Nov. 5, 2006
TAMPA, FLA.- Sophomores Mallorie Croal (Villa Park, Calif./Villa Park) and Justine Stremick (Langdon, N.D./Langdon Area) each tallied 15 kills, as Notre Dame’s volleyball team (15-10, 9-3 BIG EAST) swept its second straight road conference opponent with a 3-0 victory over South Florida (12-13, 7-5 BIG EAST) on Sunday, Nov. 5 at The Corral in Tampa, Fla. The game scores went 30-14, 30-19, 30-19.
Croal had a efficient performance, as she was tied for match lead with 15 kills on 25 swings and only one error for a .560 hitting percentage. Croal also contributed eight digs and a block assists for a 15.5 points. Stremick had an even better afternoon with 15 kills on 20 attempts with no errors for a .750 hitting percentage, to go along with seven assists for a match best 18.5 points. Freshman Megan Fesl (Arlington Heights, Ill./John Hersey) chipped in eight kills, three service aces and two blocks for 12.5 points. Serinity Phillips (Valley Center, Calif./Valley Center) totaled five kills, six digs and five blocks. Freshman Kim Kristoff (Carmel, Ind./Brebeuf Jesuit Prep) had five kills, four digs, four blocks and a career-high five-service ace. The Irish junior setter Ashley Tarutis (Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos) led the team with 39 assists. Danielle Herndon (Plant City, Fla./Durant) added 10 digs. For the match, the Irish out hit South Florida .432 to .088.
The Irish took control early in the first game jumping out to an 11-4 lead behind five consecutive serving points from Phillips. A Fesl kill and service ace on back-to-back possessions grew the lead to eight. The Irish lead reached 10 on kill from Croal at 17-7. After the Bulls had closed to within seven, three-service aces in four possessions by Kristoff put the lead back at 10. The Irish would close the game on 7-1 run to take the first game 30-14.
The second game was tight until a Stremick kill put Notre Dame up three at 12-9. A service ace from Fesl increased the lead to seven. Stremick put down two more kills in three possessions to give Notre Dame a 10-point lead at 26-16. Croal finished off the second game with back-to-back kills to give Notre Dame a 30-19 victory.
Phillips gave the Irish a four-point lead, 9-5, early in the third game with a kill. Kristoff had a run of five straight serving points in the middle of the game to increase the lead to nine, 14-5. A Croal kill brought the lead to 10 at 27-17, before the Irish finished the game and match on a Croal block. Fesl led the attack in the third game with five kills.
Next, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish return home for a pair of matches. The Irish start the last homestand of the season against Pittsburgh on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. before finishing the home regular season with a 2 p.m. match against West Virginia on Sunday, Nov. 12.
Notes: Notre Dame’s hitting percentage of .432 was the highest of the season … the Irish are 2-0 lifetime against the Bulls … Croal has now led the team or has been tied for the team lead in kills seven times this season … Stremick’s 15 kills were a career-high … Stremick’s .750 hitting percentage was the highest mark for Notre Dame this season and the highest for an Irish player that averaged at least four attacks per game since 2001 (Kristy Kreher .765)