iowa. Without middle blocker Joe O’Connell, the team burst from the gates, taking the first game quickly, 25-12. As O’Connell came into the gym, it seemed the Hawkeyes did too, giving the Irish a challenge in their second game, 25-21 victory.

Following their opening win, the Irish first faced the University of Kentucky. Notre Dame proved to be too much for the Wildcats as they won the match in consecutive games, 25-20, 25-17, behind the aggressive serving of Trevor Carter. The final match of pool play proved to be the match of the day as the Irish squared off against Pittsburgh. Despite the outstanding blocking by James Foresman, Notre Dame ended up on the losing end of the 23-25 first game nail biter. The Irish came out with a mission in the second, winning 25-12 to force the match into a decisive third game. Unfortunately, the Irish were unable to continue with the momentum, losing another close game, 12-15.

To keep their first place goal alive, the Irish were forced into a must-win match versus Northwestern. The clipboard was handed to O’Connell, who was looking to become 2-0 as coach, as the Irish took the court. Freshmen Arthur Kinsey and Ned Nejedly lifted the team through a slow start and to a first game 25-23 victory. After the close initial game, the Irish were intent on making the second a little more comfortable. Behind Ted Grossestreur and the jump serves of Tim Goldsmith, the Irish finished the match and the day with a 25-13 win.

Notre Dame moved from a field of 32 to a single-elimination bracket of 16 in the second day. They were paired against a conference foe in University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the initial round. Both teams seemed sluggish in the early morning match, but the Irish prevailed 27-25, 25-11 to advance to the quarterfinals.

The Irish found themselves playing a strong Ohio Northern squad for the opportunity to move on. The matching proved to be a defensive battle, starting with the first game. The Irish fought hard, but a few breaks fell the way of ONU, leading to a 22-25 loss. Notre Dame rallied together in the second, led by star libero John Tibble, to take the second 25-22. Finding themselves in another three-game match, the Irish refused to fall. The third game was controlled in its entirety Notre Dame, who paved their way to the semis through a 15-9 win.

With a spot in the championship for grabs, the Irish hit the court against the Nittany Lions of Penn State. Strong outside hitting by senior Drew Williams and junior Dan Zibton carried the play of the Irish, but it wasn’t enough as the Nittany Lions won, 25-21, 25-19. With their second consecutive third place finish, the Irish are off to one of their best starts in team history.  

November 10-12, 2006

On Saturday, the Irish men’s volleyball team traveled to the University of Illinois to compete in the annual Illini 16 preseason tournament. Finishing ninth in last season’s event, the Irish were eager to measure this year’s squad against past success.

The tournament opened with pool play, and the Irish were matched against the University of Illinois alumni team. Despite being out aged, the Irish were not outplayed. After a slow start, “Jumpin’” Joe O’Connell infused the team with energy, lifting them to a 27-25 first game win. The close win in the first game led to a slow start in the second, which resulted in a seven point deficit at one point. Strong passing from John Tibble and formidable net play by James Foresman rallied the Irish back for a second game 25-22 win to claim the victory.

The Irish carried their strong play into the next match against Indiana University, but dropped a disappointing 24-26 first game loss. Fired up by the lively Nolan Kane, the team came back to take the second game, 25-20. The Irish exploded out of the gates, and won the deciding game, 15-9, behind the unstoppable hitting of Dan Zibton.

In the final match of pool play, the Irish sought to win big against Purdue in order to receive a favorable seed for tournament play. Freshman Mike Nejedly played with intensity and purpose as the Irish dominated the Boilers 25-14, 25-18 in consecutive games.

After going undefeated in pool play, the Irish were seeded against the same Illinois Alumni team they had played earlier in the day. The first game was controlled by the Irish, largely in part due to the strong play of senior Drew Williams, and ended as a 25-21 victory. The second game was tighter than the first, but, in the end, was won by the Irish, 25-23.

With the win the Irish advanced to the semifinals, where they were matched against perennial powerhouse Illinois. In a dogfight, the eventual tournament champion Illini prevailed, as the Irish were defeated in consecutive games, 25-17, 25-17.

The Irish took third place finish and left with a strong outlook for the season.  

April 7-16, 2006

Over Easter break, the Men’s Volleyball team traveled to Salt Lake City for the 2006 NIRSA Volleyball Club Championships. After four days of volleyball, the Irish returned to South Bend after taking 9th place—the highest finish ever in Notre Dame’s men’s volleyball history.

