Volleyball Beats Kent State in Cardinal Classic

Saturday, September 2

LOUISVILLE, KY.

12:30 p.m.

University of Louisville

2-2

KENT STATE

1-4

KENTST

Louisville

September 02, 2017 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score UL vs Kent Box Score Season Stats after Kent Photo Gallery

Tess Clark leads with 10 kills.

By: Jake Stanley

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Senior outside hitter Tess Clark racked up a match-high 10 kills and hit .312 to lead the University of Louisville volleyball team to a 3-0 victory over Kent State Saturday afternoon in the fourth match of the Cardinal Classic at Cardinal Arena. The Cards have now won their first two matches of the weekend event, following a 3-1 upset over 24^th-ranked WKU on Friday night. In the earlier match of the session, Illinois topped Western Kentucky, 3-0.

The Cardinals won the match, 25-14, 25-17, 25-19, to knot their season record at 2-2. The loss dropped Kent State to 1-4. The Golden Flashes only hit .032 for the match, while the Cards posted a .289 mark. Kent State was led by outside hitter Kelsey Bittinger and her nine kills. In addition to Clark's strong performance, UofL was bolstered by sophomore outside hitter Melanie McHenry, who turned in eight kills and four blocks. Sophomore middle blocker Piper Roe also tallied four blocks.

In the opening set, both teams kept pace in the early points with six ties, but the Cards closed the set on a pair of runs. A Kent State attack error helped spark a 6-1 run that put Louisville up, 20-14, forcing a timeout. After the break, Louisville scored the final five points to seal the set. The Cards were led by four kills from McHenry and the team hit a solid .312.

Short runs defined the first portion of the second set, but a huge block from Roe and McHenry turned the momentum in Louisville's favor. The Cards used a pair of late aces to grab the set, once again finishing out strong with an 8-2 rally.

In the final set, Louisville opened with a quick 4-0 run, but Kent State did not fold, using two service aces to narrow the score at 19-17. On the next point, a Clark kill stopped the rally, starting a 5-2 run that clinched the match for the Cards. Roe and sophomore outside hitter Megan Sloan finished the shutout with consecutive kills.

Louisville closes out the Cardinal Classic on Saturday night with a match against Illinois at 7:30 p.m. A matchup between Kent State and WKU will precede the UofL match at 5:30 p.m.