Netters snag second in Big East
By MATT OLIVA
Sports Writer
The Notre Dame volleyball team came up one match short in its attempt to win the Big East tournament for the fifth straight time.
In a rematch of last year's finals, Georgetown knocked off Notre Dame (19-7) in three games, 15-11, 15-10 and 15-8, to win their first Big East championship. With the conference championship already in hand, the Hoyas (27-4) clinched an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.
The Hoyas jumped out to a fast 6-0 lead in Game 1. Notre Dame was able to fight back and tie the game at 9 on an ace by Denise Boylan. The Irish then took the lead after a Georgetown hitting error.
The Irish could not stop the Hoyas, however, as Kiran Gill served five straight points for Georgetown, who eventually took Game 1, 15-11.
In the second game the Irish never held the lead. They fell behind 6-1 early and only came as close as 10-8.
Notre Dame managed only two more points to drop the second game and give Georgetown the opportunity for a finals sweep and its first victory over Notre Dame in nine tries.
Once again, in the third match, the Irish fell behind quickly and were unable to recover. The closest they came was a three-point deficit, when the Irish rallied to pull the score to 11-8. Notre Dame was shut down for the rest of the match as Georgetown claimed the game and match for the Big East title.
"They played well. We got more blocks against them in our last match," Irish captain Mary Leffers said of Notre Dame's comeback five-game victory against Georgetown last Sunday. "We did not have a high level of performance, and it is tough to win a big match when everyone is not playing very well."
Leffers, the Big East Player of the Year, had a good game for the Irish, posting 15 kills, three blocks and six digs.
Christi Girton had a good offensive match, finishing with 7 kills, while Boylan ran the Notre Dame offense with 36 assists.
The Hoyas were led by Yulia Vtyurina's 16 kills, while Big East tournament MVP Kaili Stevens contributed seven kills on 12 attempts.
Prior to the finals on Sunday, Notre Dame defeated Connecticut in the semi-finals. The Irish beat the Huskies in four games, 15-12, 6-15, 15-9, and 16-14, with four players finishing with double-digits in kills to help them advance to the finals.
Notre Dame plays another important match this weekend when they travel to Stockton, Calif., for the University of the Pacific's Community Bankers Classic.
Notre Dame takes on Washington State Friday and faces the winner of the Pacific-Sacramento State match on Saturday.
The Irish face a must-win situation, where a victory against Washington State would clinch an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, while a loss would end the season.
"We had our time to think about our loss," said Leffers. "Now we have to get serious for this match."
The NCAA selection show is this Sunday, where the Irish will find out their seed if they defeat Washington State.
"We are not concerned with where we are seeded in the tournament, but we just want to get in," Leffers said.
The Irish have qualified for the tournament the last eight seasons.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, November 23, 1999
