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Volleyball Continues BIG EAST Competition This Weekend Vs. Virginia Tech And Georgetown

Sept. 27, 2001

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Notre Dame Volleyball Weekly Release

#24 Notre Dame vs. Virginia Tech, Friday, Sept. 28, 7 p.m.

#24 Notre Dame vs. Georgetown, Sunday, Sept. 30, 2 p.m.

Notre Dame vs. Virginia Tech series history:

Notre Dame and Virginia Tech will be meeting for the first time … this is Virginia Tech’s first season of BIG EAST Conference competition … the Hokies competed as independents last season, finishing 13-16 … it also was head coach Greg Smith’s first season at Virginia Tech … the Hokies competed in the Metro Athletic Conference from 1986-1994 and the Atlantic 10 from 1995-1998.

Notre Dame vs. Georgetown series history:

Notre Dame and Georgetown will be meeting for the 11th time … Georgetown earned its lone win in the all-time series in the 1999 BIG EAST Championship match in three games … Notre Dame swept the 2000 meeting (15-8, 15-6, 15-8), aided by 14 team blocks and holding the Hoyas to a .071 hitting percentage … Marcie Bomhack had 12 kills and 12 digs while Kristy Kreher added 11 kills and 10 digs … Anna Kleinsorge had five kills and six blocks for Georgetown … the Irish are 3-0 against the Hoyas at the Joyce Center.

A look at the Hokies:

Virginia Tech (3-7, 0-2) is coming off two BIG EAST Conference losses last weekend to St. John’s (in five games) and Seton Hall (in four games) … Cheryl Stinson and Annie Spicer have led the Hokies on offense so far in 2001 … Stinson is averaging 2.44 kills per game on .271 hitting, while Spicer is posting 3.34 kills per game … both Renee Collins and Kelli O’Dell have seen time at setter for Virginia Tech this year.

A look at the Hoyas:

Georgetown (5-3, 2-0) will play Syracuse on Friday, Sept. 28, before making the trip to Notre Dame for Sunday’s match … Georgetown defeated Maryland 3-1 on Tuesday, Sept. 18, then began BIG EAST Conference play in fine form with victories over Seton Hall (3-1) and St. John’s (3-1) … Georgetown’s Yulia Vtyurina was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week on Monday, Sept. 24, after posting double-doubles in both conference matches last week … Vtyurina is averaging 4.76 kills per game on .280 hitting … Lauren Warner has 141 kills and 101 digs this season.

Matches cancelled:

The matches previously scheduled against Michigan, Indiana State, Tulane and Purdue, originally postponed due to the terrorist attack on the United States, will not be replayed this season.

Boston College match start time changed:

When the Irish travel to Chestnut Hill, Mass., to take on BIG EAST Conference opponent Boston College, the match will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 6. The match was originally scheduled to take place at 3:30 p.m., but was moved after a Boston College football game time change.

Goralski leads BIG EAST:

In addition to earning the first BIG EAST Player of the Week award of the season on Sept. 2, senior middle blocker Malinda Goralski ranks in the top five of two statistical categories in the conference rankings. The Missouri City, Texas, native leads all league players in blocks per game with 1.68 (42 total). She also is ranked first in hitting percentage (.401) and plays a major role in Notre Dame’s top team ranking in blocks per game (2.86).

In the latest NCAA statistical rankings, Goralski is ranked 13th in blocks per game (1.79) and 28th in hitting percentage (.401).

Fletcher emerges in the middle of the Irish offense:

Sophomore middle blocker Kim Fletcher, who earned BIG EAST All-Rookie Team honors in 2000, is third on the team in kills (72), third in digs (51) and second in blocks (10). Her quickness and ability to reach the entire court caught the eye of competing coaches in the 2001 Shamrock Invitational, who played a hand in voting her the Most Outstanding Player of the two-day tournament.

Fletcher has set career marks this season for kills (14) and digs (10) while posting her first career double-double against Idaho in the Shamrock Invitational championship match. She has posted more than five kills and five digs in every match this season. She currently ranks fifth in the BIG EAST in hitting percentage (.340).

Kreher getting back into form:

After suffering through a hitting slump early in the season, senior Kristy Kreher seems poised to break out into her old form. One of the top percentage hitters in Irish volleyball history, Kreher was slowed early in the season fighting off the effects of a severe high ankle sprain suffered over the summer.

In the first BIG EAST match of the season, Kreher showed signs of returning to form. She posted her first double-double of the season with 14 kills and 11 digs against the Orangewomen. She also posted a .458 hitting percentage in the match.

Notre Dame in BIG EAST volleyball competition:

Since the Irish joined the BIG EAST Conference in 1995, they have posted an exceptional 65-2 regular-season conference mark. Entering this weekend’s matches with Virginia Tech and Georgetown, Notre Dame has won 34 consecutive conference regular-season matches. The two conference losses the Irish suffered were to Connecticut and West Virginia (both on the road) in 1998.

Notre Dame is 37-0 at home in regular-season BIG EAST matches.

