Sept. 14, 2003
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Redshirt freshman Lynae Vanden Hull led the Gamecocks with a career high 21 kills and 15 digs as the Gamecocks (4-5) topped the 15th-ranked Fighting Irish of Notre Dame (7-2) 3-1 Sunday. Game scores were 30-26, 30-27, 24-30 and 31-29. The Gamecocks finished the match with four players in double-digit kills.
Carolina hit .242 to Notre Dame’s .165 and out dug the Irish 75-71. Both teams recorded 10 total team blocks while Notre Dame had eight service errors to Carolina’s 11. Notre Dame is the second top 25 team to fall to the Garnet and Black this year as Carolina defeated then No. 17 North Carolina 3-0 last week. The Gamecocks are now 2-3 against ranked opponents this year.
Tied at 16 in game one, a kill by Vanden Hull gave Carolina a 16-15 lead and from there the Gamecocks scored four more points to go up 20-15 and build its largest lead of the game. Carolina maintained the lead and sealed the deal on a Notre Dame ball handling error by Kelly Burrell to give the Garnet and Black a 30-26 game one win. Ford led the Gamecocks in game one with five kills and five total blocks. Carolina out hit the Irish .333 to .111 in the first game.
Carolina took game two 30-27 and continued to put better numbers then the Irish. The Gamecocks recorded 17 kills and had eight errors to record a .200 hitting percentage. Ford recorded USC’s second service ace of the match which put Carolina up 29-25. Notre Dame then scored two more points but a kill by Shonda Cole gave the Gamecocks the win and a 2-0 lead in the match. At the break, Vanden Hull led Carolina in kills with 12 and a career high five digs.
Notre Dame prevented the three-game sweep for the Garnet and Black as they took game three 30-24. The Irish returned from the break, took the lead from the first point and held it the entire time. Despite hitting .306 with 18 kills and a match low three errors, Carolina could not find its groove. The Irish led by as much as eight and the Gamecocks came within four when the score was 23-27 but Notre Dame’s 3-1 run in the end kept the match alive and cut Carolina’s lead to 2-1.
In game four, Carolina had a 15-14 lead but due to an out of order rotation several points earlier in the game, the Irish was awarded a point and five were taken away from the Gamecocks. The game then resumed with Carolina down 10-15. The Gamecocks had to climb back to gain those five points and on a service ace by Panzau, Carolina tied the game 22-22. The game continued to go back and forth and a Vanden Hull kill put the Gamecocks within sight of the win as they took the lead 29-28. Notre Dame responded with a kill by Emily Loomis which tied the game at 29. Gamecock newcomers Katelyn Panzau and Lauren Ford then built a brick wall in front of the net, each recording a block assist on an Irish attack by Meg Henican. That put Carolina up 30-29 as Shonda Cole entered the match and recorded one of her 12 kills to guarantee the Gamecocks victory in the game and the match.
Next for Carolina is the Gamecock Invitational, Sept. 18-20. USC will host No. 13 Santa Clara, Duke and George Washington in the tournament and open against Santa Clara Thursday at 7 p.m.
