Volleyball Beats Rutgers At Maryland Invite
July 25, 2000 | Women's Volleyball
September 10, 1999
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Kelly McClain had 19 kills and 33 digs to lead Louisville to a 3-1 win over Rutgers at the Maryland Tournament.
Louisville won 18-16, 7-15, 15-10, 15-10 to even its record to 2-2. Rutgers also posts a 2-2 mark.
Both teams started out sluggishly in the first game which started at 10 a.m., an unusually early game by volleyball standards. Rutgers hit just .026 with the Cardinals just marginally better at .056. Although Louisville jumped out to a 9-3 lead, Rutgers made up the deficit and then took the game to deuce. Two hitting errors by the Scarlet Knights allowed Louisville to win 17-15.
"I am not sure either team was awake," said U of L head coach Leonid Yelin. "It wasn't a pretty game, but learning to win in unusual circumstances is part of the game."
Rutgers rebounded to take the second game 15-7 when Louisville hitting stayed cold at .048 compared to the Scarlet Knights' .261.
"It was the kind of match where you just had to keep scrambling to stay in the game," said Yelin.
Louisville awoke in the third set, jumping out to an 8-2 lead on a service ace by Katie King. Louisville maintained its six point lead at 12-6 on an ace by Sarah Drury to force a Rutgers timeout. Rutgers reeled off four unanswered points to pull within two before the Cardinals called a timeout of their own. Rutgers did not score again as the Cards won the game on a McClain blast to the middle.
Louisville had to call timeout early in the fourth game when it fell behind 7-3. Sparked by a pair of kills by Sonja Percan, Louisville scored five unanswered points to gain its first lead at 9-7. Rutgers tied it at nine on a kill by Lola Opadiran but did not score again as the Scarlet Knights fell 15-10.
Rutgers was led by Kera Carter's 25 kills.
