Sept. 1, 2001
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – The 20th-ranked University of Notre Dame volleyball team (3-0) captured its second consecutive Shamrock Invitational title with a 3-1 victory (30-28, 28-30, 30-22, 30-25) over Idaho (2-1) in the tournament’s championship match on Saturday night at the Joyce Center. Irish sophomore middle blocker Kim Fletcher (St. Louis, Mo.) was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after posting a double-double (14 kills, 10 digs) against the Vandals and totaling 35 kills over the course of the two-day tournament. Teammates Malinda Goralski (Missouri City, Texas) and Kristen Kinder (Fresno, Calif.) joined Fletcher on the all-tournament team.
Notre Dame and Idaho endured a hard-fought match, as both teams ended up playing two matches on the day (Notre Dame defeated Florida Atlantic earlier in the day and Idaho swept Southwest Texas) and fatigue might have played a factor by the end of game four. The first two games were back-and-forth with each team winning a by just two points. After trading points for the first half of game one, Idaho jumped out to a 20-15 lead and looked to seize early control of the match. Irish head coach Debbie Brown called a time-out and her team responded with a block by Goralski and Kristen Kinder, a kill from freshman Emily Loomis (Fort Wayne, Ind.) and a Vandal hitting error to cut the lead down to just two points.
Back in the match, the Irish found themselves with the serve and the score tied 24-24. Brown went to her bench for a spark and sophomore defensive specialist Christa Moen (San Antonio, Texas) immediately ripped off an ace after being inserted in the lineup. Two consecutive tough serves by Moen also set up a block by Jessica Kinder (Fresno, Calif.) and Goralski, followed by a Goralski kill and suddenly the Irish were at game point.
After Idaho posted a mini-rally to cut the lead to just one, Goralski slammed down a perfect Kristen Kinder set to earn a first-game victory for the Irish.
The see-saw battle continued in game two, but Notre Dame was unable to recover after Idaho jumped ahead 16-10. The closest the Irish would get in game two was a 24-22 score, but two Vandal kills and an Irish error put the game out of reach and the match was tied 1-1.
Idaho came out focused in game three and jumped to a 3-0 lead. Notre Dame turned to Loomis for a spark and the Irish freshman, who posted 14 kills, eight digs and three blocks in her third collegiate match, responded with two consecutive kills. Her team would not look back, building a 23-16 lead and eventually putting the game away with a block from Goralski and Kristen Kinder.
The battle continued in game four, as neither team built more than a two point lead until the score became deadlocked at 20. At that moment, senior Kristy Kreher (Birmingham, Mich.) decided to make her presence known at the net. Unusually quiet during the match but playing a key role in the Irish defensive effort, Kreher would have a hand in five of Notre Dame’s final 10 points to seal the victory for her team. She joined Goralski on a block to post Notre Dame’s 28th point, then killed a Kristen Kinder set for the 29th point before teaming with Goralski for a block once again on match point. Kreher ended the match with 12 kills, two aces, 17 digs and two blocks. Goralski also tied a career-best with 11 blocks.
Notre Dame will be back in action on Friday, Sept. 7, in Lincoln, Neb., to take on UCLA in the first round of the US Bank/Arby’s Tournament.
2001 Shamrock Invitational All-Tournament Team
Malinda Goralski, Notre Dame
Kristen Kinder, Notre Dame
Lauren McCaffery, Idaho
Anna-Marie Hammon, Idaho
Marja Valkeavuori, Florida Atlantic
Tiffany Weidner, Southwest Texas
Most Outstanding Player
Kim Fletcher, Notre Dame