University of Louisville
ARIZONA
Volleyball Falls to Arizona
August 28, 2009 | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 28, 2009
Senior middle blocker Lecia Brown hit .692 with 10 kills and two blocks but it was not enough as the University of Louisville fell 25-23, 25-20, 25-23 to Arizona in the first round of the Sheraton Riverside/Puccini's Cardinal Classic in college volleyball action late Friday night at Cardinal Arena.
"We played a good team, but we have to learn how to finish. We had opportunities to win in both the first and third games but couldn't slam the door," said U of L head coach Leonid Yelin. "You can practice for every situation but it takes a game with a good opponent to expose your weaknesses."
The Cardinals dropped their season opener and gave visiting Arizona its first win. The loss snaps the Cardinals seven match home winning streak. The Wildcats hit .295 and had three aces and six blocks for the win. UA was led by Tiffany Owens' 12 kills and seven digs. U of L hit .229 with freshman Lola Arslanbekova making her college debut with 16 kills, an ace and two blocks. The Cards were plagued with service errors with eight but outblocked UA with both teams getting 27 digs in the closely contested match.
"I was very pleased with the freshmen's contribution," said Yelin. "Kasey Heckelman came off the bench and gave us a lift and Lola played like a veteran."
In the first game, neither team could build a lead of more than two points. The Wildcats were able to come back from a 23-22 deficit to run off four straight points for the win. U of L hit .387 in the second set but fell behind 11-5 and had to scramble to get back into the game. Using a 5-1 run, U of L came within two at 17-15 and forced an Arizona timeout. The Wildcats regrouped and ran off four straight to go up 21-15. Anastasia Artemeva's two straight kills staved off UA but a kill by Stephanie Snow ended the set. The Cardinals hit a frigid .057 in the final set but still hung on. Tied at 20, the Cardinals had five errors to fall 25-23.
Lindsey Mango had 12 digs and Gosia Lech added four kills and three digs. For Arizona, Dana Hutchinson had nine kills and five digs.
U of L plays Belmont at 7 p.m. Saturday.
