No. 22-ranked Cardinals Down Boston College 3-1

Friday, October 26

LOUISVILLE, KY

7:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

17-5, 10-1

BOSTON COLLEGE

13-10, 3-8

Louisville

Amanda Green hits the ball during the Cardinals game with Virginia Tech at Cardinal Arena on October 12.

October 26, 2018 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Boston College at Louisville box score Louisville Season Stats after Boston College

Amanda Green led the charge with 16 kills and two blocks

By: Kylie Klotzbach

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Led by 16 kills from senior outside hitter Amanda Green, the No. 22-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team rallied to a 3-1 (18-25, 25-20, 25-17, 25-23) victory over Boston College on Friday evening at Cardinal Arena.

With the win, the Cards improve to 17-5 overall and 10-1 in ACC action. The Eagles drop to 13-10 (3-8). Green's 16 kills led all players, while UofL's Melanie McHenry tallied 13 kills and 14 digs. Molly Sauer recorded a match-high 16 digs and Piper Roe and Emily Scott each registered three blocks. Boston College was led by Cat Balido's 13 kills.

"Boston College is a really tough team to play," said UofL head coach Dani Busboom Kelly. "They really have had some great wins this year. They run a really fast offense. Once we got the hang of it we started coming alive. It was good to see us battle after suffering our first conference loss last Sunday (No. 6 Pitt)."

Both teams battled back-and-forth for the early points of the first set, but Boston College staged a 6-1 run that enabled the Eagles to take a 12-7 lead. The Eagles continued to build on their lead, pushing the score to 17-11 and forcing a Louisville timeout. Despite a hard-fought comeback attempt, the Cards were unable to overcome the Eagles' .469 hitting percentage, ultimately falling 25-18 in the opening set. Scott and Green paced the Cards with four kills, while Melanie McHenry led with four digs.

Neither the Cards nor the Eagles were able to create separation early in the second set, which featured 11 ties and five lead changes before a media timeout was called with the Eagles leading 15-14. After five more ties and lead changes apiece, a block by Marijke Van Dyke and Roe put the Cards up 21-19 and caused the Eagles to call a timeout. Louisville never looked back, finishing the set with four straight points to secure the 25-20 win. Green led the Cards with five kills in the set, while McHenry added five digs.

A series of errors by the Eagles allowed the Cardinals to grab an early lead in the third set. Louisville capitalized on the momentum as McHenry rattled off a pair of kills to give the Cards the 10-4 edge. Four consecutive points from Boston College narrowed the margin to 14-12 and sparked a Louisville timeout, but the Cards never relinquished their lead. Louisville completed the 25-17 win with seven unanswered points, including four kills by VanDyke and a service ace from Sauer.

With the match on the line, the Eagles jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the fourth set. The Cardinals did not relent, slowly clawing their way back into the set. A block by Scott and Wilma Rivera knotted the score at 11-11, triggering an Eagles timeout. Both teams refused to back down, trading points until Jasmine Bennett fired off an kill to give the Cards a 20-19 lead that they would not give up. Bennett capped off Louisville's comeback with her sixth kill of the set, sealing the 25-23 victory for the Cardinals.

"We got pressured tonight, but we came back steady," said Kelly. "It was a good win. We saw Marijke Van Dyke come off the bench and have an awesome match. It is great to have Jasmine Bennett back, even if she is not at 100 percent yet. She is getting closer every day."

The Cards will be back in action on Sunday at 1 p.m. when they welcome Syracuse to Cardinal Arena.