Sports

ND Volleyball: Irish face Eagles

Women's Swimming: Notre Dame looks to claim first win

Men's Basketball: Irish win season opener over Miami (Ohio)

The No. 21 Irish got out to a dominating start and managed to hold on to win their season opener over Miami (Ohio), 74-62, on Friday night in Purcell Pavilion.

Men's Basketball: Notre Dame hosts Miami

After a nearly eight-month hiatus following its NCAA Tournament loss to Iowa State, No. 21 Notre Dame returns to the hardwood tonight when it welcomes Miami (Ohio) to Purcell Pavilion for its season opener.

Women's Interhall: Chaos look to best Phoxes and diverse offense

Sant-Miller: Fans need to keep perspective (Nov. 7)

SMC Volleyball: Belles open MIAA tourney against Calvin

The Belles closed out the season strong with three straight wins and will play at top-seeded Calvin in the first round of the MIAA Tournament on Friday.

Men's Soccer: Soccer bonds Mishus

There is one Irish freshman that doesn't always heed the veteran advice from senior defender Luke Mishu. That's one of the drawbacks of playing alongside your younger brother.

Men's Tennis: Andrews represents Irish at indoor championships

As one of only 32 players in the country to qualify for the tournament, Irish senior Greg Andrews begins play today in the National Indoor Championships at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

ND Volleyball: ND shut out by Syracuse

The Irish fell 3-0 in the Carrier Dome to ACC opponent Syracuse on Wednesday night.

Hockey: Lucias to face off this weekend

When No. 4 Notre Dame faces No. 1 Minnesota on Friday and Saturday in the Compton Family Ice Arena, it will be more than just games against the top team in the country for the team's three Minnesota natives - sophomore center Steven Fogarty, sophomore winger Mario Lucia and freshman defenseman Ben Ostlie.

Running scared'

This was the game that changed it all for Allen Pinkett.

Head-to-Head: Notre Dame vs. Pittsburgh

IRISH PASSING

Men's Swimming: Stephens leads by example

Ask Irish head coach Tim Welsh to name the best race he has ever seen from junior Zach Stephens - one that sticks out more than the others - and he might have a difficult time choosing just one. "There have been lots of them," Welsh said. "I know at one point, we kept moving him around, and he kept doing well, and we thought, maybe we should just ask him what he could swim." For now, Stephens seems to have found his place in the 200-yard breaststroke, an event in which he holds a school record in a blazing 1:55.21, set at last year's Big East Championships. And whose record did he break? His own: He's held the mark since his freshman year. Welsh said he remembers a particularly good race for Stephens in that event against Louisville last season. "One of the most outstanding races [at Rolfs Aquatic Center] was probably when he went under two minutes in the 200[-yard] breaststroke last year," Welsh said. "And he did that just in the middle of a dual meet, and I thought, oh my goodness, this is just outstanding." But, as Welsh said, Stephens is no one-trick pony. In his sophomore year, he claimed first place in the 50-yard freestyle, 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke, 200-yard breaststroke and 100-yard butterfly in meets throughout the season. He also finished outside the top-two positions in individual events in dual meets just three times that year. "He's a really, really, really good competitor," Welsh said. "He's a very intense racer. He's a very good competitor." Welsh said the drive that fuels the Bloomsburg, Pa., native to victory is something he developed over his time at Notre Dame. "As he's gotten better, he's learned to give himself to a race," Welsh said. "Everybody kind of swims with what they have, but with Zach, what makes him such a good competitor is that he's able to just give himself completely to a race. There's an extra gear in there somewhere, and he finds it." With all the success he has had over the past two-plus season and the accolades he has collected, including last year's Monogram Club Most Valuable Player award, voted by his teammates, Stephens has reason to be a little confident. But Welsh said confidence never translates into cockiness on the pool deck. "He's a modest, unassuming guy, so you're not going to hear any bragging or boasting from him; you're not going to see any trash talk from him," Welsh said. "He just takes care of business." That combination of success and modesty has made a popular teammate out of Stephens, whose sister, Jessica, swam for the Irish from 2003 to 2007. "He is a team player," Welsh said. "When he's with the guys him, on the bus traveling to meet, wherever, he's a team player. The guys like him, he likes the guys, and he's very supportive of the program. "He's not self-inflated at all; he's just a quiet, modest, hardworking, tough-as-nails competitor." Stephens will next put that competitive drive on display Saturday, when the he and the Irish take on Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech in Pittsburgh. Contact Mary Green at mgreen8@nd.edu  

