Sports

R.J. Mitte Comes to Notre Dame

Tonight at 7:30 p.m. in Washington Hall, SUB presents R.J. Mitte of the hit AMC show "Breaking Bad" to talk about his life growing up with cerebral palsy.  Specifically, he will confront the subject of bullying and how, through his own struggles and hardships, his condition has offered him a valuable and unique perspective on life and the value of humanity. 

DeFranks: Marlins end season with flair (Oct. 1)

Green: Baseball's final day captivates (Sept. 30)

I was originally going to write about Bud Selig and his retirement announcement here.

ND Volleyball: Irish drop pair of weekend matches

The Irish struggled in their first-ever weekend of ACC play, as their trip to North Carolina netted two defeats: a 3-0 loss to No. 14 North Carolina on Friday and a 3-1 loss to North Carolina State on Sunday.

Lorton: Men's Soccer defense drives success so far this season (Sept. 30)

Notre Dame looks to be a serious contender.

Men's Tennis: Irish compete in All-American preliminaries

When Irish coach Ryan Sachire entered senior Ryan Bandy and sophomore Eric Schnurrenberger in the prequalifying draw at the ITA All-American Championships, he just wanted to give them a chance to face elite competition.

Late goals bring down the Blue Devils

The No. 4 Irish put on a show in front of a full house at Alumni Stadium on Friday night, scoring two goals in the final two minutes to break a 1-1 stalemate and give Notre Dame a well-earned victory over Duke.

Hefferon: Defeat spotlights Kelly tenure and unreached ceiling (Sept. 30)

Week 5: Oklahoma

It was the exact opposite of the fast start No. 22 Notre Dame envisioned.

Scene Sports Movie Selection

With the Ron Howard-directed, Thor starring "Rush," a film about car racing and whatnot, hitting the theaters this past weekend and drawing both big box office numbers and early Oscar season buzz, the Scene staff takes a look at some of their own favorite sports movies.

Loss ends multiple streaks

Hendrix spells Rees, sees time at QB in loss

Few starting quarterbacks are asked to leave the field, but Irish senior quarterback Tommy Rees trotted off the field for a replacement six times during No. 22 Notre Dame's 35-21 loss to No. 14 Oklahoma on Saturday. 

First Half Wrap: Oklahoma 21, Notre Dame 7

In a scene eerily reminiscent of parts of the 2011 season, No. 22 Notre Dame struggled to hold onto the ball in the first half, as the Irish turned the ball over three times to help No. 14 Oklahoma jump out to a 21-7 lead at halftime at Notre Dame Stadium.

Oklahoma downs Notre Dame, 35-21

A trio of early turnovers got No. 22 Notre Dame off to a nightmarish start, and the Irish were never quite able to recover, as they fell to No. 14 Oklahoma, 35-21, on Saturday at Notre Dame Stadium.

Women's Interhall Football: Hot Phox offense looking to scorch Babes

Pangborn-Breen Phillips Preview By CASEY KARNES Sports Writer

Men's Tennis: Irish to start ITA All-American Championships

Beginning this weekend and continuing through the end of next week, four Notre Dame players will compete in the ITA All-American Championships. On Saturday and Sunday, the athletes will compete in a series of prequalifying matches. On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday the ITA All-American Championships will continue with the qualifying events. Starting next Thursday, the top performers and top-ranked players will compete in the main event, which will conclude Oct. 6. "It's a pretty unique tournament," Irish coach Ryan Sachire said. "I make the analogy that it's like the US Open for golf, where virtually anybody can play and anybody can win it." On Saturday, sophomore Eric Schnurrenburger and senior Ryan Bandy will compete in the prequalifying round. If they win all four weekend events, they will advance to the qualifying round, where sophomore Quentin Monaghan, who placed into the qualifying round due to his top-100 national ranking, would join them. The winners of the three qualifying rounds will join senior Greg Andrews on Thursday in the main event with a shot at winning it all. Andrews was able to place into the main event due to his No. 31 national ranking. "This isn't really a team event; it's purely individual-based," Sachire said. "Each guy goes in and plays his own tournament. Realistically, the better our individual players do, the better our team is going to be, as it gives our players confidence and makes them better." Sachire said there are specific things the coaching staff is looking for out of these four players. "In this case, we're looking for consistency of performance," he said. "All of them have shown, throughout their careers, the ability to win big matches and beat some of the best players in the country. Our season is a marathon; it's not a sprint. Honestly, more than anything, we want them to continue their development and continue to improve on their consistency." Though their season officially kicked off Sept. 13, Notre Dame continues to make changes to its staff. On Wednesday, the team announced the addition of volunteer assistant coach Cris James to the coaching staff. The former Illinois State head coach earned recognition as the Missouri Valley Coach of the Year in 2010 after leading the Redbirds to the regular-season conference championship. "The thought and logic behind the move is pretty simple," Sachire said. "[James] is one of the best coaches in the country. He is a coach that I've always had a great relationship with personally, and I think the world of him professionally. His role for us will be just like mine and that of [assistant coach Adam Schaechterle]: he's a coach." For Sachire, the move not only brings in a talented coach but also one who can complement those already on staff and help the team achieve its goals. "My mindset in assembling our staff is to bring in the best coaches possible," Sachire said. "There isn't a whole lot of ego in our room as far as title or anything like that. We all respect each other and have the same goal in mind, which is to elevate our program and one day win a national championship. "Certainly, we believe in each other, we feel like we can help each other and we believe each of us adds elements to the program that help us get there." The prequalifying round of the ITA All-American Championships will begin Saturday and continue through Oct. 6 in Tulsa, Okla. Contact Aaron Sant-Miller at asantmil@nd.edu  

