Nov. 11, 2000
For the fifth time in six years, the University of Notre Dame volleyball team (23-5) finished 11-0 in BIG EAST regular season competition with a four-game victory (15-13, 13-15, 15-5, 15-3) over Syracuse (24-10, 6-5) on Saturday.
Senior co-captain Christi Girton (Muncie, Ind.) continued her recent red-hot hitting against the Orangewomen. Girton posted 20 kills in the match, making it her seventh-consecutive match with double-digit kills. She also had eight blocks and five digs in the contest.
Girton was not the lone offensive star for Notre Dame on the day, as four Irish spikers notched double-digit kills in the match. Junior Kristy Kreher (Birmingham, Mich.) had 18 kills and nine digs, while classmates Marcie Bomhack (Waukesha, Wis.) and Malinda Goralski (Missouri City, Texas) each had 14 kills. Bomhack, the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week, also had 12 digs.
The Irish offensive prowess would not have been possible without the stellar play of setter Denise Boylan (Lisle, Ill.). In one of her best matches of the season, Boylan posted 67 assists, 10 digs, six kills (on seven attempts) and a block. The Irish had a .359 hitting percentage in the match, due mostly to the ball control of Boylan and some solid passing from the back row.
Next up for the Irish is the BIG EAST tournament, set to be played on Notre Dame’s home court in the Joyce Center, Saturday Nov. 18, and Sunday, Nov. 19.