Oct. 22, 2001

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky volleyball team looks to rebound from its loss to South Carolina by recording its first win over a ranked opponent when Notre Dame comes to town on Tuesday, Oct. 23 for a 7 p.m. match in Memorial Coliseum.

The Cats struggled in Columbia on Sunday, hitting a dismal -.107 in the third game against the Gamecocks. USC grabbed the win, 3-0, while relying heavily on the talents of Cally Plummer, who tallied 11 kills in the win.

This marks UK’s final non-conference matchup before the Southeastern Conference Tournament in Knoxville, Nov. 17-19. Kentucky will travel to Louisville to take on the Cardinals on Nov. 21 before heading to Clemson for a post-Thanksgiving match on Nov. 23.

The Irish have enjoyed a rather successful season so far, earning a 12-4 record and a No. 20 national ranking this week. Notre Dame is coming off a 3-1 loss to then-No. 16 Northern Iowa last Tuesday in Cedar Falls. UND was riding a nine-match win streak into the contest, which saw the Irish hit a dismal .037.The loss dropped the Irish three places in this week’s AVCA Top 25.

Senior Kristi Kreher leads the Notre Dame attack with 3.6 kills per game, while senior Malinda Goralski’s .389 hitting percentage is tops for the team.

UK has met Notre Dame on the volleyball court a total of 15 times, with the Cats holding the 9-6 advantage, while Notre Dame has won the past four meetings. The teams last met on Sept. 11, 1999, a 3-0 UND win at the Big Orange Bash in Clemson, S.C. Kentucky’s last win in the series came on Sept. 3, 1993, a 3-2 win in South Bend.