Volleyball Updates
by MPG (2023-06-29 14:31:06)
Edited on 2023-06-29 14:31:39
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ND has its first commitment for the 2025 class. Sophia Thornburg is a 6-3 outside hitter from Ursuline Academy in Dallas. She was first-team private school all-state in Texas as a sophomore. She seems to be of a similar quality to the first three commits in the promising 2024 class. Expect a few more commitments for 2025 in August when official visits for the 2025 class begin.

That 2024 class added a spring commit, Mia Radeff, a 6-1 outside hitter from the San Francisco Bay Area.

Speaking of spring commits, ND added a 6-2 outside hitter from Los Angeles, Ava-Marie Lange. She had been a Harvard commit. I don't know whether or not she will be a walk-on... This brings the 2023 class to five freshmen and there has not yet been a press release to announce them and what they can add to the roster.

The Irish also added a reserve setter from Georgia Tech as a grad transfer. Nicole Drewnick started her college career at Nebraska. She will join junior Sydney Palazzolo as the two incoming transfers. Sydney is an outside hitter from High Point who was first team all-league there and should provide immediate help. She arrived in January and is the only newcomer who has been added to the roster so far.

The Irish lost one player to the transfer portal. Freshman Harmony Sample was injured early in the season and did not play after that. She transferred to Houston in her home state of Texas.

The 2023 schedule has been posted and is linked below.

There is some talk that a volleyball practice facility will be built to assist Coach Rockwell in building the program. The team currently practices in the North Dome of the Joyce Center.







Interesting about VB practice facility
by NDoggie78  (2023-07-06 12:46:06)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Wonder where it will be?
Will they dedicate space in the JACC?
Will they convert some other facility like Rolfs for basketball (visited there during Reunion - nice facility for Men and Women)
Will they add on to JACC or Rolfs?
Will they build a free-standing structure? (seems unlikely as there isn't much room around the current sports complexes)
My guess is that the location of the new practice facility
by MPG  (2023-07-06 14:43:26)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

will be tied to the construction plan for the expanded Gug that should be coming soon for football. For example, if Gug II is constructed on the site of the current outdoor tennis courts, that could set-off a chain reaction of facilities construction under the leadership of the new AD.



Thx for update. Hope we have a good VB season this fall. *
by Domerduck  (2023-06-30 15:08:54)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Thank you
by CJJ  (2023-06-30 13:17:09)     cannot delete  |  Edit  |  Return to Board  |  Ignore Poster   |   Highlight Poster  |   Reply to Post

Thank you for the volleyball updates as information can be difficult to come by. I was curious to find out if Harmony Sample was going to be back since she wasn't listed on the 2023 roster. Checking ND volleyball social media, Harmony was in attendance at the spring banquet and she was also shown on the Father's Day tribute video. Those two things were encouraging that she might be back, but I guess now we know. Unfortunate that she got injured last year.