University of Louisville
SYRACUSE
Volleyball Squeezes Orange 3-1
November 05, 2011 | Women's Volleyball
Nov. 5, 2011
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Middle blocker Brooke Mattingly had a career-high 14 kills and two blocks to lead the University of Louisville to a 3-1 win over BIG EAST foe Syracuse Saturday afternoon at the KFC Yum! Center.
"Before the match we talked about how any and every player can have an impact on the outcome of the match and it was perfect to watch Brooke lead the charge. She was unstoppable on offense and held her own on defense. I am proud of the way we rebounded from the loss to Tennessee," said U of L head coach Anne Kordes.
U of L improves to 18-7 and 10-1 in the BIG EAST with the 12-25, 25-21, 25-11, 25-18 win. Syracuse falls to 17-10 and 6-5 in the league. The Cardinals hit .224 for the match with Lola Arslanbekova adding a match-high 16 kills and two aces to the winning effort. Syracuse was led by Samantha Hinz' nine kills.
Syracuse used a 5-1 run early in the first set to take an 11-5 lead, and then spread the lead to eight at 18-10 as the Cardinals were plagued by five service errors that killed momentum. The Cards were outscored 10-3 down the stretch as the Orange pulled away to a 25-12 win. U of L hit -.086 and had no blocks. SU hit .211 and blocked the Cards three times.
The Cardinals blew out to a 17-11 lead in the second set but allowed the Orange back in the set by giving up a 6-1 run to narrow the margin to one at 18-17 before U of L used a timeout. After the reset, the Cards scored four of the next five points and Syracuse called timeout. U of L scored three of the last five points, including a kill and a block by Tanya Lukyanenko, for the 25-21 win. U of L hitting improved to .262 adding three blocks. Lola Arslanbekova had six kills on nine swings to pace the Cards.
"Maci Wachtel had two key digs in the second set that made a huge difference in the set's outcome. I thought she did a great job," said Kordes.
After the break, U of L carried the momentum into the third set, using a 9-0 run powered by four kills and a block by Brooke Mattingly to go up 17-6. The Orange started trading points but it was too little, too late as the Cards cruised to a 25-11 win. Cardinal hitting of .565 fueled the surge with Brooke Mattingly notching five kills in the set. SU hitting of .107 did little to help its cause and the Cardinals narrowed the 10 dig deficit to just one in the set.
U of L popped out to a 4-1 lead but the Orange managed to tie at 12-12 and then again at 15. U of L edged away thanks to three Lola Arslanbekova kills to go up 21-16. After SU burned its last timeout, the Cards got to set and match point on a kill by Tanya Lukyanenko and then Arslanbekova buried one in the back court for the match-winner.
The Cards face Marquette, which was unbeaten at 10-0 going into the match with Cincinnati today. The Bearcats beat MU 3-1, knotting the No. 1 spot in the league at 10-1. The match's outcome could decide the top seed of the tournament with just two BIG EAST matches left after tomorrow.
