This past weekend, the Irish traveled to St. Joseph, MI to participate in a long-standing tradition between the Michigan State and Notre Dame Club teams. After a day of youth clinics hosted by Michigan State, the Irish and Spartans squared off in a 5-set match in front of a packed crowd at St. Joseph High School.
The match was a thriller, as the Irish needed all 5 sets to take down the #3 ranked Spartans. Strong hitting performances from Michael “California Melo” Lund and Canadian wonder Jack Reford pushed the Irish to victory while strong defensive performances by liberos Bret Alvarez and Luke Hofer tamed the 6’ 9” European oppo from Michigan State.
With this friendly match victory behind them, the Irish now turn their sights to the Midwest 10 Championships which will be hosted at our own famed Pit. For those interested in attending, the tournament will span Saturday, February 25 and Sunday, February 26 with pool play taking place Saturday and playoffs following on Sunday. Unlike years past, the tournament’s final playoff rounds will be taking place on center court of Purcell Pavilion, hopefully with the Irish bringing home the gold. Admission to the event is free and we hope to distribute a Zoom link to fans who cannot make it to South Bend to watch the Irish.