University of Louisville
at Tulane *
Volleyball Stays Undefeated in C-USA with Sweep of Tulane
October 29, 2004 | Women's Volleyball
Oct. 29, 2004
Lena Ustymenko had 11 kills and 10 digs to lead the University of Louisville to a 30-23, 30-20, 30-15 win over Tulane in Conference USA volleyball action Friday night.
U of L improves to 19-2 and 9-0 in league play. Tulane falls to 13-6 and 4-4 in C-USA play.
"We are blocking so well," said Leonid Yelin. "It makes it very difficult for our opponents to get into their offensive rhythm. We played well all around tonight."
The Cardinals, who are ranked sixth in the nation in hitting percentage outhit Tulane .371 to .101. U of L outblocked Tulane 13-3.
Down by one at 8-7, the Cardinals used an 8-3 run to establish a lead they did not relinquish. Tulane stayed tight, coming to within two at 17-15 when the Cardinals were called for a lift. U of L responded with another 8-3 run to put it out of reach. An Ana Yartseva kill took U of L to game point and a tip by Elena Pilnikova punctuated the set for the 30-23 win. The Cardinals out-hit the Wave .333 to .184.
The Cardinals did not take their first lead until 17-16 on a block by Yartseva and Pilnikova. This sparked U of L on a 12-1 run and game point. An attack by Jennifer Hoffman was good for game point. U of L hitting improved to .333 for the game.
In the third game, Tulane could not mount an offensive effort, falling behind 12-4 in the early going and never recovered.
Yartseva ended up with nine blocks and Hoffman had three blocks solos. Libero Candace Cogan had 11 digs to lead the Cardinals. Tulane was led by Lindsey Norman's 15 kills.
