University of Louisville
WICHITA STATE
Volleyball Clinches Classic with Win Over Wichita
September 03, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 3, 2011
Box Score | Photo Gallery 
Rucker Postmatch Interview
Outdo 19- and 18-kill performances from the previous 24 hours, hit nearly 200 points higher than your already stellar season mark, and send your team to its best start in six years, all with a big target on your back against a perennial NCAA Tournament contender?
No problem.
Fresh off dominant outings in their own right in the weekend's first two matches, tournament MVP Lola Arslanbekova went off for a career high-tying 26 kills on a .537 hitting percentage to lead the Cards past Wichita State, 3-1, in Louisville's final match of the 2011 Cardinal Crowne Plaza Classic. U of L claimed the event's title with a 3-0 weekend record, spurring the Cardinals to their best six-game start (5-1) since the 2005 team won 20 straight to begin the year.
"We are excited to win our home tournament," said Louisville head coach Anne Kordes. "Lola turned in a dominant performance from an outside hitter. Everybody in the gym knew where it was going and she was still able to put it down."
Ten of Arslanbekova's 26 kills--giving her 63 for the weekend at a .473 clip--came in the final set, on just 13 swings with no errors. No Cardinal has had more in a match since that '05 season, when Lena Ustymenko notched 31 in a four-set win over Western Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Championship. This particular match had an NCAA-like feel as well, with Wichita State making the national tourney the last four years (bringing back a win three of those times) and winning 21+ matches in each of the past eight.
Despite Lola's dominance, the match was squarely in limbo (1-1) at the intermission after the Shockers took five of the last seven points to snag the second set, 25-21. But an 8-0 Cardinal run after a 2-2 tie in the third was too much to overcome, with Louisville cruising to a 25-17 win in that frame and a 25-16 victory in the fourth. Lola's 26th kill--a fitting end to the night--iced the win and extended the Cards' home win streak to 11 matches.
"Now we have no down time because we have a big match at UK on Wednesday. So we will celebrate tonight and then get back to work tomorrow."
After a Gwen Rucker service error, a Wichita State kill, and a rare miss from Lola on consecutive points, the Cards found themselves down 14-10 in the opening frame. But Kordes called for time, and her spirited talk at the bench had the desired impact. Louisville parlayed its traditional strength--blocking--and its newfound strength in 2011--points from the service line--into a 15-6 run to take the set, a stretch including five U of L blocks and three of its five aces on the night. Mattingly was good for a pair of roofs out of the break, getting help from Arslanbekova and then Emily Juhl, to immediately splice the lead in half. An Arslanbekova kill two points later made it 15-13 before a Juhl solo stuff cut the lead to one.
Then down 18-17, Juhl was in on another Louisville point, although not necessarily of her own volition; her attack try was blocked back in her direction, took one bounce off of her back and went straight to setter Taylor Brauneis, who set Lola up for a kill to tie the set. Juhl followed with an ace to give U of L the lead, but her subsequent service error and a Mary Elizabeth Hooper/Elizabeth Field WSU block allowed the Shockers to take back the advantage, 20-19.
That would be it for Wichita State (2-3) in the set, however, as Lola's kill straight through the legs of Ashley Andrade tied it and her next strike put Louisville up. Rucker's back-to-back blocks, the latter of the solo variety, made it 23-20 before a ball-handling error led to set point. Junior outsider hitter Kaitlynn James let her serve at 24-20 fly in the direction of Camri Zwiesler, who backpedaled but could not get back in time, securing the ace for James and the set for U of L.
The second set was a see-saw battle at its best, with neither team taking more than a two-point lead through the first 28 points. Deadlocked at 14, it was Wichita State head coach Chris Lamb's timeout that seemed to do the trick this time. WSU took the first two out of the hiatus, the second after Sarah Waldorf dug Juhl's attack and had it drop untouched on the other side for a kill. A three-point lead (18-15) went to two after Andrade's service error, and four points later, Brooke Mattingly's kill following a Gosia Lech service error got the Cards within one at 20-19. But a huge block from Andrade and Sam Sanders made it 22-19, and after a Lola kill on WSU's first set point, her serve found net to tip the set to the Shockers. U of L outhit the Shockers .241 to .207 in the frame, but earned just two points on blocks and had four service errors without an ace.
Sophomore Caitlin Welch, whose 22 digs fell one shy of a career best, found herself on the service stripe for the Cards' 8-0 third-set run. WSU fought back to within six at 14-8, put Lola skied for a kill and then parted the Red Sea with a tip to a wide open middle of the floor, giving Louisville a 16-9 cushion. Arslanbekova ended the set as well, notching her 16th kill of the night after a Waldorf service error. Juhl put her body to good use again in the stanza, seeing a bounce off the noggin eventually lead to the fifth point of Louisville's eight-point string.
After opening up a 14-7 lead in the fourth set, the Cards never saw the lead dip below four. Mattingly, who joined Arslanbekova on the all-tournament team, added four kills of her own in the set, including a pair at the back end of a 4-0 run that gave U of L match point. Mattingly notched eight kills in the match and hit .406 for the weekend, which included 10 blocks (six against Eastern Illinois and four versus the Shockers).
The Cards outhit WSU .328 to .130 on the night and are outhitting their foes .335 to .113 for the season. Rucker hit .400 with nine kills and added six stuffs, while James narrowly missed a double-double, ending with nine kills, nine digs, and three blocks. Brauneis totaled 43 assists.
U of L's five service aces in the match give the squad 41 in six outings, or 1.95/set. The highest season average for the Cards since 1999 is 1.76/set, achieved in 2006.
Louisville will travel to Lexington on Wednesday for a 7:00 p.m. match with the Wildcats in Memorial Coliseum.
