September 2, 1998

VALPARAISO, Ind. – The 16th-ranked Notre Dame women’s volleyball team began its 1998 campaign with a 3-0 (15-3, 15-4, 15-5) win against Valparaiso. Senior captain Lindsay Treadwell (Austin, Texas) led the Irish with 11 kills on 16 attempts as Notre Dame over-powered a young Crusader squad.

The Irish (1-0) jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first game on tough serves by sophomore setter Denise Boylan (Lisle, Ill.). After a series of sideouts and a point after a bad Valparaiso pass, Irish sophomore Jo Jameyson (Alvin Texas) then served the next five points, giving Notre Dame a 10-0 led. Valparaiso (0-1), which had only one player on its roster over six feet tall compared to seven for the Irish, finally got its first point of game one on a block. Notre Dame, however, recovered two plays later by scoring three straight points on a block by Jameyson and Emily Schiebout (Blaine, Minn.), a bad Crusader pass and a kill by Schiebout. Valparaiso jumped back with two points on the serve of Dion Frazier (14 kills), but were unable to catch up to the Irish, eventually losing 15-3.

In game two, eighth-year Irish head coach Debbie Brown replaced starter Christi Girton (Muncie, Ind.) with freshman Marcie Bomhack (Wauesha, Wisc.). With the score 4-2, Bomhack’s block began a string of 10 straight points for Notre Dame. In that stretch, Bomhack registered three of her seven kills on the night. The Crusaders managed to score only two more points, before a block by Bomhack closed the game at 15-4.

Game three saw Valparaiso grab the lead with a point off a bad Irish pass. Notre Dame answered back with three straight points on Jameyson’s tough serving and kills by Girton and Boylan. With the score 5-1, freshman Malinda Goralski (Missouri City, Texas) registered her first collegiate kill on a quick set from Boylan to give the Irish a 6-1 lead. Fellow Irish freshman Kristy Kreher (Birmingham, Mich.) then got her first collegiate kill on a back set seven plays later. Notre Dame widened its lead with points on serves by Adrienne Shimmel (Mission Viejo, Calif.) and Kreher. The Crusaders attempted a late run by scoring four points in the game’s final seven plays, but the Irish scored two more points to end the match with a 15-5 win.

Notre Dame will play its next match this Friday, September 4 against Georgia when tthe team hosts the Shamrock Invitational at the Joyce Center at 8 p.m. Following a Saturday match between Georgia and Colorado, the Irish will take on 12th-ranked Colorado at 2 p.m. on Sunday, September 6.