ND Volleyball: Notre Dame opens ACC slate

After four preseason tournaments spanning a month, the Irish begin their inaugural season in the ACC as they travel to North Carolina and North Carolina State for games Friday and Sunday. With Notre Dame at 6-5 heading into conference play, Irish coach Debbie Brown said her team is ready for new challenges. "We're very much excited," Brown said. "We're jumping in with two feet, playing North Carolina, the top team in the conference, right away. We're looking forward to new environments and playing new teams." The Tar Heels will be one of the most formidable opponents the Irish face all year, having dropped just four sets on their way to a 9-0 record. Led by Serbian graduate student outside hitter JovanaBjelica's 118 kills, North Carolina has hit an outstanding .254 on the year. "The biggest thing for UNC is that they're not making unforced errors, and they're forcing their opponents into making them," Brown said. "They have good defense, a balanced offense and great chemistry. They're not just relying on one person to kill you." The Irish faced the Tar Heels in their first match of the season at the Blue Raider Bash in Murfreesboro, Tenn., falling 3-0. The Irish managed just 15 points in each set on their way to being swept, but Brown said her team is playing much better than they were at the beginning of the year. "Even in our two losses last weekend [to Georgia and Kansas], we've been playing way better and reducing unforced errors," Brown said. "The way we played against UNC the first time and how we'll play them now are different." The Irish have struggled with unforced errors early in the year, leading to a .209 hitting percentage. On Sunday, Notre Dame will travel down Tobacco Road for a matchup with North Carolina State. The Wolfpack (9-4) played in-state rival North Carolina on Wednesday, falling 3-0. "NC State will be a very good team," Brown said. "They were in the NCAA tournament last year and have lots of returners back. Even though they lost to UNC, they were up in every set. It will be a tough test." The Irish begin their inaugural ACC season today at 7 p.m. at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, N.C., before they head to Raleigh to play NC State on Sunday. Contact Conor Kelly at ckelly17@nd.edu

Kelly: Irish face tougher ACC competition to close season (Sept. 27)

By the look of it, Notre Dame has hit the ground running in its inaugural season in the ACC. With wins over Syracuse, North Carolina State and then-No. 1 North Carolina to open the conference season, the Irish (7-1-0, 3-0-0 ACC) have solidified their spot as one of top teams in arguably the best conference in the country. One non-conference loss to No. 11 UCLA notwithstanding, the Irish have played outstanding soccer. The team has surrendered just one goal (to North Carolina State in a 3-1 victory) in its four wins since the UCLA game and has gotten timely offensive production, highlighted by freshman midfielder Morgan Andrews' game-winning header against North Carolina in a 1-0 win Sept. 15 and junior defender Sammy Scofield's buzzer-beating tally to defeat Syracuse four days later. If the Irish are content with their successful initial foray into ACC play, they shouldn't be. Usually, knocking off the top team in the country might afford a team like Notre Dame a little bit of breathing room. Not in the ACC. Despite their undefeated conference record and their victory over North Carolina, the Irish are just eighth in the nation in RPI rankings. The top four teams? Conference foes Florida State, Wake Forest, Virginia and North Carolina. Eighth in the country, but just the fifth best team in their conference? This is the reality Notre Dame is facing. Virginia Tech at No. 10, Maryland at No. 14 and Boston College at No. 26 round out the ridiculous slate the Irish will have to face. When Irish coach Randy Waldrum said he wanted to be part of the best conference in the country, he got his wish. Starting with a 5-0 win over Maryland, the Irish play all of these teams in the next month, concluding with a Halloween matchup against No. 1 Florida State in Tallahassee. The Irish will certainly be up to the challenge. They have proven they can compete with the top teams in the country. The team has strong leadership, a stifling defense and a dynamic midfield, highlighted recently by ACC Player of the Week Andrews, who has shown why she was the top recruit in the country a year ago. A year after an incredibly young Irish team finished 8-1-1 in the Big East, the squad will face a much greater challenge going forward. To play and win against the country's best teams is the hallmark of an exceptional team. To do it week in and week out will be Notre Dame's task for the next month. Waldrum wanted to play against the best competition out there. He's certainly going to get his wish.  

