10/03/07 ~ G - Volleyball
Tigers Tame Warriors

(from the smdailyjournal.com)

By Emanuel Lee
Daily Journal Staff

The Notre Dame-Belmont volleyball team made it look easy.
Of course, things are rarely that simple in the West Catholic Athletic League, which only made the Tigers’ performance all the more impressive. Despite a hiccup in Game 3, the host Tigers came back strong to win in four games over a talented Valley Christian squad, 25-23, 25-17, 22-25, 25-17 on Tuesday.

Notre Dame (1-1 WCAL, 10-9 overall) had everything working in last night’s match, just as it has for most of the season. Erin Longinotti (13 kills) was bringing the heat from the outside, and Margaret Dowling was overpowering in the middle and on the slide. Valley Christian (0-2, 11-4) showed flashes of great play, but it couldn’t match Notre Dame’s focus or chemistry.

“We’re working on the stability of our game,” Tigers coach Monica Marcuson said. “Obviously we hated losing the third game, but it was nice to come out in the fourth game and take off, which was our goal.”

Notre Dame set the tone by winning Game 1. It was a nip and tuck affair to the very end, but the Tigers won the game’s last three points to demoralize the Warriors. Trailing 23-22, Notre Dame relied on two Valley Christian hitting errors sandwiched in between a Kelsey Walters ace to close things out. Longinotti spearheaded Notre Dame’s Game 2 win, doling out three consecutive service aces as part of the team’s game-ending 6-0 run.

The Tigers were either feast or famine on their service game. They punished the Warriors with 15 aces, but they also had nine service errors. Still, the errors were offset by a number of other strong serves that put Valley Christian on the defensive from the start of a number of points.

Tigers setter Kathleen Dude pumped out 40 assists to go along with four aces. Notre Dame’s only blemish came in Game 3. Even though Dowling at one point scored four consecutive points with a number of emphatic kills, the team’s passing fell apart, and with that, everything else with it.

However, the Tigers quickly regained its form in Game 4, leading from the start and building a commanding 18-7 lead. The one thing that stood out in the victory was Notre Dame’s defensive positioning and feistiness in scrambling for balls. The Tigers rarely let balls drop and got to a number of Valley Christian hits that would’ve dropped to the floor against most teams.

Libero Kathryn Caselli and Kasey Van Ostrand led the defensive effort, making solid pass after solid pass. Rachel Heagy was a force in the middle, finishing with eight kills and three blocks. Dowling had four blocks.

“I’m pleased that the girls have played at a pretty high level,” Marcuson said. “Last year we were more offensive, but we’re more defensive and scrappier this year. After last year I made the decision to play in tournaments we never played before (Mitty and St. Francis tournaments). We’ve beat some big teams and played some high energy matches, and our goal always is to win league.”