Nov. 3, 2002
The University of Notre Dame volleyball team (20-5, 10-0) ended up perfect at home once again this season with a three-game victory (30-21, 30-19, 30-19) over Boston College (12-15, 2-7) on Sunday afternoon.
Emily Loomis led the Irish to victory with 14 kills on .636 hitting, aided by the steady play of setter Kristen Kinder. Kinder chalked up 29 assists, helping the team to a .367 team hitting percentage and 53 kills on 109 swings.
Notre Dame’s victory gives the team its second consecutive undefeated season at home (13-0) after the Irish went 12-0 in 2001. Notre Dame has not lost at home since Sept. 23, 2000, against #7 Colorado State, a school-record string of 35 consecutive victories. Notre Dame has gone undefeated at home four times since 1980 (5-0, 1982; 17-0, 1984, 12-0, 2001; 13-0, 2002).
Senior captains Janie Alderete and Keara Coughlin also played their last game in front of the Joyce Center crowd. Alderete finished with a team-high 10 digs, while Coughlin added eight digs and two assists as Notre Dame’s libero.
Notre Dame got back on track with its team blocking against the Eagles. The Irish entered the week leading the nation in team block average with a 3.79 mark, but sub-par efforts against Illinois State and Providence dropped the team mark to 3.60 entering the BC tilt. Notre Dame came back with 14 team blocks against Boston College, pushing their team average back to 3.69.
Freshmen Lauren Kelbley (six) and Lauren Brewster (seven) led the team block attack.
Notre Dame will wrap up the regular season with three road matches over the next two weeks. The Irish head to Syracuse on Saturday, Nov. 9 (1 p.m.), then take on possibly the toughest road trip of the year at Miami (Nov. 15) and Virginia Tech (Nov. 17).