Recruiting: CB Watkins becomes first DB commit

Notre Dame added its 18th commitment to the class of 2014 on Friday when cornerback Nick Watkins pledged to the Irish.

Men's Soccer: No. 1 Notre Dame defeats No. 18 Michigan State

In a repeat of last season's NCAA Championship second-round matchup, the No. 1 Irish traveled to No. 18 Michigan State on Tuesday and came home with a 2-0 win. Much like last season's 3-0 playoff victory over the Spartans (9-4-3), Notre Dame (10-1-5) has a lot riding on the line. "It was a very important win for us," Irish coach Bobby Clark said. "[Michigan State] is a high RPI team in our region. It will help our RPI from here on out, because we beat a very good ranked team on the road." After a first half without scoring, the Irish netted two goals in quick succession midway through the second half to take a 2-0 lead they never relinquished. Senior captain and forward Harrison Shipp scored his team-high seventh goal of season in the 60th minute. Only 37 seconds later, junior forward Vince Cicciarelli gave the Irish a two-goal lead and notched his fourth goal on the season. Cicciarelli has scored in the past two games. "Cicciarelli continues to be a threat to any team he faces," Clark said. "And Harry Shipp did what he always does. He did an amazing job." With 59:37 on the clock, Shipp received a pass from junior midfielder Robby Gallegos at the top of the box and placed a bank shot off the right post into the net to give the Irish a 1-0 lead. With 60:14 on the clock, Cicciarelli, assisted by senior forward Leon Brown and sophomore midfielder Patrick Hodan, ripped a shot from eight yards out of the penalty box and beat Spartan sophomore goalkeeper Zach Bennett to the near post. "Getting two goals that quick was definitely was a big contributor [to putting away the Spartans], but it was still a contest right up until the end of the game," Clark said. "We played very well in the second half, and when we got the two goals, it definitely made it hard for them to get back in the game." The Irish were unable to get a lot of offense going in the first half, putting only two shots on goal, while Michigan State mustered four. The Irish defense staved off the Spartan attack until the two goals sprung the game open. "We opened the game very well, actually," Clark said. "Somehow we got dragged down a little bit. We dropped back too much defensively, maybe. But we came out strong in the second half."   Bennett made five saves on the night from 16 Notre Dame shots, while Irish senior goalkeeper Patrick Wall made five saves on 15 shots. It was Wall's sixth shutout of the season. The win over the Spartans comes three days after a 3-1 Notre Dame victory away at No. 13 Wake Forest on Saturday. Clark said the travel may have been an issue in the first half but did not affect the Irish overall. "Every game on our schedule is a problem," Clark said. "We always create a tough schedule for ourselves. We don't have one game that we can check in our win column. That was always going to be a challenge, but this team has risen to every challenge it meets." The Irish face their final challenge of the regular season as they host ACC foe Pittsburgh on Friday at 7 p.m. at Alumni Stadium.   Contact Isaac Lorton at ilorton@nd.edu

Versatile Okwara shifts around ND defense

When asked about his transition from Nigeria to the United States as a sixth-grader, Romeo Okwara has a simple answer.

Gastelum: What if the kick was good? (Nov. 8)

The night was November 3, 2013. The sun was setting over the press box at Notre Dame Stadium in the third overtime just as the hopes of Notre Dame fans were metaphorically doing the same thing. After all, No. 3 Notre Dame lost its first game of what was turning out to be a "magical" season. Cue the fat lady singing. Cue the swan song. Cue the sad music over a candlelight dinner in South Dining Hall.

