Sept. 11, 1999

CLEMSON, S.C. - After beginning the season 4-0, UK dropped its second-straight match of the season on Saturday afternoon, falling 3-0 to the No. 30 ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Jervey Gym in Clemson, S.C. The Wildcats lost both of their matches at the Big Orange Bash. No. 18 Clemson beat the Cats 3-0 on Friday night.

The first two games went similarly for the Wildcats as they reversed their trend of falling behind early, like the team did in all three games against Clemson on Friday, and jumped out to 5-1 leads in each game. But the Fighting Irish battled back with runs of 9-1 in game one and 11-2 in game two, winning each game by a 15-9 count.

The Wildcats were on the ropes heading into the third game, but once again showed their resiliency to defeat with a valiant effort. The outcome was another 15-9 defeat, but the game was much closer than the final score suggested. The Cats were trailing 7-10 when the teams went back and forth for six consecutive side outs before the Irish broke the deadlock with three straight points. UK cut the gap to 9-13 before UND closed out the match.

"We knew that we would have to elevate our level of play if we were going to beat these teams this weekend," said UK head coach Jona Braden. "They (Clemson and Notre Dame) are two very good teams. We showed flashes of being able to play them, but we just need to show that ability on a consistent basis. We are getting there."

Kentucky goes home with a 4-2 mark this season while the Irish improve to 4-1. UK still holds a 9-6 advantage head-to-head with Notre Dame, but the Irish have won the last four meetings.

The Cats will finally return to Memorial Coliseum for their second home match of the season on Sept. 14 versus the Lady Toppers of Western Kentucky at 7 p.m.

AGATE
Clemson, S.C.
Jervey Gym
Attendance: 308