The Irish entered the tournament as the 14th seed in Men’s Division-I and a 2nd seed in their pool. After great finishes in recent tournaments, the Irish were anticipating a successful weekend. On Thursday, the Irish got right to work while sweeping their pool and going 3-0. In the first match of the day, Notre Dame took on the University of Connecticut. After easily taking the first game 25-17, the Irish stumbled in the second game. Even so, the talented Irish were too much for the Huskies and held on for a 25-23 win. The following match pinned the Irish against CSU-Sacramento. CSU-Sacramento knocked the Irish out last year in the first round of the Bronze division. Looking for revenge, and fielding a better team, the Irish would not let the past repeat. CSU-Sacramento never let the Irish get too far ahead in the first game, ending with a 26-24 Irish victory. Using confidence from the three-game win streak, the Irish hung on to win the second game 25-22. The next match would decide the fate of the Irish for the rest of the tournament, as they faced the 1st seed in the pool, Virginia Tech. The Irish played a great first game, surprising the Hokies and winning 25-15. With a tall, solid team, VTech fought back and took game two from the Irish 25-22. In the pivotal third game, the Irish took control and won 15-12, finishing first in their pool with an automatic bid into the championship pool.

The two matches on Friday would decide if the Irish would advance into the Gold or Silver Division on Saturday. The Irish were placed in a pool with Maryland and Pittsburgh. The first match against the University of Pittsburgh was more challenging than the Irish originally thought. With excellent middle blockers, the Panthers fought admirably. However, it was the Irish who came out winners 25-22, 25-22. In the final match of the day, the Irish faced the eventual National runner-up University of Maryland. Already in the Gold Division for Saturday, this match would only affect where the Irish would be seated in the 16-team playoff. The Irish dropped the first game 27-25. After regrouping and cleaning-up their performance, Notre Dame came back to win the second game 25-18. In the third game, Maryland’s offensive strength was too much for the Irish. The Irish dropped the game 15-10.

With a 4-1 record and a late loss on Friday, the Irish were seated 9th in the 16-team Gold Division. Their first match would be against Santa Clara, who won their Championship Pool on Friday and were seated 8th in the Gold Division. Although the Irish played a relatively sound first game, Santa Clara won the game 25-21. In the second game, the Irish were down 24-22. After a side-out and block, the Irish tied the game 24-24. From here, the two teams exchanged points for twelve straight services. Tied 30-30, the Irish forced yet another side out. On their second game-point, Santa Clara had a hitting error, giving the Irish a 32-30 victory. One win away from advancing to the quarterfinals, the Irish were determined to win and keep playing. However, after fallling behind early in the match, 1-4, the Irish never could catch up. Santa Clara ended up winning the third game 15-10. This loss gave the Irish a 4-2 record at Nationals and 9th place in the Nation.

Sophomore libero John Tibble earned All-Tournament Honorable Mention for the Irish, the first time a Notre Dame player has been recognized by NIRSA for an All-Tournament team. Tibble was supported throughout the tournament by Junior OPP Mike Toomey, Junior OH Drew Williams, Sophomore S Nolan Kane, and Seniors Ryan Goes and Ryan Flynn.  

March 31-April 2, 2006

Notre Dame traveled to Sheboygan, Wisconsin for the Midwest Intercollegiate Volleyball Association tournament to take on the top teams in the Midwest AND qualify for Nationals in April. A week after reaching the Top 25, the Irish set out to win big games and prove their presence as a rising powerhouse for men’s volleyball. On Saturday and Sunday, this is exactly what they did.

During pool-play on Saturday, the #21 Irish face many top ranked opponents. In the early morning, Notre Dame took on #15 Minnesota. In this first match, the Irish were determined to set the tempo for the day and the rest of the tournament. Quickness and intensity carried Notre Dame to the upset of the Golden Gophers 25-22, 25-21. Next on their pool play schedule was the 5th ranked Fightin’ Illini. Previously, the Irish and Illini have met in two matches and each has won one. Behind solid passing and consistent attacks, the Irish stunned the Illini in a quick match 25-21, 25-20.

After lunch, Notre Dame continues pool play against Bowling Green State. With a very successful morning and high energy, the Irish won 27-25, 25-14 to go on a three game winning streak. With this win, Notre Dame clinched second place in its pool behind #2 Lakeland College, who previously defeated the Irish in February. After a mental let down against Ohio Northern, the Irish finished the day with a 3-1 record and confidence that would carry-over to Sunday’s matches.

With a 3-1 record from pool play, the Irish earned a first-round bye in the gold bracket. Their first opponent was the Flames of the University of Illinois-Chicago. Although sluggish throughout the match, the Irish were able to defeat the Flames 25-20, 25-21. Advancing to the quarterfinals, the Irish would face conference rivals #8 Marquette. In February, Marquette defeated Notre Dame in two close matches. After much improvement, the Irish were confident this outcome would be quite different. Behind aggressive serving from Dan Zibton and Drew Williams, the Irish easily took the first game 25-18. Shocked by the new and improved Irish, Marquette tried to make adjustments to help their cause. With every strategic move the Golden Eagles made, the Irish had a counterattack. With perfect passing and defense from Frank (Ryan) Dax, the Irish rolled on to a 26-24 victory, topped off by an 8-footline bounce by Junior James Foresman! For the second straight tournament, Notre Dame is advancing to the semifinal match. And for the second straight time, the Irish had to face #1 UW-Oshkosh.

