Notre Dame Fighting Irish - Official Athletics Website

Women's Volleyball Gets Two Big Conference Wins

November 11, 1998

SHOWDOWN WITH GEORGETOWN: In its most crucial match this season, the Notre Dame women’s volleyball team defeated Georgetown 3-1 to earn a share of first place in the BIG EAST.

The Irish got big matches from sophomore Christi Girton (Muncie, Ind.), Lindsay Treadwell (Austin, Texas) and Mary Leffers (Tampa, Fla.). Girton tied a match high with 17 kills and added 12 digs. Treadwell had 10 kills on .304 hitting with 15 digs and eight blocks, while Leffers also had eight blocks.

Notre Dame came back from a 8-3 deficit in the fourth game behind the serve of Girton, setter Michelle Graham (Austin, Texas) and Jo Jameyson (Alvin, Texas). The Irish took the lead at 9-8 on a kill by Leffers, and allowed the Hoyas only one more point, winning 15-9 to end the match.

The Irish were able to contain Russian sensation Yulia Vturina to a .102 hitting percentage and recovered from outside hitter Kiran Gill’s wicked jump serve, which had set them behind 5-0 to open the second game.

VICTORY VERSUS VILLANOVA: After a huge game against the Hoyas, the Irish returned to the Joyce Center Arena on Sunday afternoon to blank the Wildcats 15-13, 15-5 and 15-9. Christi Girton led the team for the fifth consecutive game in kills with 14 on .270 hitting. Marcie Bomhack (Waukesha, Wis.) and Emily Schiebout (Blaine, Minn.) each added 10 and 12 kills respectively.

GIRTON ON A ROLL: Outside hitter Christi Girton has turned it up a notch over the past month. In the last 12 games, she has hit in double figures 10 times and has double digit digs in five-straight matches. She has also led the team in kills since the Boston College game and now leads the Irish in kills per game and total kills.

TORRID TIEBREAKER: With two matches left in the regular season, the Irish, Georgetown and Connecticut are tied for first place in the BIG EAST with 8-1 records. Should none

1998 NOTRE DAME VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

9/1         @Valparaiso             W, 3-09/4         Georgia                 W,3-29/6         #12 Colorado            L, 0-39/11        @#7 Wisconsin           L, 0-39/12        vs. Indiana             L, 2-39/18        vs. UNH                 W, 3-19/19        vs. Utah                L, 0-3 9/19        @#18 Mich. St.          L, 0-310/2        Seton Hall*             W, 3-010/4        Rutgers*                W, 3-110/6        at Illinois State       L, 1-310/9        at Connecticut*         L, 2-310/10       at Fairfield            L, 2-310/11       at St. John's*          W, 3-010/17       at Duke                 W, 3-010/18       at UNC                  L, 1-310/21       at #6 Florida           L, 3-010/23       Providence*             W, 3-110/25       Boston Coll.*           W, 3-010/29       Oral Roberts            L, 2-310/31       Syracuse*               W, 3-111/6        Georgetown*             W, 3-111/8        Villanova*              W, 3-011/14       at Pittsburgh*          1 p.m.11/15       at West Virginia*       1 p.m.11/18       Toledo                  7 p.m.11/21-22    BIG EAST Champ.                 (Pittsburgh, Pa.)12/3-6      NCAA 1st-2nd Rounds12/10-13    NCAA Regionals12/17       NCAA Semifinals12/19       NCAA Championships            (Madison, Wis.)

* = BIG EAST Conference

Tentative Notre Dame Starting Lineup

Setter          -   Michelle Graham         So. (Austin Texas)Middle Blocker  -   Lindsay Treadwell       Sr. (Austin Texas)Middle Blocker  -   Mary Leffers            Jr. (Tampa  Fla.)Outside hitter  -   Jo Jameyson             So. (Alvin  Texas)Outside hitter  -   Christi Girton          So. (Muncie Ind.)Opposite        -   Emily Schiebout         Jr. (Blaine Minn.)

Of the three teams lose this weekend, the regular season BIG EAST title will be determined by winning percentage in conference matches. That is calculated by taking the number of games won divided by the total of games played just in BIG EAST matches. If the season were to end today, Notre Dame’s winning percentage would be 78.8 percent, the Huskies would at 76.3 percent and the Hoyas’ winning percentage is 67.6 percent.

Notre Dame has West Virginia and Pittsburgh, who are both 4-5, left next weekend. Connecticut, meanwhile, has Providence (5-4) and Boston College (0-9), and Georgetown has Seton Hall (3-6) and Rutgers (5-4). Should the Hoyas lose, Connecticut would claim the title automatically because of its win over the Irish. Should the Huskies lose, the Irish would win the championship because of their win over Georgetown last weekend. If the Irish lost, Georgetown would claim the title because of its win over the Huskies earlier this season. The seeds for the BIG EAST Conference Tournament would also be determined in this fashion should a tie occur.

