Aug. 8, 2000
The 2000 BIG EAST Volleyball Preseason Poll has been announced and Notre Dame is picked to repeat as the regular-season league champion, as voted by the conference head coaches. The Irish received nine first-place votes and 119 total points to rank first in the poll. Notre Dame returns five starters this season from the 1999 team that finished 20-9 overall and 11-0 in conference play.
1999 BIG EAST volleyball tournament champion Georgetown is second after receiving three first-place votes.
Notre Dame senior setter Denise Boylan (Lisle, Ill.) was chosen as the preseason player of the year in the conference. Boylan earned first-team all-BIG EAST honors in 1999 after leading the Irish with 1,132 assists and 35 aces. Her 3,291 assists and 11.84 assist average are second in school history.
Boylan was joined on the preseason all-BIG EAST team by fellow senior Christi Girton (Muncie, Ind.). Girton earned second team all-BIG EAST accolades after the 1998 and 1999 seasons. She led the team in kills (333) and digs (201) in last season and ranks 10th on the career hitting percentage list with a .254 mark.
The Irish begin the 2000 season against Fairfield in the second game of the Shamrock Invitational Friday, September 1, at 4:00 p.m. BIG EAST Conference competition begins September 29 when Villanova visits the Joyce Center.
2000 BIG EAST Volleyball Preseason Poll
School, Points
1. Notre Dame, 119
2. Georgetown, 111
3. Connecticut, 102
4. Rutgers, 81
5. Pittsburgh, 77
6. Syracuse, 76
7. St. John’s, 54
8. West Virginia, 45
9. Providence, 38
10. Boston College, 37
11. Seton Hall, 34
12. Villanova, 18
2000 Preseason All-BIG EAST Team:
Denise Boylan, Sr., S, Notre Dame
Dana Fiume, Sr., RS, Syracuse
Kiran Gill, Sr., OH, Georgetown
Christi Girton, Sr., OH, Notre Dame
Sarah Katinger, Jr., OH, Providence
Yulia Vtyurina, Jr., OH, Georgetown
Preseason BIG EAST Player of the Year:
Denise Boylan, Notre Dame