Volleyball Falls to Notre Dame in Big East Championship Final
11/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Volleyball Falls to Notre Dame in Big East Championship Final
11/21/2004
PITTSBURGH ?
The Panthers (21-8) blasted out to an early 5-1 lead in game one of the match but Notre Dame (18-8) fought back and took the first set by a 30-23 score. In both the second and third sets, Pittsburgh fell behind only to make late rallies but came up short by counts of 30-26 and 30-26 to finish second in the conference.
Notre Dame earns the conference?s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament and the Panthers still have two regular-season matches against nationally ranked Tennessee and Louisville before NCAA at-large berths are announced on Sunday, November 28.
Senior Melissa Whaley (Ancaster, Ontario/St. Mary?s Secondary), making her second consecutive start on the outside, hit .529 with 10 kills and just one error in 17 attempts and added six digs defensively. Whaley was one of four Pittsburgh players in double-figures in kills. Leading the way was Big East Freshman of the Year Diana Andreyko (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) with 15 kills, a .238 hitting percentage and a season-best 20 digs in the loss.
Also recording 10 or more kills were junior Gini Ullery (Tracy, Calif./Tracy) with 14 and six digs, and senior Megan Miller (Milford, Conn./Jonathan Law) with 11 putaways. Senior setter Lindsey Macke (Ft. Thomas, Ky./Notre Dame Academy) had a double-double with a team-best 33 assists and 10 digs, while Megan McGrane (Muncie, Ind./Delta) had 23 digs in the three-game match.
The Fighting Irish earned their eighth Big East title and were led by Lauren Kelbley on Sunday with 14 kills and a .343 hitting percentage. The tournament?s Most Outstanding Player, Lauren Brewster, hit .250 with eight kills and a match-high seven blocks against the Panthers.