Jamel Nicholas Class: Junior Hometown: Gibsonia, Pa. High School: Pine-Richland Height: 5-7 Position: Setter Birthdate: 11/12/1987

A natural leader that brings a strong technique to the setter position ... picked up ample experience on the floor as a freshman ... allows Notre Dame to play different alignments and formations ... possesses great court presence ... communicates well and makes everyone around her better ... good defensive player and server ... also a talented hitter when given the opportunity.

AS A FRESHMAN (2006): Appeared in 105 games over 31 matches with seven starts ... led the team in assists 11 times including a stretch of four matches from Sept. 1-3 ... finished second on the team with 621 assists (5.91 per game) ... fifth in service aces (22) ... reached double figures in assists 28 times ... totaled 15 matches with a perfect serving percentage ... started first match of her career against Valparaiso (9/1) ... tallied 36 assists and 10 digs against the Crusaders for her first career double-double ... helped Notre Dame rank second in the conference in assists per game (14.78) ... had 35 assists and a career-best 21 digs against #13 Missouri (9/2) ... a career-best two kills to go along with 16 assists and six digs against Butler in the Sun Devil Classic (9/15) ... 29 assists, 12 digs and perfect serving percentage on 17 attempts vs. Duke (9/16) in the Sun Devil Classic ... a career-best four service aces at Rutgers (9/23) ... set a career-best with 38 assists vs. #18 Ohio (11/24) in the Louisville Invitational ... completed her first season with 25 assists and five digs at #10 Wisconsin (12/1) in the NCAAs.

PREP AND PERSONAL: Wears the #12 jersey also dawned by four-time All-American Lauren Brewster (2002-05) ... one of a seven freshmen in an Irish recruiting class that Volleyball Magazine and PrepVolleyball.com tabbed one of the nation's top-5 ... listed among PrepVolleyball.com's Top 150 Senior Aces ... led Pine-Richland HS into the 2005 state tournament ... four-year co-captain of that squad ... tabbed all-state by the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) as a freshman, sophomore and senior ... missed her junior season due to an injury ... named the 2005 Gatorade Player of the Year in Pennsylvania ... a member of the all-Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League team in first two seasons ... earned all-WPIAL and all-state accolades again in 2005 ... led Pine-Richland to the WPIAL championship in 2005 ... the 2005 North Hills High School Athlete of the Year, chosen by the Pittsburgh Gazette ... named to Volleyball Magazine's list of the top 80 prep sophomores in 2003-04 ... just the second Pennsylvania native to play volleyball for the Irish, following OH Robin Israel (North Huntington, Norwin, 1981-82) ... other Pittsburgh products to become student-athletes at Notre Dame are basketball player Dwight Clay (whose jumper ended UCLA's NCAA-record 88-game winning streak in 1974), football All-American and Academic All-American Don Schaefer (1955), All-American swimmer Teri Schindler (1982), and All-American distance runner Derek Seiling (1997) ... member of National Honor Society and St. Alphonsus Bell Choir ... full name is Jamel Therese Nicholas ... first name is pronounced juh-MEL ... daughter of Sue and Joe Nicholas ... mother was a four-year starting setter at Illinois State ... born November 12, 1987 ... plans to major in sociology.

Nicholas' Career Statistics