Volleyball Corrals Bulls in Three Set Sweep
November 02, 2008 | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 2, 2008
Jana Matiasovska had 16 kills, three aces and a block to lead the University of Louisville to a 25-23, 25-18, 25-18 win over visiting South Florida in BIG EAST volleyball action Sunday afternoon in Cardinal Arena.
The Cardinals improve their record to 12-10 and 7-3 in the league. The Bulls fall to 15-10 and even their BIG EAST mark to 5-5. U of L hit .354 to USF's .209 and outblocked the Bulls 7-4. USF aced the Cardinals five times led by Mariana Thon's two. Louisville junior Justine Landi joined Matiasovska in double digit kills with 14 kills, 11 digs and 19 assists for her second triple double of the season. She also added a block. Freshman Gwen Rucker had eight kills and a block to round out Cardinal scoring. South Florida was led by Marcela Gurgel's 15 kills and two aces.
"We are a getting a little winning streak together and that helps to build confidence at just the right time of the year," said U of L head coach Leonid Yelin. "We always try to be better every single match and we have found it useful to play each match like it is a single elimination tournament match."
Louisville used strong serving and tenacious defense to outlast the Bulls, who hit a gaudy .615. U of L got the lead after being down 0-1 and never trailed. The Cardinals' biggest lead was five at 20-15. After a USF timeout, the team traded points and the Bulls crept to within one at 24-23. A service error by Marcela Gurgel gave the set to the Cardinals 25-23. U of L was led by Jana Matiasovska's eight kills and three aces.
In the second set, the Cardinals went up 19-13 and forced a USF timeout. The Bulls regrouped and scored three straight to come within three at 19-16 and elicited a Cardinal timeout. The Cardinals then outscored the Bulls 6-2 for the 25-18 win to take a two set lead into the lockerroom at the break. Justine Landi led the Cardinals with five kills. Lecia Brown added three blocks. The Bulls were paced by Cynthia Danthon's four kills in the second set.
In the third set, U of L popped out to a 10-4 margin which led to a USF timeout. The break did little to sway the Cardinal momentum as U of L went up 19-13 and forced the Bulls to use their final timeout. The Cardinals continued to roll to the 25-18 win.
