April 13, 1998
Notre Dame Women'S Volleyball to Scrimmage under NCAA Rally-Scoring Format
Irish and Michigan will test radical new scoring in April 15 scrimmage at Joyce Center "Pit" gym
NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Notre Dame and Michigan women's
volleyball teams will play under the newly-proposed rally scoring
format, in a spring scrimmage on Wednesday night, April 15 at the
Joyce Center. The 7:00 p.m. scrimmage will be held in "The Pit"
gymnasium, located between the Joyce Center's north and south
domes, with bleacher seating available for spectators.
The NCAA is looking into a radical change in the sport's scoring
system, whereby a point would be awarded--for either
team--following every serve. The existing scoring system awards
points only to the serving team, with rally scoring implemented
in the decisive fifth game.
Three rally-scoring formats are being tested throughout the
nation this spring and the NCAA will use recommendations from the
member schools to arrive at a final format. At present, the NCAA
is not planning to mandate the scoring change for the 1998 season
or during the 1998 NCAA Championship, although the changes are
expected to take full effect beginning with the 1999 season.
"The new system will have its good points and its bad points,"
says Notre Dame head coach Debbie Brown, a former U.S. Olympic
volleyball team member who next fall will embark on her eighth
season as head coach of the Irish and 14th as a Division I head
coach. "There will be some radical changes that will take some
getting used to, so this is a good idea by the NCAA to test the
different options. A lot of the teams will get the chance to try
it and then discuss the pros and cons.
"The primary benefits of the rally scoring are that it will make
the time frame more predictable and the game will be more
exciting with a point awarded on every serve," says Brown. "For
me, it's a little tough to envision the change because it is a
departure from traditional defensive strategy where you earned
the side out and then served for points. But I think the NCAA
realized it was time for a change. Rally scoring also will make
college volleyball much more attractive for television
broadcasts, which is something that can only help the growth of
the sport."
Wednesday's scrimmage will last approximately two hours and use
format B (the formats are described below). Other options, in
addition to the rally scoring, include awarding two points for
ace serves and kills from the back row.
(A) The first two games are played under a 14-minute clock, with
time elapsing only when the ball is in play. The teams will
change sides after seven minutes of each game, with a 2:00 break
and the chance to submit a new lineup. A team need only lead by
one point when time expires to win the game. If the score is tied
at the end of a game, the teams will play one final and decisive
point. If each team wins one of the first two games, a shorter
3:00 tiebreaker game will be played, with the teams exchanging
sides after 1:30. Each team is allowed 12 substitutions in all
three games, with unlimited player entries by position. Each
coach has two 45-second timeouts per 7:00 period and two timeouts
in the third game. A hypothetical three-game score provided by
the NCAA would be: "61-58, 55-56, 13-12".
(B) Games 1 and 2 will be played to 50, with a team needing to
win by two points. There will be a changeover (as in format A)
when the leading team reaches 25 points. Automatic 45-second
timeouts will occur when the leading team reaches 15 and 40
points, with each coach holding one additional timeout. Teams
would be permitted 20 substitutions per game, with unlimited
entries by position (new players on the mid-game lineup sheet do
not count as subs). If the match is tied after the first two
games, a 10 minute intermission will precede a 15-point,
win-by-two tiebreaker game, with a 45-second break to change
sides when the leading team reaches eight, plus one timeout per
team, 12 subs and unlimited entries.
(C) The scoring is broken down into three "sets", with the first
and second set consisting of two 21-point games and a seven-point
tiebreaker game (if needed). Teams must win by two points and the
only side changes occur between games. If each team wins a set, a
decisive third "set" will be played that consists of rally
scoring to 15. There is a 2:00 break between games, a 10:00
intermission between sets 1 and 2 and a 2:00 break before the
third set. There will be automatic 45-second timeouts in the
first two sets, when the leading team reaches 10 points, plus one
extra team timeout per game and one team timeout in the 7-point
set tiebreakers. The decisive third set will have one timeout per
team. Each team has 12 subs and unlimited entries in each game
and the final set. In the seven-point tiebreakers, each team has
only six subs.
LEFFERS SUFFERS ACL INJURY: Sophomore all-district middle
blocker Mary Leffers (Tampa, Fla.) suffered an anterior cruciate
ligament injury to her right knee in the team's scrimmage at
Purdue on April 4. Leffers--who also played with the Irish
women's basketball team this season--will undergo surgery in
Tampa later this week and will be sidelined indefinitely. The
Irish are set to return 11 of 15 players from the 1997 team that
went 25-9 and advanced to the NCAA regional "sweet 16" round for
the fourth time in the last five seasons. Notre Dame's spring
schedule also included home matches vs. Florida, Purdue, Indiana
and Michigan State while the Irish also took on Ball State and
Evansville at the recent Purdue spring tournament.
DEBBIE BROWN ON THE SPRING: "The players have had the
chance for more match experience and have shown improvement. Our
big emphasis has been on blocking and the team has made some
important strides in that area. We anticipate using
(sophomore-to-be) Christi Girton on the left side, where we will
be losing two great players and our 1997 co-captains, Jaimie Lee
and Angie Harris. I think Christi will do a great job there and
build on her strong freshman season. We have been using
(sophomore-to-be) Jo Jameyson at all three front-row spots and
she will be very valuable due to that versatility.
(Sophomore-to-be) Katie Ward continues to improve for us at
middle blocker and (senior-to-be) Lindsay Treadwell will stay in
the middle at this point, although we had thought of moving her
to the right. (Sophomore-to-be) Denise Boylan has done a very
good job this spring at setter and will be backed up by
(junior-to-be) Lauren Stettin. We are hoping to see healthy
junior seasons from Emily Schiebout on the right side and Mandi
Powell on the left while (defensive specialist) Audra Duda will
join Treadwell as our senior leaders. (Sophomore-to-be) Adrienne
Shimmel also could take on a bigger role after playing great
backrow as a freshman. We have two incoming players--6-0 outside
hitter Marcie Bomhack (Waukesha, Wis.) and 6-1 middle blocker
Malinda Goralski (Misouri City, Texas)--who were named to the
Volleyball Magazine Fab-50 recruit list while our other incoming
player, 6-1 rightside hitter Kristine Kreher (Birmingham, Mich.),
also should make a big impact."