In short here are the what ifs for the BIG EAST title:

       -  If all three teams win this weekend: the title is         awarded based on winning percentage in BIG EAST games.
- If one of the three loses a match: Connecticut wins over Notre Dame; Notre Dame wins over Georgetown and Georgetown wins over Connecticut.

BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP: Six teams advance to the 17th annual BIG EAST Tournament, held at Pittsburgh, November 21-22, based on conference record. The top two teams receive byes into the semifinals.

Saturday, November 21

Match 1:        #4 vs. #5 - 11:00 a.m.Match 2:        #3 vs. #6 - 1:00 p.m.Semifinal 1:    #1 vs. Match 1 winner - 5 p.m.Semifinal 2:    #2 vs. Match 2 winner - 7 p.m.

Sunday, November 22

Semifinal 1 winner vs. Semifinal 2 winner – 2 p.m.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS: Pittsburgh has been a streaky team this season. They won four-straight matches to begin the season, and then lost five matches in a row to some of the toughest competition in the country including Michigan State, Kansas State, Florida and Ohio State. Then the Panthers, who are coached by Cindy Alvear, won six-straight matches, followed by another five-game skid. After a win versus Rutgers and a loss to Seton Hall, Pitt won four in a row before a 0-3 loss to Providence last weekend. With a 4-5 BIG EAST record, they are in danger of not making their first BIG EAST Tournament in 17 seasons.

The Panthers are led by outside hitters Melissa Alpers and Marcia Thiesen as well as middle Jenna Birkel. Thiesen is first on the team in total kills with 284 and attack attempts with 746. Birkel carries a team-leading .272 hitting percentage, and Alpers has the most service aces (29) and digs (272).

The all-time series stands at 10-3 in favor of the Irish. Pitt wins came in 1984 and 1989-90, while Notre Dame has won the last nine-straight contests between the two schools. Last season at Notre Dame, the Irish won 15-7, 15-11 and 15-9.

USA Today/AVCA Top 25 Poll
As of Nov. 10, 1998

R School                        Prev. Rank1. Long Beach State (24-0)      12. Penn St. (24-0)              23. Nebraska (23-0)              34. Stanford (21-2)              55. Florida (24-2)               66. BYU (22-2)                   47. Hawai'i (21-2)               98. Wisconsin (21-4)             89. Pacific (20-4)               1010. UCSB (22-5)                 711. USC (17-4)                  1112. Texas (19-3)                1213. Arkansas (22-3)             1414. Michigan State (19-4)       1615. Colorado (17-4)             1316. UCLA (11-10)                2017. Kansas State (15-8)         2118. USD (19-4)                  1719. Arizona (18-6)              1820. Illinois (16-8)             1521. LMU (16-7)                  1922. Texas A&M (14-8)            2223. Texas Tech (19-8)           2424. Louisville (20-4)           2525. Minnesota (16-9)            23

Others: Northern Iowa, Santa Clara, Colorado State, Florida State, Pepperdine, Oral Roberts, Fairfield, Indiana, Sacramento State, South Carolina, North Carolina, Miami (Ohio), Washington State, Northern Illlinois, Ball State, Eastern Washington, South Florida, Auburn, Fresno State, Georgetown and Illinois State.

SCOUTING THE MOUNTAINEERS: West Virginia is currently tied with Pittsburgh with a 4-5 record in the BIG EAST. They are 11-14 overall and are under the direction of 1997 BIG EAST Coach of the Year Veronica Hammersmith.

The Mountaineers return 10 of their 11 letterwinners from last season and five of their six starters. Leading the way this season is junior middle blocker Nikki Hardy who has 360 kills on 1119 attempts.

The all time series between the two schools stands at 4-1 in favor of the Irish, who have won four-straight.

BIG EAST Conference Top Five
Individual
Team

Volleyball Magazine
Top 20 Poll
As of Nov. 9, 1998

R   School                      Prev. Rank1.  Long Beach St. (24-0)       12.  Penn State (24-0)           23.  Nebraska (23-0)             34.  Stanford (21-2)             45.  BYU (22-2)                  56.  Texas (19-3)                67.  Florida (24-2)              88.  Hawai'i (21-2)              109.  UCSB (22-5)                 910. Pacific (20-4)              1311. USC (17-4)                  1212. Wisconsin (21-4)            1113. Colorado (17-4)             714. Arkansas (22-3)             1415. USD (19-4)                  1516. Michigan St. (19-4)         1917. LMU (16-7)                  1718. UCLA (11-10)                NR19. Kansas State (15-8)         NR20. Northern Iowa (22-2)        20