In both previous matches against the Titans, the Irish had been taken out of there game, fell behind early and lost. On Sunday afternoon, however, the Irish were not going to let that happen again. In the first game, the Irish jumped ahead to a 5-1 lead. The Irish held that lead for most of the game behind accurate passing and smart offensive attacks. The Titans finally caught up to the Irish and tied the game 21-21. From there, the #1 Titans made the plays and stole game one from the Irish 25-21. Game two played out like most of the first; both teams siding each other out. With the game tied 11-11, the Titans put together a mini run to go up 15-11. From there, the Irish played catch-up. Unfortunately, the Irish never caught up and lost a heartbreaking game two 25-19.

Notre Dame finished the tournament with a 5-2 record and upset victories over the #15 Minnesota, #8 Marquette, and #5 Illinois and finishing in third place. This is the best finish Notre Dame has ever had at the MIVA Championship tournament.

Senior MB Ryan Goes was recognized as an All-Conference Team Honorable Mention. This is the first time Ryan has been recognized to the All-Conference Team and the first Notre Dame player to do so in the last two seasons. The Irish finish their season in Salt Lake City, Utah over Easter for Nationals, competing against the top 50 teams in the nation. With recent success, the Irish are anxious to get to Salt Lake City and contend for the Nationals Championship.

March 24-26, 2006

Notre Dame’s men’s volleyball club took to the courts for the first time since breaking into the top 25 national rankings for the first time in three years. The Irish are currently ranked 21st. The Irish opened play at Marquette against Wisconsin - Milwaukee, and won decisively, 25-15, 25-16. The Irish dropped their second match to 2nd seeded Lakeland, 25-23, 25-18. In the final opening bracket play, the Irish were victorious over Illlinois - Chicago, 25-28, 25-24, behind aggressive serving and solid defense.

In their fourth match, the Irish avenged an earlier season defeat to the Huskies of Northern Illinois, riding the serves of Mike Toomey to a 25-17, 28-30, 15-13 win. The Irish then fell in the semifinals to Wisconsin - Oshkosh, the number one ranked team in the country, 25-17, 25-16. Team captain and middle blocker Ryan Goes was pleased with the performance. “We played a great tournament. We beat the teams we should have and fought with the teams who were better.”  

February 24-26, 2006

Irish upset #5 Illinois, #15 Ohio Sate; take 5th at Indiana The Men’s Volleyball club traveled to Indiana University to play in the annual Hoosier-Illini Classic, the biggest season tournament which draws forty teams from all over the country. The Irish began pool play Saturday morning with two tough losses to top 25 teams. In their first match, #5 Illinois swept the Irish, 25-21, 25-19. In the following match, mental errors led to an Irish defeat versus #17 Utah, 25-23, 25-16. With two games left for the day, the fate of the Irish was in doubt.

In their final pool-play meeting, the Irish quickly put away Wisconsin-B 25-17, 25-16. Sparked from junior opposite hitter Mike Toomey, the Irish played their best volleyball of the tourney and got the first win of an eventual four-game win streak. Finishing 2-1 in pool play and in third place, the next cross-over match against Cincinnati was critical if the Irish planned on advancing to the Gold Division for the first time in three years, Notre Dame played aggressive volleyball, as the Irish surprised the Bearcats and took the first game 25-19. Led by sophomore Dan Zibton, the Irish pulled through in game two and edged out Cincinnati 27-25.

In their first Gold Division match, the Irish faced #15 Ohio State. The Irish used a series of streaks behind the serving of Drew Williams and Ryan Flynn to dominate the Buckeyes and control the entire match. Notre Dame ended up winning 25-16, 25-16. In the second round of play, the Irish would have a rematch with Illinois. Coming off of three solid performances after their loss to the Illini, The Irish jumped early on the Illini in game one. Behind a combination of solid defense and a complex, forceful offense, the Irish won game one 25-23. Game two was a completely different scenario. Playing point for point to 10 - 10, Illinois went on an eight point run behind incredible blocking and precise serving. The Irish dug themselves too big a hole, and ended up losing the second game 25-17. In the short “sprint” to 15 in game three, it is crucial to get an early lead, which is exactly what the Irish did. With game two past them, Notre Dame used attacks from Williams, Toomey, and junior James Foresman to take an 8-3 lead. From there, the Irish played side-out ball with the Illini until Foresman put the final kill of the match down. With the upset over #5 Illinois, the Irish advanced to the quarterfinals of the tournament for the first time in team history.

The Irish now faced a hard-hitting UW-Whitewater. Although the Irish played great volleyball, UW-Whitewater was too much for the Irish. The Irish were defeated in two games 25-19, 25-20. Led by Drew Williams’ offense and defense, the Irish were able to claim 5th place in the highly regarded Hoosier-Illinois Classic.  

