University of Louisville
18-6, 11-2
MIAMI
13-7, 9-4
No. 24 Cardinals Down Miami Hurricanes 3-1 in Comeback Win
November 02, 2018 | Women's Volleyball
Led by clutch performances from Amanda Green and Claire Chaussee, the 24th-ranked Louisville Cardinals overcame an unexpected absence from kill leader Melanie McHenry to take down the Hurricanes of Miami, 3-1 (21-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-22) in a ACC volleyball action Friday night inside Cardinal Arena.
With this victory, UofL improves to 18-6 overall, and 11-2 in ACC play. The 'Canes drop to 13-7 overall, with a 9-4 record in conference play. Green and Chaussee both led the team with 16 kills, while Megan Sloan chipped in 11 kills of her own. Senior libero Molly Sauer led defensively, accumulating a team-high 16 digs and added three aces. Freshman Emily Scott led the team with 5 blocks . Miami was led offensively by Kolby Bird's 13 kills, and defensively by Emily Damon, who had 13 digs.
"It was a fun match from start to finish." said UofL head coach Dani Busboom Kelly. "It might not be pretty each point but we competed really hard tonight and that is what we have been challenging them to do. We want them to compete hard for a full match."
"In the first set we made a run late but fell just short." Kelly remarked. "I think it just took us a spell to get over the lineup change. When Melanie McHenry doesn't play and we don't know that until just right before match time, it took us a bit to say 'we will be fine and we can do this.' We got a couple of blocks and that always changes momentum."
The first set was a tightly-contested affair early on, was marred by attacking errors from both teams. Neither side was able to gain significant separation until Miami used an 8-2 run to establish control, taking a 13-7 lead. The 'Canes kept UofL at arms length, using four straight Cardinal errors to up their lead to 19-11, and later to 23-13. The Cards responded by ripping off an 8-0 run, but Miami ultimately went on to win the first set, 25-21. Green led the Cards in the first set with 4 kills and a .500 hitting percentage, while Sauer led the team defensively with 4 digs.
UofL used the momentum provided by their big run at the end of the first set to establish a quick 6-2 lead to begin the second set. The 'Canes cut the lead to 2, but a Miami attacking error and three straight kills by Chaussee increased the Cards' early lead to 10-5. The 'Canes soon pulled back to within 3, but the Cards responded with a 5-0 run, highlighted by back-to-back aces by Sauer, to race out to an 18-10 lead. The 'Canes would not go away however, as Miami used a 5-1 run to cut the lead to 19-15, forcing a Louisville timeout. UofL would not be denied this time and  used another pair of kills by Chaussee to close out the set, pulling out a 25-20 victory. Chaussee and Green led the Cards in the second set with 5 and 4 kills respectively, while Sauer again led the team in digs with 6.
The two teams went back-and-forth to begin the third set, as neither team led by more than two early on. That all changed when UofL used a 5-0 run to take a 12-7 lead. The Cards kept the momentum going, using a 4-0 run, highlighted by a Mia Stander service ace, to increase the lead to 17-10. The 'Canes, however, showed once again why they shared second place in the ACC with the Cards when they bouncing back with a quick 3-1 run to cut the lead to 18-13. However, UofL kept the pressure on, using two kills by both Scott and Sloan to close out the set with a 25-19 victory. Wilma Rivera led the team with 5 digs in the set, while Sloan led the team with 6 kills, as the Cards hit it at a .278 clip for the set.
In the fourth set, the Cards overwhelmed Miami early on, promptly jumping out to a 6-2 lead and forcing a quick Miami timeout. Coming back out, the 'Canes got back into it with a 4-1 run that cut it to 7-6, but back-to-back Miami errors and a favorable replay reversal sparked a subsequent 5-2 Cardinal run that stretched the lead back to 4 at 12-8. Miami continued to threaten, pulling within 2 on three separate occasions, but UofL kept the 'Canes at bay for most of the set, until a 9-3 Miami run tied things up at 22 and forced another Louisville timeout. However, the Cards would not relinquish the lead, as back-to-back kills by Chaussee and Sloan, followed by one more Miami attacking error, sealed the deal for UofL, 25-22. Chaussee dominated the set overall, raking in seven kills.
"It was cool to see Claire Chaussee come in and make an impact, especially when you have a lineup change that late." said Kelly of Chaussee's dominant performance. "We have been wanting to work Claire into the lineup now for a while and give her some opportunities because she is capable of making great plays. She is pretty consistent and she proved tonight that she can play that role for us."
UofL will be back in action inside Cardinal Arena Sunday, November 4 at 1 p.m. against another ACC rival from the Sunshine State, the Seminoles of Florida State.
