Weekend games begin with victory
By RACHAEL PROTZMAN
Sports Writer
No. 24 Notre Dame volleyball got a head start on this weekend's Golden Dome Invitational with a close victory (15-9, 16-14, 15-17, 16-14) against No. 22 Loyola Marymount Thursday.
"Every game was very tight. It was a very evenly played match," Irish head coach Debbie Brown said. "If you look at the rankings, they're 22, we're 24, it is pretty close."
After falling in game one, Loyola came back to dominate game two action. But they fell short of taking the game.
The Lions struggled to take the lead in the beginning of the game, but were able to grasp it before the Irish scored six straight points for the win. Loyola Marymount took charge early in game three, allowing Notre Dame to score one before taking the lead. The Irish were not going to end the game there, however, and put up a fight.
With a 14-11 score Notre Dame came back with four points to take the lead before the Lions scored three to claim the victory.
Brown said the Irish owe part of their win to Loyola's predictability.
"I think that we're more balanced than they are so when it comes down to it there were some times when we had an advantage because we knew exactly what they were going to do," Brown said. "They were a lot more predictable."
Notre Dame's struggle for dominance continued in game four as the Lions matched the Irish point for point. Notre Dame ended the match by gaining control at the end as it scored two for the 16-14 win.
The Irish believe the win will go far in boosting team confidence.
"I think [the win] gives us confidence for a lot," Brown said. "Beating a top 25 team is important and also just being in a tough situation and having to battle back and forth for points and coming out on top is huge."
"I'm excited about the win," she added. "It was a good team effort and I think that the team played with a lot of heart."
The Irish will face Wyoming today in game two of the Golden Dome Invitational at 7 p.m. in the Joyce Center and No. 13 Colorado State on Saturday at 7 p.m.
All Sports Stories for Friday, September 22, 2000
