Volleyball Set to Host Cardinal Classic
August 30, 2012 | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 30, 2012
The University of Louisville will host the Cardinal Classic at the KFC Yum! Center on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. The Cards will be facing the Duke Blue Devils, the Samford Bulldogs, and the Marshall Thundering Herd during the two-day tournament.
First up for the Cardinals will be Duke University on Aug. 31 at 7:30 p.m., ET. Duke will enter the match with an overall record of 3-0 after defeating UW-Milwaukee, William & Mary, and Fairfield in the Duke Invitational tournament.
Emily Sklar will look to lead the Blue Devils in the Cardinal Classic after opening the season with strong performances. A 6-3 outside hitter from San Jose, Calif., Sklar began her collegiate career on a high note, leading the Blue Devils with 33 kills and.333 hitting, while also posting 28 digs as Duke swept all three of its opponents on the weekend.
Next up for the Cards on Sept.1 will be Marshall University at 11:00 a.m., ET. The Thundering Herd has had an equally impressive start to the season after winning the Thunder Invitational. Marshall will enter the Cardinal Classic with a 3-0 record after defeating Wright State, IUPUI, and Miami (Ohio).
Sammie Bane will look to guide the Thundering Herd in Louisville after posting impressive statistics in the Thunder Invitational. Conference USA named Bane as the Setter of the Week as she accounted for 10.46 assists per set and a team hitting percentage of .225. She also produced a pair of double-doubles on the weekend as she recorded 46 assists and 17 digs against IUPUI followed by 53 assists and 10 digs in the match against Miami (Ohio).
U of L will round out the Cardinal Classic with a match against Samford University on Sept.1 at 7:30 p.m., ET. The Bulldogs have had a tough three game schedule up to this point in the season and have an overall record of 0-3. Those three losses came at the hands of Miami, Rutgers, and Ole Miss in the Hurricane Challenge in Coral Gables, Fla.
Elizabeth Neisler, Lauren Hutchinson and Katie Murphy earned All-SoCon honors last season and represent Samford on the 2012 preseason team. The three will look to turn things around for the Bulldogs in the Cardinal Classic as Samford has been chosen as the favorite to win their conference this year.
Looking ahead for the Cardinals, the next matches will take place in Cincinnati, Ohio on Sept.7 and Sept. 8 against Purdue and Illinois in the BIG EAST/Big Ten Challenge. The Cards will then come home for the Louisville Tournament on Sept. 14 and Sept. 15. The Louisville Tournament will include matches against Middle Tennessee State, UNLV, and Miami.
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