Goralski grabs BIG EAST weekly award:

Senior middle blocker Malinda Goralski earned her first BIG EAST Player of the Week award on Monday, Sept. 3, after helping lead the Irish to three straight victories in the Shamrock Invitational.

She recorded 37 kills and 25 blocks during the weekend, including slamming down a career-high 18 kills Friday (Aug. 31) against Southwest Texas State. Goralski, who earned all-tournament honors, also tied a career high with 11 blocks against Idaho in Notre Dame’s 3-1 win against the Vandals. On the weekend, Goralski recorded 3.7 kills and 2.5 blocks per game while hitting .463.

Coaching change:

Robin Davis, most recently an assistant at Northern Arizona, has joined the Irish staff as an assistant. Davis replaces Lindsay Rosenthal and will help the Irish in the day-to-day business of the program, recruiting and on-court teaching.

Davis also has head coaching experience at Biola (Calif.) University. He coached 10 years at Biola, then moved on to Northern Arizona, helping them qualify for the NCAA Tournament in 1999 and 2000 while capturing the Big Sky Conference Co-Championship in 2000.

Irish forced to adjust from the comforts of home to life on the road:

Notre Dame played 19 matches in the friendly confines of the Joyce Center last season. The Irish had 17 regular-season home matches scheduled and won both matches at the 2000 BIG EAST Volleyball Championship, which was held on campus.

The 2001 schedule calls for at least 13 road matches, a number that could increase if the Irish qualify for the BIG EAST Championship. A key stretch of the Irish schedule will be six consecutive road matches from Oct. 16 through Nov. 4.

Welcome to the BIG EAST:

In addition to facing Pepperdine for the first time ever at the US Bank/Arby’s Tournament in Lincoln, Neb., this weekend, Notre Dame will face Virginia Tech for the first time ever and the first time as a BIG EAST Conference opponent on Sept. 28.

Virginia Tech enters the conference for volleyball competition for the first time in 2001. The Hokies competed as independents last season and compiled a 13-16 record.

Freshman ready to contribute:

Even as the Irish welcome back 10 monogram winners to the 2001 roster, three talented freshman have joined the team and have already seen playing time early in the season. Emily Loomis (Fort Wayne, Ind.) has made a push for playing time after posting a 10-6 jump-reach in a preseason test and displaying solid offensive and defensive skills. Loomis tied for the team lead in kills in the Shamrock Invitational championship match vs. Idaho with 14. She also tied for a team-high with eight kills vs. #15 Pepperdine at the U.S.Bank/Arby’s Tournament in Lincoln, Neb.

OH Leah Nedderman (Grapevine, Texas) and MB Kelly Corbett (Mountain View, Calif.) have both impressed the Irish coaching staff in the preseason and are poised to see significant playing time off the bench. Both Corbett and Nedderman hit their first career kills against Valparaiso and also saw action vs. Syracuse on Sept. 22.

Strong schedule:

Irish head coach Debbie Brown, who led the team to two key victories over high ranked opponents in 2000 (3-2 come-from-behind victory over #15 BYU and a 3-1 win over #22 Loyola Marymount), has scheduled a number of highly-rated teams this season. Notre Dame will face five top 25 teams in 2001, including #9 Florida in the Gator’s Volleyball Conference Challenge at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex on Nov. 24. The Irish have already faced #1 Nebraska, #7 UCLA and #15 Pepperdine this season at the US Bank/Arby’s Tournament in Lincoln, Neb.

Northern Iowa, who entered the USA Today/AVCA Poll on Sept. 9 (currently ranked 21st), will meet the Irish on Tuesday, Oct. 16, in the Quad Cities.

Career-bests:

A number of Irish players posted career-bests during Shamrock Invitational and US Bank/Arby’s Tournament over the first two weekends of the season. Malinda Goralski tied her career high in both kills (18) and blocks (11) vs. Southwest Texas and Idaho, respectively. Kim Fletcher posted two career-bests while achieving her first career double-double with 14 kills and 10 digs against Idaho and while freshman Emily Loomis also posted 14 kills vs. the Vandals, for a personal-best total of her young career.

Junior DS Janie Alderete set a new career mark with 19 digs against #15 Pepperdine on Sept. 9. Alderete followed up her career-high digs effort with 13 against Valparaiso on Tuesday.

Notre Dame postpones four matches due to national developments on Sept.11:

Due to the tragedies in New York, Pennsylvania and Northern Virginia on Sept. 11, Notre Dame postponed its volleyball matches with Michigan (Sept. 12), Indiana State (Sept. 14), Tulane (Sept. 14) and Purdue (Sept. 15).

Said University of Notre Dame director of athletics Kevin White: “We believe the horrific developments (last) Tuesday warrant a national period of bereavement and a moratorium as far as athletics are concerned. Consistent with the BIG EAST decision not to compete in any sports, we have postponed all athletic events through the weekend.”

The matches will not be made up in 2001. The BIG EAST Conference did not compete in any sports over the weekend of Sept. 14-16, therefore no Player of the Week announcements were available on Sept. 17.

The Irish will wear an embroidered American flag on their uniform for the rest of the season in remembrance of the victims from the Sept. 11 attacks.