Volleyball Sweeps NC State

Friday, November 17

LOUISVILLE, KY

7:30 p.m.

University of Louisville

21-6, 15-2

NC STATE

19-9, 14-3

NC State

Louisville

November 17, 2017 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Lou vs NC State box Louisville VB Stats after NCState

Cards take sole possession of first heading into Sunday's match with UNC

By: Nancy Worley

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Propelled by a thrilling second-set comeback, the University of Louisville volleyball team notched a critical ACC victory Friday evening, downing NC State, 25-19, 25-22, 25-15, at Cardinal Arena. The win pushed Louisville (21-6, 15-2 ACC) into a tie for first place in the ACC standings with Pitt with the Cards having the tiebreaker advantage over the Panthers.

"The communication on the court and the look in their eyes showed me they were confident," said Louisville head coach Dani Busboom Kelly. "They felt prepared. They did a great job of paying attention in practice, and they were talking about what was going on over on the other side of the net and not worrying about little things on our side. Great overall team effort."

Sophomore outside hitter Melanie McHenry powered the Cards on both ends, racking up 13 kills and five blocks. Redshirt sophomore outside hitter Amanda Green racked up eight kills for the evening, while senior middle blocker Maggie DeJong also turned in five blocks.The Cards hit .280 as a team with three aces and 49 digs. Wilma Rivera had 34 assists and nine digs. Molly Sauer had 14 digs with Maggie DeJong adding seven kills and six blocks. NC State hit .110 with three blocks and two aces. The Wolfpack was led by Julia Brown's 12 kills.

The first set was a tight affair as Louisville was unable to pull away from NC State for long stretches of play. After the Wolfpack narrowed the score to 21-17, the Cards were finally able to wrestle control with four of the final six points. Melanie McHenry and junior middle blocker Jasmine Bennett were strong on defense, with each putting up three blocks in the set, while McHenry led the attack with four kills.

Both teams remained knotted for the early portion of the second set, but the Wolfpack shot ahead with a 6-1 run. After a much-needed timeout down 15-11, the Cards scored four straight points that sparked an NC State timeout. On the strength of five kills from McHenry and four from Green, Louisville closed the set by outscoring NC State, 14-6, in a physical sequence. The momentum swing electrified the Cardinal Arena crowd and sent the Cards to the half with a 2-0 lead with the 25-22 win.

"Every match has been important. That is what we tell our team. You have to play great to make the next match matter," said coach Busboom Kelly. "We had a lot of build-up to this match, so we told them to play with no fear and that is exactly what they did. It was great to see them look confident out there. I felt like we didn't have to do much coaching. They knew the scouting report. They did a great job. The team was dialed in, that is for sure."

The Cards remained focused in the final set, using a 7-1 run in the middle of the frame to seal the crucial win. After a strong opening, the Wolfpack were unable to keep up with the stifling Cards defense. McHenry led with four kills, while Green and Jasmine Bennett tallied three. For the set, Louisville hit .323, while holding NC State to just a .071 clip.

Louisville closes out its 2017 home regular season campaign on Sunday, Nov. 19 as it hosts North Carolina at 1 p.m. Prior to the match, the Cardinals will honor their four seniors, Maggie DeJong, Tess Clark, Coline Coessens and Gabbie Wiley.

"The senior class has been awesome and it will be emotional," said Coach Busboom Kelly. "They have done so much for this program. Honestly, they have so much for the staff being new. It will be emotional, but our team is hungry and want to finish what we started. They want to finish. UNC is a great team. They have gotten healthier throughout the year and they will be good. They are probably the most physical team of the conference. It will be a challenge."