This weekend the Georgetown volleyball team (8-5) will travel to South Bend, Ind. to take on Notre Dame (7-3) on Saturday in what will be the Big East opener for both teams.

The Hoyas performed admirably in the nonconference portion of their schedule, in which they participated in four tournaments. So far, they have encountered the No. 1 team in the country in undefeated California and have notched some quality wins over the likes of Wake Forest, James Madison and George Mason.

This year the Blue and Gray have gotten production on offense from a variety of players. Sophomore outside hitter Brooke Bachesta and freshman outside hitter Alex Johnson lead the Hoyas in kills with 139 each (they each also have a .278 hitting percentage to lead the team). However, three of the team’s middle blockers — freshman Dani White, redshirt sophomore Annalee Abell and junior Lindsay Wise have each contributed over 100 kills as well.

On the other hand, two Hoya staples in every match this year have been senior setter Ashley Malone and senior libero Tory Rezin. Malone averages an impressive 11 assists per set and was recently named to the Big East honor roll. Team captain Rezin has been the heart and soul of the Georgetown defense all year, totaling 198 digs on the season thus far.

The Irish as a team are built somewhat similarly to the Hoyas, as they rely on their whole team rather than just one or two players. However, sophomore outside hitter Andrea McHugh andfreshmanmiddle blocker and right side hitter Jeni Houser have the bulk of the kills for Notre Dame, totaling 121 and 113, respectively. Sophomore setters Maggie Brindock and Sammie Brown have shared passing duties.

The game is slated for a 2 p.m. start on Saturday at Notre Dame’s Purcell Pavilion.