Women's Swimming: All-American Reaney steadily leads team

Junior breaststroker Emma Reaney started off her college career with a bang and has never looked back. Named MVP by the Monogram Club her freshman year, Reaney has broken school records in seven events, was named an All-American in two events, given honorable mention All-America in two more events and competed in the U.S. Olympic trials after her freshman year. Reaney was also named to the 2013-2014 National team, based on her performance at the U.S. Open. "My 200 breaststroke this summer at the  U.S. Open was one of my favorite races ever," Reaney said. "I was really ready for that race and I knew it." Reaney said despite all the success, she's always tried to stay humble and focus on the next race. "I try not to let it get to my head," Reaney said. "My family has always taught me to be humble and thankful for all I have and that's all I can do." Instead of allowing the success to heighten her expectations in each race, Reaney said she has continued to train and to focus on every individual competition with what she calls her "Let's do this" mentality. "I don't think about it too much," Reaney said. "I just try to have fun and dance out the nerves before I get up on the blocks but other than that I pretty much try to think about anything but swimming." Reaney said she first looked at Notre Dame after getting a call from her former club coach in Lawrence, Kan., current Irish coach Brian Barnes. "When he called to recruit me, I hadn't even been thinking of Notre Dame," Reaney said. "I decided I'd give it a shot because of the reputation the school had and that Brian had as a coach." Reaney's decision has paid off. In her junior season, Reaney was named ACC swimmer of the week after her first weekend of competition - the first ACC honor awarded to an Irish swimmer. In just three meets this season, Reaney has already qualified for the NCAA B cuts in the 100-yard and 200-yard breaststroke. A leader on the team competitively since her freshman year, Reaney said she hopes she has become a leader for the Irish in and out of the pool. "I think I'm a leader in that I will speak up for the good of the team or the good of a few people when it needs to be done," Reaney said. "I also hope that I am a leader by example when it comes to hard work, technique and dedication in and out of the pool."

ND Volleyball: Irish travel to Syracuse for ACC matchup

Coming off a successful weekend with two back-to-back wins, Notre Dame traveled to Syracuse, N.Y. to compete against ACC opponent Syracuse today. Irish coach Debbie Brown said in order to win, the team needs to continue the momentum of offensive production, a skill she said the team excelled at last weekend. "Last weekend we did really well generating more kills and having greater efficiency, and I think it is really important to keep that emphasis," Brown said. "Even though this is something we have been working on all season, I feel like we really made it over the hump." Notre Dame (10-13, 4-8 ACC) had a quick turnaround from its last game, with only one day between Sunday's match against Pittsburgh and traveling to Syracuse. Nonetheless, Brown said the Irish prepared as well as they could, looking over film and attempting to get to know Syracuse (11-13, 6-6) a little better. "Syracuse has a couple efficient hitters with high kills, but the thing that is a little more challenging is that they use a different lineup a lot, so we don't know the exact lineup," Brown said. "But we do know the hitter tendencies, and we want to use that to our advantage." Brown said she hopes knowing more about Syracuse's playing style will assist Notre Dame in slowing down the Orange's offensive and shutting down their top hitters. The team usually has a set schedule before away games to establish consistency, Brown said, but something that stands out about this game is the arena where the game will be held. The Carrier Dome has a capacity of 49,250, compared to Purcell Pavilion's capacity of 9,149. "We have never [played] in something this big," Brown said. "We are eager to get in there early today, to get in some serving and passing, to get used to it." Brown said Syracuse and Notre Dame are very similar, but the Irish have their work cut out for them if they expect to win. "We know this isn't going to be easy," Brown said. "We also know it's going to be very competitive, but certainly, we are going in with every intention of winning." Notre Dame and Syracuse will play at 7 p.m. tonight in the Carrier Dome.