Volleyball Beats Northwestern 3-1
July 25, 2000 | Women's Volleyball
September 4, 1999
SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Freshman Sonja Percan had 23 kills and two aces to lead the University of Louisville to a 3-1 win over Northwestern at the Shamrock Invitational.
The 15-12, 15-11, 15-17, 15-11 win evened the Cardinals' record at 1-1, while Northwestern fell to 0-3.
In the first game, Louisville got off to a sluggish start, falling behind 4-1 primarily on its own hitting errors or miscues. However, three misfires by Northwestern tied it at four. After that, neither team could maintain a lead. An ace by Percan tied the first set at 11. The freshman from Croatia then had two of her five kills for points to power the Cardinals to the 15-12 win. Neither team hit well, with Louisville edging Northwestern .077 to .061.
"Our freshmen are doing a great job. Sonja Percan and Stacey Mercer have been contributing in a way that they cannot be ignored. Sarah Drury has been passing well and using her quickness on defense," said Leonid Yelin.
In the second game, Northwestern allowed the Cardinals to overcome an 8-2 deficit by committing six unforced errors for points. Staying close, the Wildcats tied it at nine before letting the Cardinals score five unanswered points to bring it to game point. The Wildcats staved off six game point opportunities and scored a pair of points in the meantime before a solo block by Sherry Hurley clinched the 15-11 win. The Cards were led by Percan's eight kills and an ace, and Mercer had three kills on four attacks. In the second set, U of L hit .347 to the Wildcats .196.
In the third game, U of L popped out to a 5-1 lead before Northwestern tied it at eight. The Wildcats took their first lead at 10-9 with a kill by Carmen Burbach. The Cardinals reached match point on an ace by Emily Roberson only to see Northwestern score a pair of aces and tie it at 14. The Wildcats notched five aces in the third set.
The teams traded sideouts before McClain scored with a kill off Northwestern's block to go up 15-14. Northwestern came back with a pair of points including a kill by Leah Ackermann to bring it to a Wildcat game point. Ackermann then had a block to win the game 17-15.
Both teams battled for the match momentum in the fourth game, with neither team able to build a substantial lead. Trailing 7-6, Louisville used a pair of service aces to help themselves to a six-point spurt to go up 12-8. Two Louisville hitting errors cost them a pair of points and forced the Cards to call a timeout to regroup. The ploy worked as the Cards had two straight points to get to game point. Percan had the match-winning point to clinch U of L's first win of the season.
McClain added 22 kills and 24 digs to the effort, with setter Roberson pitching in three aces.
