Sept. 29, 2008

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - For the first time this season a Notre Dame volleyball player has earned the BIG EAST Conference's Player of the Week award. The league named sophomore middle blocker Kellie Sciacca its top player on Monday for her performances during Irish wins at USF (Sept. 26) and Georgetown (Sept. 28).

Sciacca had 20 kills in her first BIG EAST match of the season while posting a .643 average against USF. She recorded 16 kills versus the Bulls before recording an error and finished with only two faults on 28 attempts. Her hitting percentage in the contest is the fourth highest ever in school history for a four-set match.

She followed that performance with nine kills on 15 swings with three errors for a .400 average at Georgetown. Sciacca also added an ace and one solo block against the Hoyas.

For the weekend, she averaged 4.14 kills/set with a .588 hitting clip.

The Monument, Colo., native was part of the league's honor roll on Sept. 1. The BIG EAST named Sciacca its Freshman of the Week three times in 2007 - the most among league rookies - as she was a part of the league's honor roll on four occasions. Sciacca was also the American Volleyball Coaches Association's (AVCA) Northeast Region Freshman of the Year last season.

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