University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Volleyball Wins 11th Big East Title
11/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Volleyball
Volleyball Wins 11th Big East Title
11/23/2003
NOTRE DAME, Ind. ? Once wasn?t good enough for Pittsburgh. For the second time in as many Sundays, the Panthers? volleyball team defeated Notre Dame and earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament with the 30-20, 30-26, 31-29 victory. This time, it happened on Notre Dame?s Joyce Center Court.
?I am so proud of our players for the effort they gave forth today,? Head Coach Chris Beerman said. ?We came up here knowing we could win the Big East Championship and we did it. It?s a great feeling.?
Junior Megan Miller (Milford, Conn./Jonathan Law) led the Panthers with 20 kills and a .545 hitting percentage, with four blocks, five digs, and a service ace. It was the first loss for Notre Dame in 62 matches against Big East schools at home.
For her efforts, Miller was named the Tournament?s Most Valuable Player. She had 30 kills and seven blocks for the weekend. Also contributing to Sunday?s victory was Sarah Rollman (Norfolk, Neb./Norfolk) with 17 kills, a .341 hitting percentage and eight digs. Wendy Hatlestad (Roseville, Minn./Roseville Area) had 14 kills and five digs in the win.
Junior setter Lindsey Macke (Ft. Thomas, Ky./Notre Dame Academy) had a match-high 55 assists against the Irish to go with nine digs, and sophomore libero Megan McGrane (Muncie, Ind./Delta) had a team-best 14 digs.
In the first game, Notre Dame scored the first two points and had several two-point advantages. Pittsburgh came storming back and went on a 15-5 run to take an eight-point lead and forced the Fighting Irish to take two timeouts. Notre Dame did cut the Panthers? lead to 19-15 at one point but the Panthers scored 11 of the final 16 points to win the first frame, 30-20.
Miller and Rollman had six kills apiece to lead the Panthers in that game. As a team, the Panthers outhit the Irish, .383 to .146.
The second game was a back-and-forth battle with neither team gaining more than a two-point advantage until Pittsburgh gained a 21-18 lead. That was enough for the Panthers and they held on for a 30-26 victory.
In the second frame, Miller had eight kills and hit .571 with two blocks and Rollman added six kills and three digs. Early in the second set, McGrane recorded her 1,000th career dig and became the first Panther player with 500 digs in a season earlier in the first game.
The Panthers were appearing in their first final since 1996 and it was their 11th title since the conference began tournament play in 1982. With two more regular-season games to play at the Community Banker?s Classic in Stockton, Calif., the Panthers? NCAA first-round opponent will not be announced until Sunday, Nov. 30.
NOTES: The title was the Panthers? first since 1994 and it has also been nine years since the team appeared in the NCAA Tournament.
