The Notre Dame volleyball team will enter its fourth year under head coach Salima Rockwell, looking to improve upon a 5-15 record in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2024. That mark was bogged down by their inability to close out road games — the Irish went 2-9 away from Purcell Pavilion — and had an 11-game losing streak throughout October and November. For all their struggles, the Irish did start 8-1 and treaded water in ACC play with a 6-6 record at home.
In 2025, the Irish were picked to finish 12th in the Preseason ACC Volleyball Coaches Poll released on July 31, earning 126 voter points. They landed just nine points shy of ninth-place Virginia and eight back of 10th-place NC State, who both finished well behind eighth-place Florida State (180 points). Those placements are relevant because in 2024, the first year featuring the expanded 18-team ACC, a whopping nine programs from the conference qualified for the NCAA Tournament, with Virginia barely missing out as the would-be 10th. Coaches predict Notre Dame to be neck-and-neck with the North Carolina State Wolfpack, a school that played an NCAA Tournament game one year ago, for a spot in the top 10 in 2025.
The 12th-place ranking is also relevant because it would mark a three-place jump from 2024, as Notre Dame concluded the year in 15th. No other program moved as many as three spots from their final placement last fall, meaning the ACC coaches as a group believe that Notre Dame could be the most improved team in the conference.
The coaches also released their All-ACC Preseason Team over the summer, which only saw eight of the 18 programs represented (44%). Notre Dame was one of them thanks to rising star Morgan Gaerte. The sophomore outside hitter stands at 6-foot-5 and spent most of the 2024 season climbing the depth chart, eventually overtaking then-senior Sydney Palazzolo as the top offensive weapon for Notre Dame. With Palazzolo's graduation, Gaerte is primed to take on a significant workload.
Behind her, the hitting rotation is wide open. Senior Lucy Trump re-established herself as a serviceable rotational piece last year after struggling in 2023. Junior Ava Lange did not play a set in 2024 due to injury, but is healthy once again heading into 2025. Junior Sydney Helmers transferred from Texas after playing zero sets for the 2023 National Champions across two seasons. Three of the five incoming freshmen are also outside hitters — Chichi Nnaji, Sophia Thornburg and Mae Kordas. Competition for attack chances will be fierce.
The other two players in the class of 2029 could very well step into starting roles instantly. Maya Baker comes in at setter, replacing both Ella Sandt and Phyona Schrader. Her competition will come from junior Lily Fenton and senior Harmony Sample, who could also see increased roles in 2025. Freshman Maya Evens looks to be the primary libero right out of the gate, although junior Alyssa Manitzas will certainly mix in as well. Incumbent seniors Cailey Dockery and Maisie Alexander should continue to see most of their opportunities as service specialists at that position.
Sophomores Anna Bjork and Grace Langer return to form a reliable middle blocker duo. Bjork paced the Irish with a .294 hitting percentage in her freshman campaign, while Langer recorded 85 blocks to just eight blocking errors.
Notre Dame opened their season with an exhibition match against preseason No. 8 Wisconsin on Aug. 17. Despite losing in four sets, the Irish managed at least 20 points in each of them. Their first match that will affect their record is on Friday, Aug. 29, as they welcome Santa Clara to Purcell Pavilion for the Catholic Challenge. They host Villanova two days later to conclude the weekend-long event. The Irish will be looking to defeat both schools for the second consecutive season. ACC play opens up when Syracuse and Boston College visit South Bend on Sept. 26 and 28, respectively. Early-season wins will be important for Rockwell and her group, as the middle portion of their conference schedule is extremely tough once again. The Irish will have to win some games as underdogs and keep their heads above water on the road if they want to exceed their 12th-place prediction and improve on last season's performance.
Other programs in the ACC anticipate Notre Dame will be much improved from just one year ago, but their mix of consistent home-court success, youth and healthy depth chart competition could push them even higher. The best-case scenario is entering “fringe playoff team” territory. The worst-case scenario is another disastrous midseason flop, causing fans to worry the much-anticipated “next step” may not be as imminent as it seems.
