Cards Swept By Notre Dame In Volleyball
July 25, 2000 | Women's Volleyball
September 5, 1999
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Jo Jameyson had 10 kills and nine digs to lead Notre Dame to a 16-14, 15-13, 15-4 win over Louisville in the last game of the Shamrock Invitational.
Louisville stands at 1-2 with Notre Dame improving to 2-1. Kelly McClain and Sonja Percan were named to the All-Shamrock Invitational Tournament Team which was won by Pacific.
"We waited too long to start playing," said head coach Leonid Yelin. "However, Notre Dame is an experienced team with a tall, aggressive setter in Denise Boylan, who got all-tournament honors."
In the first game, Louisville let Notre Dame out to a 6-2 lead powered by a pair of aces by Boylan. The Cardinals tied the game at six on a Sonja Percan tip. Notre Dame pulled back into the lead with three unanswered points to go up 9-6. A Percan kill and a pair of blocks for points tied it at nine. Once again, the Irish scored three straight points including a pair of kills by Kristy Kreher. Freshman Stacey Mercer had a block and a kill for the Cards to bring U of L within one point at 12-11.
A pair of Louisville miscues took the Irish to game point but a kill by McClain and a block by Sherry Hurley got them to 14-13 and forced an Irish timeout. Louisville tied it at 14 on a McClain kill, but Notre Dame scored the final two points to win 16-14. Despite the loss, Louisville outhit the Irish .275 to .121 and outblocked them five to one.
In the second game, the Cardinals built a tentative lead at 5-3 but had to use both timeouts to halt an eight-point run by the Irish, who went up 12-6. The Irish committed three straight hitting errors and McClain muscled a shot through the block and served an ace to tie it at 12. The Irish also expended both timeouts to try to interrupt the Cardinals' momentum. After tying it at 13, the teams traded numerous sideouts before Kreher and Jameyson each had kills for points to win the game 15-13.
Louisville suffered a hitting swoon in game three and watched Notre Dame get to match point quickly, down 14-2. The Cardinals managed two points and forced the Irish to side out three times at match point before falling 15-4.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Tracy Chambers, Pacific, Tonya Dimitrijevic, Pacific, Kelly McClain, Louisville, Sonja Percan, Louisville, Denise Boylan, Notre Dame, Mary Leffers, Notre Dame.
TOURNAMENT MVP: Elsa Steggemann, Pacific.