January 27-29, 2006

The Men’s Volleyball team traveled to St. Joseph, Michigan to play #9 Michigan State in their annual “Battle at the House of Noise” contest on Saturday. In a long, hard fought match before a sold-out crowd, an Irish comeback fell just short as the Spartans prevailed in five games.

Things looked awful for the Irish right from the start, losing the first game 25-11. With no offense and a powerful attack from MSU, the Irish had no answers and were put away quickly. However, the Irish were able to put that game behind them and fight throughout the next four games. Down one game to none, Notre Dame came out strong in the second game, going on an 8-2 run behind the serving of Nolan Kane. Balanced with good passing and aggressive attacks from Joe O’Connell, and Drew Williams, the Irish put away the Spartans 25-17.

Gaining confidence from a great game, the Irish came out fired-up and hungry for victory. Unlike the first two games, the third game went point for point, with neither team going ahead by more than four points. Unfortunately, the Irish missed many serves at critical moments in the game. Michigan State was able to turn the Irish mistakes into Spartan points and stole the third game from the Irish 25-23. The next game was similar to the previous, Notre Dame and Michigan State exchanging points. This time, however, the Irish cleaned up their game. With strong offensive attacks from junior Mike Toomey, and the strong serving from sophomore Dan Zibton, the Irish were able to push the final points and win 25-22.

The fifth game belonged to Michigan State the entire time. With the Spartans playing phenomenal defense, not allowing a Notre Dame attack to hit the ground, they took the fifth game 15-10. When asked about the performance of his team, Irish coach Brad Weldon said, “Serving errors were tragic in the first games. If we would have kept our serves in and not given Michigan State so many free points, we could have won those games.” The Irish play next at Northern Illinois on February 17th in the first of two conference tournaments.  

October 28-30, 2005

Notre Dame’s men’s volleyball club opened their season in fine fashion by defending its title in the Irish Invitational, staged at Rolfs Sports Recreation Center this weekend. In pool play, the Irish defeated Michigan State Green 25-17, 25-21, but then fell to Grand Valley State, 23-25, 25-22, 15-13. The Irish entered the tournament draw as second seed in their division.

With strong offensive attacks from sophomore outside hitter Dan Zibton, and aggressive serving and defense from freshman Bryan Winther, the Irish defeated the Panthers of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, 25-15, 25-20. In the semifinals, the Irish faced the winner of the other pool, Michigan State White. Junior middle blocker Joe O’Connell led the way as the Irish defeated the Spartans, 25-22, 25-21, advancing to the championship game against College of Lake County.

The Irish were aggressive from the start as junior opposite hitter Kevin Overmann proved to be the decisive player in winning the opening game, 25-20. Riding the momentum, the Irish cruised to a 25-15 victory in game two for a sweep and the title. The Irish will begin conference play after winter break.  

October 25, 2005

The Notre Dame Invitational is scheduled this Saturday in the Rolfs Sports Recreation Center. The Irish will play Michigan State at 10:30 am, and Grand Valley State at 11:30 am in pool play. Times and opponents for afternoon play will be determined by morning results. Afternoon competition is scheduled for 1:30, 2:30, 3:30, and 4:30 pm. 

April 15-17, 2005

Last week the Men's Volleyball Team traveled to Kansas City for the NIRSA Volleyball Club Championship. The Irish competed against 45 other Division 1 club teams.

The Irish began the tournament on Thursday with pool play against Texas A&M, San Diego State, and University of Wisconsin-Madison. The first match was against Texas A&M. Notre Dame was never able to put together a complete game and lost the match 25-19 and 25-17. The next match was against San Diego State University. The Irish came out to a slow start and loss the first game 25-18. After regrouping and cleaning up their game, the Irish looked as if they would take game two. Unfortunately, the Irish lost the second game 25-23. The Irish had their final match of the day against University of Wisconsin-Madison. After a rough morning of volleyball, Notre Dame was determined to win their first match and was successful after winning 25-23 and 25-23.

After finishing third in their pool from Thursday's matches, Notre Dame started Friday with a cross-over match against Penn State to continue their hunt for the Gold Division. The Irish came out fired up and ready to play, but loss a heartbreaker in the first game 26-24. However, the Irish rallied and won the second game 25-19, forcing a third game. After a back-and-forth battle, Penn State proved too much for the Irish, winning 15-13. This placed Notre Dame in a pool with Dayton and Iowa; with the winner of the pool making the Silver Bracket. Notre Dame first faced-off against Iowa, and controlled the game, easily winning 25-22. In the second game, however, the Irish tripped up and loss 25-22. In the third game, the Irish regained composure and took the match with a 15-10 victory. In their final match of the day, the Irish played Dayton for a seed in the Silver Bracket. Dayton, ranked number one earlier in the year, was too much for the Irish. After battling hard with the Flyers, the Irish lost in two games 25-17 and 25-20, thus entering the Bronze Bracket.