Notre Dame opens ACC slate

After four preseason tournaments spanning a month, the Irish begin their inaugural season in the ACC as they travel to North Carolina and North Carolina State for games Friday and Sunday. With Notre Dame at 6-5 heading into conference play, Irish coach Debbie Brown said her team is ready for new challenges. "We're very much excited," Brown said. "We're jumping in with two feet, playing North Carolina, the top team in the conference, right away. We're looking forward to new environments and playing new teams." The Tar Heels will be one of the most formidable opponents the Irish face all year, having dropped just four sets on their way to a 9-0 record. Led by Serbian graduate student outside hitter JovanaBjelica's 118 kills, North Carolina has hit an outstanding .254 on the year. "The biggest thing for UNC is that they're not making unforced errors, and they're forcing their opponents into making them," Brown said. "They have good defense, a balanced offense and great chemistry. They're not just relying on one person to kill you." The Irish faced the Tar Heels in their first match of the season at the Blue Raider Bash in Murfreesboro, Tenn., falling 3-0. The Irish managed just 15 points in each set on their way to being swept, but Brown said her team is playing much better than they were at the beginning of the year. "Even in our two losses last weekend [to Georgia and Kansas], we've been playing way better and reducing unforced errors," Brown said. "The way we played against UNC the first time and how we'll play them now are different." The Irish have struggled with unforced errors early in the year, leading to a .209 hitting percentage. On Sunday, Notre Dame will travel down Tobacco Road for a matchup with North Carolina State. The Wolfpack (9-4) played in-state rival North Carolina on Wednesday, falling 3-0. "NC State will be a very good team," Brown said. "They were in the NCAA tournament last year and have lots of returners back. Even though they lost to UNC, they were up in every set. It will be a tough test." The Irish begin their inaugural ACC season today at 7 p.m. at Carmichael Arena in Chapel Hill, N.C., before they head to Raleigh to play NC State on Sunday. Contact Conor Kelly at ckelly17@nd.edu

SMC Soccer: Belles face Olivet

Saint Mary's will face Olivet on Saturday after coming off three straight overtime draws. After tying the preseason MIAA favorites Calvin and Hope, 0-0 and 1-1, respectively, the Belles (2-4-3, 0-2-3 MIAA) had to come back twice to scrape out a 2-2 draw against Albion. Now, Belles coach Mike Joyce said the Belles must turn their attention to the Comets (5-3-0, 2-3-0), who are coming off a 4-3 overtime conference win against Trine on Tuesday. "Olivet is always a physical team," Joyce said. "We'll have to make sure we're up to that challenge, especially their intensity." In order to come away with their first conference win of the season, Joyce said the Belles will have to be more consistent offensively. Junior forward Kelly Wilson, sophomore midfielder Maggie McLaughlin and freshman forward Rosie Biehl are tied for the team-lead with two goals, but no Belles are currently in the top 10 in the MIAA in goals, assists or points. "We haven't scored a ton of goals lately," Joyce said. "We've had a lot of contributors, but haven't had that one or two players who have found that scoring zone to rely on. ... Sometimes these [droughts] snowball, so we're hoping someone gets on a run." Joyce said the Belles will need another strong performance from junior goalkeeper ChanlerRosenbaum, who was named MIAA defensive player of the week last week after a 12-save shutout against Calvin. She followed that up with a two-save performance against Hope and then came off the bench in the second half to hold Albion scoreless for the final 65 minutes. However, Joyce said because the Belles are coming off three straight draws, their main focus is on staying determined on offense. "Chanler's on top of her game," Joyce said. "But we need to push through and find a way to score. ... We have a talented team across the board, and plenty of people can score." As much as the Belles hope the matchup with Olivet doesn't result in a nail-biter, Joyce said the team would be ready if the Belles found themselves in another overtime matchup. "We'd love to win it in regulation, hopefully avoid another overtime game," Joyce said. "But if [overtime] comes again, we'll be in a comfortable setting and at home. I don't think we'll see another tie this week." The Belles and Olivet take the field Saturday at noon at Saint Mary's.