1998 NOTRE DAME WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL ROSTER

1 Audra Duda **         Sr.     DS      Woodland Hills, Calif.2 Denise Boylan*        So.     S       Lisle, Ill.3 Malinda Goralski      Fr.     MB      Missouri City, Texas4 Kristy Kreher         Fr.     OPP     Birmingham, Mich.5 Emily Schiebout*      Jr.     OPP     Blaine, Minn.6 Marcie Bomhack        Fr.     OH      Waukesha, Wis.7 Christi Girton*       So.     OH      Muncie, Ind.8 Mary Leffers**        Jr.     MB      Tampa, Fla.9 Jo Jameyson*          So.     MB      Alvin, Texas10 Lauren Stettin       Jr.     S/OPP   Burr Ridge, Ill.11 Mandi Powell**       Jr.     OH      Monrovia, Ind.12 Adrienne Shimmel*    So.     OH      Mission Viejo, Calif.13 Lindsay Treadwell*** Sr.     MB      Austin, Texas15 Emily Tarpoff        Jr.     OH      East Lansing, Mich.16 Michelle Graham      So.     S       Austin, Texas
Head Coach:         Debbie Brown, 8th season (Arizona St. '82)Assistant Coaches:  Steve Hendricks, 5th season (Ball State '90);                    Jessica Fiebelkorn-Kerr, 1st season (Notre Dame '93)                    *Denotes Monograms earned

National Attendance Averages
As of Nov. 9, 1998

1.  Hawai'i             6,5862.  Nebraska            3,6923.  Wisconsin           2,7834.  Illinois St.        2,6805.  Penn State          2,3846.  Long Beach State    2,4057.  Florida             2,0758.  Pacific             1,9489.  Texas               1,92810. Illinois            1,835

BIG EAST MATCHES ONLY

    Hitting                             Hitting2.  Kristy Kreher (.287)            1.  Notre Dame (.249)    Blocking                            Blocking2.  Lindsay Treadwell (1.64/g)      1.  Notre Dame (3.71/g)3.  Mary Leffers (1.41/g)    Assists5.  Denise Boylan (11.68/g)
ALL MATCHES

Hitting Hitting4. Lindsay Treadwell (.312) 4. Notre Dame (.225) Blocking Blocking 3. Lindsay Treadwell (1.31/g) 1. Notre Dame (3.35/g) Assists Assists4. Denise Boylan (11.52/g) 5. Notre Dame (14.81/g) Kills 5. Notre Dame (13.35/g) AVCA/Sagarin Division I Power Rating 8/30 - Notre Dame (#19)9/16 - Notre Dame (#52)9/20 - Notre Dame (#72)9/27 - Notre Dame (#70)10/4 - Notre Dame (#73)10/18 - Notre Dame (#63)10/25 - Notre Dame (#64)11/1 - Notre Dame (#61)


AVCA PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Wk 1: Jenny Manz (Florida)Wk 2: Kim Exner (E. Wash.)Wk 3: Benishe Dillard (LBSU)Wk 4: Demitria Sance (Texas)Wk 5: Kim Storey (Arkansas)Wk 6: Petia Yanchulova (USD)Wk 7: Kristee Porter (UCLA)Wk 8: Jenna Wrobel (Mich. St.)Wk 9: Tiffany Carrethers (Rice)Wk 10: Ryann Conners (Ind.)
BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Wk 1: Lindsay Treadwell (ND) Wk 2: Annette Ryan (UCONN) Melissa Tytko (Georgetown) Wk 3: Kerri Potts (Syracuse) Wk 4: Marcia Thiesen (Pitt.) Megan O'Brien (Villanova)Wk 5: Annette Ryan (UCONN) Wk 6: Sheri Kujawa (Rutgers)Wk 7: Connie Chae (St. John's) Rachel Watson (Syracuse)Wk 8: Christi Girton (ND) Kiran Gill (Georgetown)Wk 9: Lola Opadiran (Rutgers) Annette Rynn (UCONN)Wk10: Jenelle Koester (UCONN)

BIG EAST CONFERENCE (As of Nov. 9, 1998)

Team                    BEGeorgetown (21-4)       8-1Connecticut (20-10)     8-1     NOTRE DAME (12-11)      8-1Providence (16-12)      5-4Rutgers (14-11)         5-4Pittsburgh (15-12)      4-5West Virginia (11-14)   4-5Syracuse (19-11)        3-6St. John's (17-15)      3-6Villanova (11-15)       3-6Seton Hall (10-14)      3-6Boston College (11-17)  0-9

BIG EAST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Wk 1: Noreen Carroll    (Syracuse)Wk 2: Stasha Levi       (St. John's)Wk 3: Yulia Vtyurina    (Georgetown)Wk 4: Stasha Levi       (St. John's)Wk 5: Yulia Vtyurina    (Georgetown)Wk 6: Yulia Vtyurina    (Georgetown)Wk 7: Kristy Mercein    (St. John's)Wk 8: Yulia Vtyurina    (Georgetown)Wk 9: Yulia Vtyurina    (Georgetown)Wk 10: Sarah Katinger   (Providence)