Hurricanes Fall to No. 12 Notre Dame
Nov. 9, 2003
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The University of Miami volleyball team fell in three sets, 30-26, 30-24, 30-22, to the 12th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish in front of 2,715 fans at the Joyce Center on Sunday evening in a nationally televised game on College Sports Television.
Head Coach Nicole Lantagne Welch’s Hurricanes drop to 21-8 on the season and 8-3 in BIG EAST Conference play. Notre Dame improves to 21-2 overall and 10-0 in BIG EAST action.
“It was very disappointing that we couldn’t compete from start to finish in the match,” Lantagne Welch said. “We had leads in the first two games and then seemed go on a string of errors, and shot ourselves in the foot.”
Leyre Santaella Sante led the Hurricanes offensively with 13 kills, while hitting .212. Robin Lewullis added nine kills and Francheska Savage added eight kills. Defensively, Karla Johnson and Jamie Grass led the way with seven digs each.
The Irish front line of frustrated Miami all day, totaling 10 blocks to play a vital role in Notre Dame’s success. The Fighting Irish hit .326 as a team compared to Miami’s .216 hitting percentage.
Notre Dame took the opening game, 30-26, as the Irish outside hitter Lauren Kelbley registered six kill to go along with a .400 hitting percentage. Miami countered with four kills apiece from Francheska Savage (.667) and Robin Lewullis (.375).
The Irish went on to win game two, 30-24, and take a 2-0 lead in the match. Notre Dame received six kills from Emily Loomis, who hit .545 during the second game.
Santaella Sante turned in a strong second game with six kills and a .545 hitting percentage for Miami. Lewullis continued her strong play in game two with three kills and four defensive digs.
Notre Dame jumped out to a commanding early lead in the third game and held on for the 30-22 win to close out the match.
The Hurricanes return home for the regular-season finale on Saturday, Nov. 15, at the Knight Sports Complex at 7 p.m. against Virginia Tech. Miami has also clinched a spot in the BIG EAST Tournament on Nov. 22 and 23 in South Bend, Ind.
