Meet Notre Dame Volleyball's Newcomers
- Alex Madsen
- 7 hours ago
- 4 min read
Notre Dame Volleyball Head Coach Salima Rockwell has brought in six new faces in her attempt to rectify the Lady Irish.
Photo via Notre Dame Athletics
Rockwell will begin her fifth season with the Irish on August 28th against Ball State in South Bend. Rockwell was a four-time National Championship coach and three-time All-American before accepting the head coaching job with the Irish in 2022. She has had two different assistant stints at her alma mater Penn State, separated by a position on the dominant Texas coaching staff in between. Despite a rather impressive coaching resume, Rockwell’s tenure at Notre Dame has been somewhat disappointing, with the Lady Irish going 45-66 under her.
Last year, the Notre Dame Women’s Volleyball program posted a mediocre 12-18 record, going 9-11 in ACC play. The Lady Irish graduated five seniors last May, including key contributors Cailey Dockery, Harmony Sample, and Lucy Trump. However, Coach Rockwell will be seeing six new faces join the 26/27 team, which includes two talented transfers.
The most disappointing loss of the season was All-American Morgan Gaerte, who transferred to Kentucky this offseason. However, the Irish gained outside hitter Stella Adeyemi when she transferred from Hawaii. Adeyemi garnered 378 kills and 378 points in her 46 matches played for the Rainbow Warriors. She brought in 200 kills her sophomore season and was likely to surpass that total in the 10 matches she played before an injury sidelined her for the 2025 season.
The Irish also brought in a very talented transfer libero in Chloe Hooker, who is moving from the sand to hardwood in her last year of eligibility. Hooker was a dominant force for Loyola Marymount Beach, where she garnered a 29-8 record and was selected as the West Coast Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year and All-WCC Beach Volleyball First Team. The switch from beach volleyball to court volleyball will certainly be different, and it may seem as if Coach Rockwell took a gamble bringing her to South Bend. Nevertheless, Hooker could definitely play a meaningful role in the team’s success.
On top of the pair of transfers, the Lady Irish also bring in four freshman recruits.
Hailie Vaughn is a two-time Kansas Volleyball Association All-State First Team selection. The outside hitter will join the Irish from Overland Park. Vaughn helped lead Blue Valley Southwest to a runner-up finish in the KSHAA 5A State Volleyball tournament. She pairs her 6’0” height with a 10’0” approach touch for a powerful and precise spike that has the potential to garner plenty of kills over her collegiate career.
The Irish coaching staff even went international in their pursuit of talent, which culminated in libero Carla Mercado from Bayamón, Puerto Rico, committing to a team in Northern Indiana. Mercado is a versatile and scrappy player. She has also received both national and foreign recognition after she was a member of the gold medal Pan American Cup U17. She could very well prove to be a steal for Rockwell and the Irish if she continues to develop over the course of her time at Our Lady’s University.
The final two incoming freshmen are both middle blockers.
Portia Zeidler joins the team from Los Gatos, California, where she was a four-year starter and three-time SVAL All-League selection for Los Gatos High School. Zeidler rose to 43rd overall in California by Prep Dig California. She combines her towering 6’5” height with a highly athletic background (her father highjumped for Cal) to result in a devastating block for opponents. I predict she will see the floor early.
Isabella Sangha rounds off the list for the Irish after she committed to Notre Dame from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Sangha built up a highly renowned reputation over her time at St. Thomas Aquinas, which she transferred to after dominating at Pine Crest School. Sangha is ranked as the number one middle blocker in Florida, which is added to her 7A-5A player of the year selection from the Sun-Sentinel Broward County. Even more impressive, Sangha will also be playing in Women’s Basketball for the Irish this winter. She has plenty of accolades there as well, but we will save them for the WBB Preview this fall. Sangha will be a force to be reckoned with after she gets acclimated and comfortable playing for the Irish.
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