University of Louisville
MARQUETTE
Dukule Keys 3-1 Volleyball Win Over Marquette
September 30, 2007 | Women's Volleyball
Sept. 30, 2007
Svetlana Dukule had 16 kills and eight blocks to lead the University of Louisville to a 30-15, 27-30, 30-15, 30-27 win over rival Marquette in BIG EAST volleyball action Sunday afternoon at Cardinal Arena.
U of L boosts its record to 9-4 and stays unbeaten in the conference at 4-0. Marquette is 4-8 and 1-2 in the league. The Cardinals, the No. 3 ranked blocking team in the nation, outblocked the Eagles 18-9.5 and outhit the Eagles .338 to .146. Dukule was aided by junior Jana Matisovska's 16 kills, eight blocks and two aces. U of L's Lecia Brown had 12 kills and five blocks for the Cardinals. Marquette's Kimberly Todd led all hitters with 21 kills.
"Our blocking made the difference today. Svetlana (Dukule) and Jana (Matiasovska) made for a big presence at the net," said Leonid Yelin, U of L head coach. "We had several hitters with hot hands today. Marquette is an old rival for us and that makes it a good atmosphere for our fans."
U of L used a 9-0 run in the first game to keep Marquette in the hole. Seven Cardinal blocks thwarted any comeback the Eagles had in mind. The Cards were led by Dukule's four kills. Tatyana Kolesnikova had four kills and hit .667. Marquette was outhit .440 to .062.
The Cardinals trailed throughout the second game although they did tie at 19 after a 6-1 run. At that point, Marquette answered with five unanswered points to go up 24-22. The Cards tied again at 26 but were outscored 4-1 down the stretch. Blocking was tied in the second game with both teams notching three apiece.
A 15-2 run in the middle of game three gave U of L an insurmountable lead at 22-9. Blocking became a factor again with the Cards holding an 6-1 edge at the net. U of L also outhit MU .348 to .131.
The two opponents exchanged the lead several times in the deciding game. The last tie was at 25 before U of L outscored the Eagles 5-2 for the 30-27 win.
U of L stays at home next weekend as nationally ranked St. John's visits Cardinal Arena Oct. 6 at 2 p.m. UConn is the other travel partner and will play Louisville on Sunday, also at 2 p.m. in Cardinal Arena.
