June 21, 2001
Notre Dame head volleyball coach Debbie Brown kept her promise. When the Class of 2001 walked onto campus four years ago, Brown promised the players a trip to Europe following their graduation four years later.
Just days after the class of 2001 received their degrees in a ceremony highlighted by keynote speaker George W. Bush, they boarded a plane and set off for the European continent to enjoy three weeks of volleyball competition and sight seeing.
The Irish returned from the trip two weeks ago with a trunk full of memories, invaluable extra practice time and a new trophy for the already-overflowing display rack in the Notre Dame volleyball office.
“It was just a great experience for the whole team,” Brown said.
“The team enjoyed every minute of the trip and played very well. It is something that we will all remember for a very long time.”
Notre Dame would end the two week trip with a 5-1 match record and post an 11-10 game record in the 2001 Dutch Open Outdoor Volleyball Championship to earn second place in the highly competitive field.
The trip began in Munich, Germany, but the first match took place in what would become many of the players favorite cities on the trip – Prague, Czech Republic. Before the team reached Prague, however, they experienced just how passionate the Germans are about their soccer teams.
“While we were in Munich there was a huge soccer game that the Munich team won,” junior defensive specialist Janie Alderete said.
“The city was in total celebration mode. Fans filled the town square to welcome the team home and it was amazing to see how much spirit and support they show for their athletes. In a way, they all reminded me of Notre Dame football fans.”
The Irish would drop the first match of the trip to Olymp Praha on May 25, but rebound to sweep four games from Tatran (25-20, 25-20, 25-20, 25-14) on May 27. Senior opposite Kristy Kreher led the team with 17 kills against Tatran while sophomore middle blocker Kim Fletcher added 16 on .700 hitting (16 kills, two errors, 20 attempts).
Moving on to Dresden on May 28, the Irish dispatched Sachsen in three games (25-16, 25-15, 25-15). Kreher posted 10 kills on 12 attempts in the match while Fletcher added 11 kills, senior middle blocker Malinda Goralski eight and senior outside hitter Marcie Bomhack five.
While language barriers kept the competing teams from sharing many stories, all the players shared a common bond as volleyball players and appreciated the chance to compete against each other.
“We played at least one match in every city we stayed in,” Alderete says.
“It was unusual to shake hands with the teams before and after the matches. We were both saying ‘good luck’ or ‘good game’ in our respective languages, but in reality the only communication we could understand was a smile and a handshake.”
The Irish put their 2-1 tour record on the line May 30, 2001, in Berlin against KFC Berlin. Notre Dame won the first two games 25-22 and 25-18, but KFC came back to win the third game 25-23.
Led by Malinda Goralski’s 17 kills (on .577 hitting), Notre Dame kept its composure and secured the match victory with a 25-14 game four win. Both coaches agreed to play a fifth game and the Irish put a quick end to game five with a 15-5 win. Kreher had 11 kills in the match, Fletcher 10 and sophomore outside hitter Jessica Kinder added seven.
“The team continued to respond to each challenge,” Brown says.
“All the travel demands were set aside when they took the court. They picked up the level of play in each match over the course of the trip.”
The team was back in action the next day in Munster to take on Sparkasse Olfen. Goralski continued her hot hitting, tallying 11 kills on 15 attempts (.733). Jessica Kinder had her second consecutive productive match with seven kills and the Irish rebounded after dropping the first game 25-23 to win three games straight (25-19, 25-18, 25-16) for the match victory. Notre Dame continued its impressive play the next day in Munster, defeating D Harold (25-15, 25-13, 25-16, 25-21) led by 17 kills from Kreher.
Boasting a 5-1 record, the team moved to the Netherlands for the 2001 Pinkster Tournament (June 3-4) at the top of its game. The tournament, also referred to as the Dutch Open Outdoor Volleyball Championships, was played at St. Anthonis, a town about an hour outside Amsterdam.
“It was great to have the opportunity to play against foreign competition and get extra practice in,” Bomhack says.
“The chance to get to know my teammates and the coaching staff while on the tour will help us tremendously in the future. We really came together as a team.”
If the heavy travel schedule had any effect on the team during the trip, the Irish had the ability to shake it off during the demanding schedule of the Pinkster Tournament. Aptly nicknamed the Grass Tournament, Notre Dame would face its first-ever volleyball matches on a grass surface against North American Division I-level opponents.
“Adapting to not only the grass surface, but the rain, wind, cold and weather elements was a challenge,” Brown said.
“But once again the team responded well, accepted the challenge and got better with each game.”
Notre Dame played four two-game matches on the first day of the tournament, splitting with Longa (25-19 and 25-27) and Sleighdrecht Sport (26-24 and 23-25), sweeping Martinas (25-18 and 25-10) and losing to Speks (23-25 and 21-25). Kreher led the team on the first day with 32 kills (.394 hitting) while Goralski added 27 and Bomhack 14.
Back to action less than 12 hours later, the Irish avenged the day one loss to Longa with a 25-17 and 25-20 victory. Sleighdrecht Sport seemed to have Notre Dame’s number, though, as they took two games from the Irish in the second match of the day (30-28 and 25-20).
Eventual tournament champion Speks defeated the Irish for the second time in the tournament with a match three (25-16, 25-22) victory, but Notre Dame recovered to take two from Martinas (25-21, 25-10) and Sleighdrecth Sport (25-18, 25-16) to move on the championship match with Speks. The Irish were able to capture the first game 25-23, but Speks took games two and three (25-15 and 25-21) to win the tournament.
“The team played well against some very good competition on an unfamiliar surface,” Brown said.
“That second place trophy is something of which we can be very proud.”
Brown also caught a glimpse of her 2001 team at its best. A balanced team effort put the Irish in position for the tournament crown as Kreher notched 27 kills on the second day, Goralski 22, Bomhack 19, Jessica Kinder 16 and sophomore Katie Neff 12.
“The whole trip will benefit the team and our program for many seasons to come,” Brown said.
“We have become a closer team than before the trip and we have memories that will last a lifetime.”