On Saturday, the club dropped their match against California State University-Sacramento, suffering a 25-22, 25-21 loss to finish their season. This tournament was the last for seniors Mike Giampa, Dan Parziale, Nick Abrams, and Rob Dombrowski.

April 1-3, 2005

The Notre Dame Men's Volleyball team traveled to Ball State this weekend to play in the MIVA Championships. The Irish play in the Midwest Ten Conference which along with the Big Ten and the Greater Midwest Conference, comprise the MIVA. The Irish opened the championships with a convincing win over Iowa. They disposed of the Hawkeyes in two games,25-23, 25-21, behind the blocking of Dan Parziale, Joe O'Connell, and Mike Giampa.

The team then played Central Michigan and utilized the superior passing of John Tibble, Jamie Ward, and Ryan Dax to easily dispose of the Chippewas in two games, 25-16, 25-22. The Irish then faced their toughest opponent of the day in the Ohio State Buckeyes. Despite the powerful hitting of Dan Zibton and Ryan Goes the Buckeyes outlasted the Irish in a tough three game match, 23-25, 25-20, 15-10.

The Irish finished the day with a convincing win over Ohio University, 25-18, 25-21. The Bobcats could not figure out setter Nolan Kane who continued to create one-on-one situations for his hitters by baffling the Bobcats' blockers.

On Sunday the Irish opened with Minnesota for the right to advance to the gold tournament. After a shoulder injury to Middle Blocker Joe O'Connell the Irish had to make some unanticipate changes to their lineup, moving Ryan Goes from Outside Hitter back in to Middle Blocker. The last second changes weren't enough to overcome the veteran setter from Minnesota, as the Irish lost to the Gophers in three games, 19-25, 25-19, 15-12. With a new goal of winning the silver tournament the Irish came out fired up behind replacement outside hitter Drew Williams and quickly disposed of the Iowa Hawkeyes, again in two games, 25-21, 25-21. The Irish met Bowling Green University in the next round of the tournament. Kevin Overmann and Mike Toomey led the Irish to an easy victory with well-placed jump serves, 25-21, 25-13. In the silver tournament finals the Irish faced conference rival Univeristy of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Despite the solid play at outside hitter by Mike Toomey the Irish couldn't take home the championship, losing to UW-Milwaukee in two games, 25-22, 25-21. The Irish finish their season in two weeks at the National Championships in Kansas City, Missouri. Over 150 men's club teams will compete at the tournament, which consists of four divisions - 1A, 1AA, 2, and 3. The Irish reward for an extremely successful season was being placed in compete in the Division 1A tournament. The Irish have been ranked between 25 and 30 all season long and have earned an invitation to the biggest tournament of the year along with 47 other elite club teams.

March 18-20, 2005

The Notre Dame Men's Volleyball team entered their Blue team in a 9 team tournament at John Carroll University this weekend in Cleveland, OH. Led by veteran setter Brad Weldon and anchored by the passing of defensive specialist Ryan Dax, the team went undefeated in pool play. The Irish prevailed 25-20, 25-20 against Juniata University, who could never recover from a 10 point run fueled by the jump serving of Mike Toomey. Six of the ten points were aces. Then the Irish faced off against host John Carroll University, who caught the Irish off guard in the first game 25-22. But Ryan Goes, who usually plays for the Irish Gold team as a middle blocker was continuing his conversion to outside hitter. Weldon kept setting Goes in the second game to tie the match at 1-1. In the decisive third game, Goes was again too much for John Carroll to handle as the Irish took the match 22-25, 25-23, 15-8. The third game in pool play was against Baldwin Wallace University. The Irish again came out flat and dropped the first game, but Middle Blockers James Foresman and Tim Goldsmith stepped up in the second and third games and led the Irish past Baldwin Wallace, 17-25, 30-28, 15-12. Rob Dombrowski also sparked the team by adding an additional weapon at opposite hitter. In tournament play, the Irish again faced John Carroll, falling in the rematch, 25-21, 25-20.

