Irish earn multiple conference honors
By RACHAEL PROTZMAN
Sports Writer
After finishing undefeated at 11-0 in the Big East regular season, Notre Dame volleyball swept the conference honors at the 2000 awards banquet held Friday before the conference championship.
The Irish, who earned their fifth Big East championship title in the past six years with three-game wins over Connecticut and Rutgers this weekend, will move on to the NCAA tournament. Notre Dame, which has been ranked No. 1 in the NCAA Northeast Region for all of the 2000 season, led the conference with a .317 hitting percentage going into the weekend.
"I think it gave us a lot of confidence going into the weekend," senior co-captain Denise Boylan said. "We had every reason to be confident. We were undefeated this season going into the tournament and expected to win."
Irish head coach Debbie Brown was named coach of the year for the second time, the first being 1995, after leading Notre Dame to a 23-5 season. Denise Boylan became the Big East player of the year following preseason player of the year honors. Boylan,who led the conference in assists per game with 16.03 while leading the team with 1214 on the season, was also named setter of the year.
Following the Big East championship held in the Joyce Center this weekend, Boylan was also named the Big East Championship most outstanding player.
"I really wasn't expecting to be player of the year," said Boylan. "We have a lot of talented people on the team and it could have gone to a bunch of different people."
Fellow senior co-captain Christi Girton was also named to the all-Big East first team. Following two weeks of being named conference player of the week, Girton leads the Irish with 396 kills after the weekend championship games.
Junior Krisy Kreher, also named to the all-Big East first team, comes in second with 389 kills for a .345 hitting percentage while leading Notre Dame with 244 digs. Kreher holds the Irish record of kills in a four-game match with 32 against Loyola Marymount.
Junior Marcie Bomhack was Notre Dame's lone all-Big East second team selection. Bomhack, who was named Big East player of the week on Nov. 6, comes in second for the Irish with 240 digs.
Freshman Kim Fletcher finished up the Irish's awards with all-conference rookie of the year honors. Fletcher racked up 76 kills in 2000, including a .636 hitting mark against Pittsburgh earlier in the season.
"We've been pretty dominant in the Big East this year so I really don't think it was much of a surprise that we got so many awards," Boylan said.
The Irish will finish their regular season play on Friday against No. 3 USC.
All Sports Stories for Monday, November 20, 2000
