Oct. 31, 2004
Box Score
VILLANOVA, Pa. - One of the top blocking teams in the nation was in top form on Sunday, as Notre Dame (13-6, 6-0 BIG EAST) swept the Wildcats at Nevin Field House by scores of 30-27, 30-24, 30-22. Villanova (7-16, 1-6 BE) remained winless against the perennial BIG EAST power, falling to the Fighting Irish for the 13th straight time.
Notre Dame, which ranks 15th in the nation in blocks per game, collected 13.5 blocks for the match, including three different players who had at least five total blocks. Villanova, meanwhile, was done in by 35 attack errors which contributed to a season-low .007 hitting percentage.
Individually, the Wildcats were led by sophomore Adrian Semrau (Grafton, Ohio) with 11 kills and freshman Kacy Sellers (Battle Creek, Mich.) with 10 kills, nine digs and a team-high four total blocks.
Villanova surprised its visitors with a quick run at the beginning of the first game, taking a 7-2 lead and forcing Notre Dame to use an early timeout. The Fighting Irish came back to score eight of the next nine points for a 10-8 lead, but the Wildcats continued their strong play. Villanova led 23-18 before the Fighting Irish scored eight straight points to push ahead and win the game.
The Wildcats never got back into a flow offensively after its run at the beginning of the first game, making 25 hitting errors in the final two games and hitting -.051 during that span. A pair of runs by Notre Dame in the second game was the difference, as the Fighting Irish scored six straight points midway through to take a 14-10 lead, and then pulled away from a 17-17 tie with a 9-3 spurt. Notre Dame then led 9-8 early in the third game before scoring 15 of the next 20 points to put the game and the match out of reach.
Lauren Kelbley, Carolyn Cooper and Lauren Brewster each had five total blocks for Notre Dame, which also got 26 digs from libero Meg Hanican and 26 assists from freshman Ashley Tarutis.
The Wildcats played another strong match defensively, getting a team-high 17 digs from junior Dana Kabashima (Santa Monica, Calif.) and a double-double from sophomore Jen Lalli (Media, Pa.), who had 30 assists and 10 digs.
Villanova returns to action locally on Tuesday when it visits city rival Pennsylvania at 7 p.m.