February 18-20, 2005

The Men's Club volleyball team participated in the largest regular season tournament in the Midwest over the weekend, attending the 4th Annual Hoosier-Illini Classic at Indiana University. Forty total teams were there including twelve of the Top 25 teams in the country. The Irish won the first match handily against the Wildcats of Kentucky, 25-21, 25-16, outplaying them on all fronts. In their second match of the day ND faced Virginia Tech and played an exciting up-and-down contest. The Hokies stole the first game from the Irish by rallying to win the final 4 points of the game, ending 25-23. This inspired the Irish to fight back, and they dominated VA Tech in the second game, winning 25-13, but Tech trumped ND in the final game, 15-8, to win the match. A flat Notre Dame squad took the floor in the final match of pool play against #10 Purdue, and they paid the price, losing 25-16, 25-18. The Irish took on Miami of Ohio in the challenge round, having success in a very competitive match to make it to the Gold Bracket in Sunday's tournament round. The victory (25-21, 27-25) was aided by strong play from Ryan Goes, who stepped out of his normal role of middle blocker to play outside hitter. The Irish played one of their best matches all season against host Indiana (#16) in the first match of the tournament round. In an 8AM match against the hometown heroes, Notre Dame came to life in the first game, jumping out to an early lead and never looking back, taking Game 1, 25-14. With freshman setter Nolan Kane running the offense, the Irish got several open looks, and hitters Mike Giampa, Joe O'Connell, Dan Parziale, Dan Zibton, and again Goes were putting the balls away hard. Revitalized by their fan support, the Hoosiers regrouped for a great Game 2, and the Irish did what they could with solid blocking and great defense from Kevin Overmann and John Tibble, but fell 25-21. Tibble was making incredibly plays all weekend as libero, and was even complimented during the match by the captain of Indiana after making two diving saves in one volley. Game 3 was very intense, with the score tight throughout, but Indiana eventually pulled out the win 18-16 in a heartbreaking loss for the Irish.  

The Men's Volleyball team traveled to Northern Illinois University this weekend to wrap up the second half of their conference regular season and to compete in the conference championship. The Irish fell to 0-8 in conference play last year and were determined to return to the upper echelons of conference play. They accomplished that and more with a 6-3 conference record and a strong tournament showing. The Irish opened with a sweep of Northern Illinois, 25-20, 25-22 behind the strong play of Opposite Hitter Mike Giampa. Their next match was against University of Illinois at Chicago, who extended the Irish to three games. But the Irish prevailed in the third game to post a 25-23, 23-25, 15-7 victory. The Irish then finished their conference season with a big win against University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 25-18, 25-20. A very strong rookie class, including defensive specialist John Tibble, setter Nolan Kane, and outside hitters Dan Zibton and Drew Williams complimented veterans like Giampa and middle hitters Dan Parziale, Joe O'Connell and Ryan Goes to lead the team's turnaround. The Irish earned a fourth place seed and first round bye in the conference tournament by upsetting three ranked teams within their conference. The tournament, however, ended early in a tough three game match with fifth seed Ball State. Despite beating # 22 Ball State in two games during the regular season the Irish could not pull off the quarterfinal victory, dropping a tough three game match 17-25, 25-20, 11-15. The Irish continue tournament play next weekend at Indiana Univeristy, in the 32-team Hoosier-Illini classic, the biggest tournament of the year before the national championships in March  

January 28-30, 2005

Notre Dame's men's club volleyball team competed in their first national qualifying tournament of the year at Marquette University this past Saturday. The Irish finished a solid 3-3 after playing a round robin in a pool boasting several of the Top 25 teams in the nation. The long day began early in the morning with a match against host Marquette (6-0) who used a clear height advantage to sweep the Irish in two games, 25-15 and 25-15. Notre Dame rebounded to beat Illinois State (0-6), 25-18, 25-23, but fell again in the following match to UW-Oshkosh (5-1), 25-13, 25-22. Again the Irish fought back to play an exciting match against Lakeland (5-1), but ended up losing in three games. After winning the first game, 25-13, the Irish pulled the starters and dropped the last two games, 25-16, 16-14. in Game 2.

Still playing hard, the Irish upset previously undefeated Ball State (5-1), 25-22, 25-17, handing the Cardinals their only loss of the day. Ten hours after their first match began, the Irish finished off a tired Iowa State (0-6) team looking for their first win. Game 1 was a dogfight, with the Irish prevailing 29-27. Game 2 was a blowout as the Irish dismantled the Cyclones 25-8.

Two freshmen, setter Nolan Kane and defensive specialist Jamie Ward were inserted into the starting lineup during the tournament, and both made the most of the opportunity with great performances. Mike Toomey's consistent jump serve often ignited Irish rallies by rattling the opposing teams' passing. The entire squad earned playing time, as the Irish gain confidence heading into the heart of their season.

January 14-16, 2005

Notre Dame's men's club volleyball team traveled to St. Joseph's High School in Michigan to melee with their rivals from Michigan State. Playing in front of a packed high school gymnasium, the Irish had a solid effort, but failed to defeat the taller MSU squad. Notre Dame won the previous meeting at their home tournament last semester, and the Spartans were out for revenge. The first game was even until State went on a 6-0 run to pull away from the Irish, eventually defeating them 25-21. But ND still had plenty of fight left in them, and they won the second match 27-25 after rallying to push the game over 25. Strong jump serving from Kevin Overmann, Drew Williams, and Mike Toomey aided the Irish throughout the match, but it wasn't enough to keep them on top as Michigan State stole a close third game, 25-22, and finished of Game 4, 25-16. The series for the year is tied 1-1, which will make for an exciting rubber match when these two teams collide again this season.

