Sept. 8, 2006
CEDAR FALLS, IOWA.- The No. 23 Notre Dame volleyball team (4-2) after nearly a week off to rest and relax, downed Alabama (4-3) in four games on the first day of the UNI Invitational on Friday evening, Sept. 8 at the West Gym in Cedar Fall, Iowa by the scores of 30-25, 22-30, 30-19, 30-26.
The Tide controlled the tempo early in the first game, scoring seven of the first eight points capped off by the block assist by Brooks Webster and Crystal Hudson. The Irish, after a timeout, came out with better focus and went on a 4-1 run with junior Adrianna Stasiuk (Park Ridge, Ill./Maine South) leading the attack to close the gap to 8-4. Another Stasiuk kill put the deficit at three at 12-9. A kill from sophomore Justine Stremick (Langdon, N.D./Langdon Area) brought the Irish within two at 15-13. An Alabama attacking error would finally allow the Irish to catch-up and tie the game at 15. The game went back-and-forth from that point on with neither team able to open up more than a two point advantage. A pair of kills on consecutive plays from freshman Christina Kaelin (Louisville, Ky./Assumption) allowed the Irish to go up at 26-22. The Irish took the first game on the serving error from the Tide for the final margin of 30-25.
The second game was a back-and-forth affair from the opening whistle, with neither team able to open up any sort of a sizable advantage. A mini 4-0 run put the Crimson Tide up 14-10. The Tide increased the advantage to 17-12 on an attack error from the Irish. Alabama continued to roll as an assisted block from Hudson and Brigitte Slack increased the advantage to seven at 20-13. The Irish began to mount a comeback and closed to gap to five on the kill from freshman Megan Fesl (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey), but the Tide had an answer and went on to increase the advantage to eight at 24-16. A pair of kills from Kaelin brought the Irish within six at 26-20, but that was as close as the Irish would get, losing the second game 30-23 which tying the games up a one apiece.
The start of the third game was all Irish, as Notre Dame opened on a 4-0 run highlighted by a pair of blocks from Stasiuk and Stremick. The Tide closed to within two on an Irish attack error at 12-10. A kill from sophomore Mallorie Croal (Villa Park, Calif./Golden West) allowed the Irish to grow their lead to six at 20-14. Another Croal kill put the Irish up 22-15. The Irish closed on an 8-4 run, highlighted by the game ending block from Stremick and Stasiuk to take the third game 30-19.
After a close beginning to the forth game, an ace from freshman Jamel Nicholas (Pittsburgh, Pa./Pine-Richland) allowed the Irish to increase their advantage to four at 10-6. The Tide crept back in the game and got within one at 20-19. A Stasiuk kill stemmed the tide and increased the Irish advantage to two a 21-19. A serving error from the Tide brought up match-point at 29-25. The Irish finished off the game and the match on an attack error from the Tide.
Kaelin led the Irish with 20 kills which was her fourth time with 20 or more kills in a match this season. Fesl chipped in 14 kills while Stasiuk just missed a double-double with nine kills and 19 digs. For the sixth time this season, Herndon was the team-leader with 25 digs. The two setter approach worked well with junior Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos) leading the team with 27 and Nicholas accounting for 19 helpers. Webster led the Tide attack with her 16 kills.
The win for Notre Dame was the Irish’s first in the first ever meeting with the Crimson Tide. The Irish have now won their opening road game in each of the last four years.
Next, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will continue play in the UNI Invitational on Sept. 9 with a pair of matches. The Invitational begins at 11 a.m. locally with a match against Kansas State. The Irish also have the nightcap with an 8:30 match-up against the host school Northern Iowa. The game will be a television match shown by the Iowa cable station Mediacom.