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Thursday, April 9, 2026
The Observer

Sports


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Belles lose five-set heartbreaker to Kalamazoo

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The Saint Mary’s Belles hosted their second home game of the season this week, facing the Kalamazoo Hornets in a tough match on Tuesday evening. Prior to the start of the game, the ladies on both teams put green ribbons in their hair and laces in support of Mental Health Awareness on college campuses. 


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Zwiller: ZeLO predicts the blue bloods in Week 4

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With the third week of college football, ZeLO now boasts a record of 190-58 (76.6%). However, this weekend, the model went 54-18 (75%), so it was a slight dip from the prior weekends. I upped the in-season adjustments this week, so now the model is even more responsive to the USCs and Texas' of the world. Hopefully, that will help to improve the model's performance this weekend.  Now, onto the picks!


The Observer

Guffey: Why tennis is the best fan experience in sports

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On Sunday, Sept. 11, Carlos Alcaraz won the U.S. Open in New York and subsequently became the youngest men’s tennis player to reach No. 1 in the world. That name was especially familiar to me. At only 19 years old, Alcaraz has become quite popular among young tennis players. I texted my brother, “didn’t we see him practice?” The answer was yes, we did.


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Crow: Week 3 CFB takeaways

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App State has officially made a habit of playing in the most thrilling game of the week. They began their season by scoring 40 points in the fourth quarter against North Carolina, yet somehow still lost after failing to convert a pair of two-point conversion tries in the game’s final minutes. Last week, they traveled to College Station and returned with the season’s biggest upset to date — a 17-14 win over No. 6 Texas A&M during which they shockingly held the Aggies to under 200 yards of total offense.


The Observer

Belles unable to obtain first win of season

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The Saint Mary’s soccer team played two home matches over the weekend. Although they opened the weekend with a 3-0 loss to Franklin, the Belles were able to salvage the weekend with a 2-2 tie to Lake Forest. The Belles, 0-4-3, are approaching the mid-way point of the season looking for their first win of the year.




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'I owe this school everything': Irish football legend Manti Te'o returns to Notre Dame, addresses team before Cal

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For the first time since his Netflix documentary, “Untold: The Girlfriend Who Didn't Exist,” Irish football legend and Heisman Trophy finalist Manti Te’o was back on Notre Dame’s campus. This was Te’o’s fourth visit back to South Bend, and it was a warm homecoming for the former linebacker; when he was announced in Notre Dame Stadium, the applause he received brought Te’o to tears. While its layout has changed significantly since his time in Irish uniform, he said that Notre Dame itself remains a home for him each time he returns.



The Observer

Baffour finds back of net with seconds remaining to secure Irish 2-1 victory

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After nearly missing out on a tie opportunity in the final minute of a 1-0 loss against Syracuse last weekend, the Notre Dame men’s soccer team bounced back against the University of Virginia in a 2-1 victory Friday night. This win was mostly by virtue of a final second goal off the foot of first-year midfielder KK Baffour.


The Observer

Irish cross country dominates, Belles battle at National Catholic Invite

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Notre Dame cross country swept Friday’s National Catholic Invite, with both the women’s and men’s teams winning handily in their home opener. A field of 15 Catholic institutions from around the country (14 in the men’s race) was no match for the nationally ranked Irish squads, both of whom won by over 50 points.


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Estime talks brotherhood and ‘keeping the chains moving’ following first win of the season

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Notre Dame finally notched a win Saturday against the California Golden Bears — in no small part due to the running back corps. After struggling to get the run game going in the first two games of the season, the Irish notched 147 rushing yards split between three players. One of them was sophomore running back Audric Estime, who led the rushing category with 76 yards (51.7%).




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Rep by rep: It’s Pyne Time

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The first time Irish fans saw Drew Pyne take the field for the blue and gold, it was at the tail end of a 52-0 blowout win over South Florida. Not exactly the most memorable moment. However, the second time Pyne saw the field with the Irish tells you everything you need to know about Notre Dame’s new starting quarterback.



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Golden, Rees coordinate plan for major changes 

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After a devastating defeat against unranked Marshall, the Irish are looking to regroup and revitalize this weekend at home against Cal. The loss of sophomore starting quarterback Tyler Buchner due to injury threw an even bigger wrench for the Irish. Both the defense and offense came out flat in last week’s game. And there is a dire need for improvement on both sides of the ball. 


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The Observer predicts Cal vs. Notre Dame

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I am not sure where to begin in predicting Saturday's outcome; I have few words left after having to eat so many of them last week. The Irish would have to win out in order for my 10-2 season prediction to be correct, and with USC and Clemson still left to take on, I have my doubts.