November 19-21, 2004

Notre Dame’s men’s volleyball club captured its own invitational this weekend, as the Irish stormed back to defeat Michigan State in the feature match of the day. The Irish A team, the Gold Squad, opened with successive sweeps of Northwestern, 25-23, 25-13; Grand Valley State, 27-25, 25-21; Cincinnati, 25-23, 25-21, and Miami OH, 25-17, 25-16 to set up the showdown with the Spartans.

Captain Mike Giampa, setter Brad Weldon, and outside hitter Dan Zibton, one of the best of a promising group of freshmen, led the Irish throughout the tournament. But in a seesaw struggle with the strong MSU squad, it was the dazzling play of John Tibble and Nolan Kane on the critical point of the match that swung momentum and victory to the Irish. After dropping the opening game 25-19, the Irish won 25-22 to force the deciding game to 15. With both teams giving everything on each point, the moment of truth came at 9-8, when MSU struck what all expected would be a winning kill. However, Tibble raced to track down the ball and on the second hit, from thirty feet off the court, kept the ball in play. Kane then ran down that save to place an unplayable ball on the other side of the court. The Irish then rode the momentum to a 15-11 victory and a tournament championship.

The Irish B team, the Blue Squad, placed third in the field, with victgoryries over Miami OH, 20-25, 25-23, 15-11; Indiana, 25-23, 25-22, Northwestern, 25-20, 18-25, 15-11, before falling to Michigan State, 25-18, 25-16. Kevin Overmann at setter and Rob Dombrowski at 3rd receiver led the squad to its strong showing in the nine team field.

April 9 - 11, 2004

Notre Dame's men's volleyball club posted a 2-4 record at the national championships in Charlotte, NC this past weekend.  The record isn't indicative of the high level of play, as the Irish dropped their two opening matches in overtime to the 4th and 8th ranked teams in the country.  In the first round, the Irish fell to number 4 Illinois, 18-25, 25-21, 16-14; and in the second round, the Irish dropped a tight 25-19, 30-32, 17-15 contest to number 8 UNLV.  Notre Dame lost to Central Florida, 25-21, 25-17 before rebounding with a pair of solid wins.  The Irish squeezed by USC, 29-31, 28-26, 16-14, and then defeated San Jose State, 25-21, 32-30, before dropping the final match to Utah, 25-19, 25-15.  Based on the strong showing at Nationals and the club's returning players, next season is most promising for the Irish.

March 26-28, 2004

The up and down men's volleyball club played up this weekend as it won four of seven matches against stiff competition this weekend.  After dropping a close contest to Wisconsin, 21-25, 25-19, 15-11, the Irish racked up four consecutive wins.  The club bested Illinois State, 25-19, 23-25, 15-11; Northwestern, 25-12, 25-15; Bowling Green, 25-22, 24-26, 16-14; and Michigan State, 27-25, 25-20, avenging a defeat to the Spartans just two weeks ago.  The Irish lost in what was perhaps their best performance of the weekend, to top seed Indiana, 25-22, 25-23.  The Irish closed the tournament by dropping a decision to UW_Oshkosh, 25-21, 25-20.  The strong showing this weekend should propel the club to a good showing at the nationals in two weeks.

February 27-29, 2004

It was quite a weekend for Irish club teams as a resilient men's volleyball squad bounced back to claim the consolation title at the Hoosier - Illini Classic.  32 schools participated in the largest regular season tournament of the year.  After a dismal 1-4 start on Saturday, the Irish stormed back to win five consecutive matches on Sunday and claim the Silver Bracket championship.

On Saturday's pool play, the Irish opened with losses to Indiana, 25-16, 25-20, and Virginia Tech, 25-22, 25-19.  A 25-13, 25-17 victory over South Carolina was the only opening day highlight, as the Irish followed with two close losses to Vanderbilt, 25-22, and Illinois State, 20-25, 25-17, 15-9. 

But the sun rose on Sunday and so did the Irish as they wasted no time in polishing off Morehead State, 25-8, 25-10.  The Irish then edged Missouri in a back and forth match, 25-22, 17-25, 16-14, and cruised to a 25-18, 25-21 win over Delaware.  This set the stage for a semifinal showdown with top seeded Eckerd.  Behind the impenetrable blocking of Ryan Goes and Mike Giampa, the Irish fought their way to a 25-23, 25-21 upset and a berth in the finals where they would meet Wisconsin - Milwaukee.  The Irish had dropped two previous matches earlier this season to this league rival, but were not  to be denied this time.  The dynamic duo of setter Dan Zenker and outside hitter Brian Michalek set the tempo in a 14-25, 25-21, 15-13 comeback to claim the bracket championship.  The Irish will next compete in the MIVA Open Championships March 27-28.

February 13-16, 2004

Notre Dame's men's volleyball club finished conference play this weekend in Sheboygan, WI.  The Irish dropped all three of their contests to Northern Illinois, 25-19, 25-10; UW-Oskosh, 25-16, 25-18; and UW-Milwaukee, 25-21, 23-25, 15-5.  Dan Zenker, playing in his first competition of the season, and Mike Toomey were top performers for the Irish.

Notre Dame will next take to the courts against Michigan State at Lake Michigan High School this Saturday at 8:00 pm.

January 30 - February 1, 2004

The Notre Dame Men's Club Volleyball team defeated rival Michigan State Friday evening in East Lansing, at the Michigan State Invitational.  Backed by strong serving from Nico Lopez and Mike Toomey, the Irish dominated the Spartans in every aspect of the game. Notre Dame jumped out to a quick two games to none lead in the best of 5 match with scores of 25-17 and 25-18. After dropping the third game, 25-21, the Irish finished the match with a convincing 25-15 win.  Top performances came from setter Brad Weldon, the third starting Irish setter in three tournaments, and freshman middle Joe O'Connell who played in his first regular season matches.

On Saturday the Irish opened with a disappointing loss to Michigan 25-19, 25-15, 25-23.  This lull extended into the next match again Miami-Ohio.  The Irish won the first game 25-22 before dropping two games, 25-17, 25-20.  However the Irish never blinked and rallied from an 11 point deficit to win the fourth game, 26-24.  In a see-saw deciding fifth game, the Irish fell just short, 15-13.

The Irish will next take the courts in two weeks at the Ball State Invitational.

January 16-18, 2004

The Notre Dame Men's Club Volleyball team opened regular season play at Marquette this past weekend, dropping all six matches.  Despite throwing together an alternate lineup due to the absence of starting setter Dan Zenker (mono), the Irish played their hearts out against tough opposition.  The opening losses were by scores of 25-19, 25-13 to Ball State, 25-21, 25-17 to Lakeland, and 25-22, 22-25, 15-5 to the host Warriors.  Freshman Kevin Overmann made his debut at setter filling in for Zenker. Throughout the day, Notre Dame was able to spark big runs behind ace serving from Nico Lopez and Mike Toomey.  The Irish we also able to out block their opponents with the help of outside hitters Mike Giampa and Brian Michalek.

The Irish concluded the tournament with losses to UW-Milwaukee, 26-24, 25-21; Iowa State, 23-25, 25-15, 15-13; and Illinois State, 25-22, 25-18.  Despite the results, middle blocker Dan Parziale commented "this is the best team talent wise, that I have ever played on." The Irish proved this by fighting off early deficits and showing the ability to dominate any team at the tournament. As the day went on, it was apparent that Notre Dame was gaining more confidence and improving as a team. As the season progresses forward, the Irish will become an increasingly more difficult team to beat.

Notre Dame continues its season play on January 30-31 at Michigan State.

November 21-23, 2003

Notre Dame's men's volleyball club hosted the Golden Dome Invitational this weekend at the Rolfs Sports Recreation Center. The Irish were runner-up to Club Nowak by the narrowest of margins.

The Notre Dame Men's Club Volleyball team opened the year with a second place finish at the Notre Dame Golden Dome Invitational last Saturday. The Irish kicked off the tournament by splitting games with Club Nowak 25-22, 27-29. Building on this strong performance in their first match of the year, Notre Dame 1 dropped only lone game throughout the rest of pool play. The Irish then swept Indiana 25-22, 25-20, before splitting two games with the Alumni team, 25-20, 18-25. The ND1 squad then defeated ND2 25-17, 25-19 and Northwestern 25-15, 25-19.

Notre Dame 2 also had a very strong tournament posting two convincing victories over Indiana University. Nick Abrams and Kevin Hardt provided pinpoint passing in the Irish victories while Rob Dombrowski and Ryan Flynn controlled play at the net.

Notre Dame 1, posting an 8-2 record, claimed the top seed heading into the playoffs. Carrying their momentum from four straight victories in pool play, the Irish dominated Northwestern in all aspects of the game. Mike Toomey and BCB provided key digs to setter Dan Zenker who strategically mixed up outside, middle and back sets to keep opponents on their toes. Jim Lowder and Brian Michalek controlled the outside while Dan Parziale and Vlad Calovic dominated the middle. Ryan Goes and Mike Giampa recorded key blocks down the stretch to help the Irish to victory. Notre Dame began the championship match against Club Nowak a little flat, finding themselves down 19-12. Although they did end up losing the first game, the Irish scored 6 of the last 8 points in the game. Caring this momentum into the second game, Notre Dame coasted to a 25-20 win. In the third, and final game Notre Dame fought valiantly, but came up short in a 26-28 loss.

November 15-16, 2003

The men's volleyball club will open its season this Saturday at the Rolfs Sports Recreational Center as it hosts the Notre Dame Golden Dome Annual Invitational. Top players for the Irish include Brian Michalek and Dan Parziale. The squad will square off with defending champion Club Nowak at 9:00 AM, play Indiana at 11:00 AM, the Notre Dame Alumni at 12:00 PM, and Northwestern at 4:00 PM. The semifinals will be played at 6:00 PM, with the Finals held at 7:00 PM.