University of Louisville
2-0
SOUTHERN ILLINOIS
1-1
Cardinals Sweep Salukis in Cardinal Classic
August 24, 2018 | Women's Volleyball
McHenry and Bennett lead with 10 kills apiece
The Cardinals hit .443 as a team, recording seven aces and five blocks. Southern Illinois hit .135 with no aces or blocks. UofL was paced by 13 digs by McHenry, who also recorded a block. Wilma Rivera had two aces and 38 assists and freshman Emily Scott had a pair of blocks as a spark off the bench.
"We talked about relying on our strengths too much and not just playing our game. We think we can serve teams tough, and that's going to bail us, but it's a challenge to not take any point for granted and continue to improve and work on what we need to be great for an entire season," said Dani Busboom Kelly, UofL head coach. Â
The Cards were firing on all cylinders in the opening set, using six kills and a service ace to take an early 7-0 lead. Louisville would not look back from its early run, tallying 18 kills, three service aces and a .567 hitting percentage to take the dominant 25-10 victory over the Salukis. Marijke Van Dyke registered four kills, while Melanie McHenry, Amanda Green and Piper Roe each tallied three kills apiece to pace the Cards' attack in the first set.
Despite being held to a .280 hitting percentage in the first set, the Salukis did not relent, using a 5-1 run in the second set to jump out to an 11-6 lead and force the Cardinals into a timeout. The Salukis maintained their lead midway through the set until a service error kick-started an 8-0 run from the Cards, giving Louisville a 19-16 edge. Louisville maintained its lead through the remainder of the set, sealing the 25-19 victory with a 3-0 run powered by back-to-back kills from Jasmine Bennett.
With the match on the line, the Salukis were competitive in the opening points of the third set. However, two consecutive errors and a series of kills from the Cards kept them from ever regaining their early lead. Louisville capitalized on successive kills from Megan Sloan and Jasmine Bennett and a service ace to gain a 15-9 lead and force the Salukis into a timeout. The Cards finished the set on yet another run, out-scoring the Salukis 10-4 to cement a 25-13 third set victory and complete their second sweep of the day.
"It was a solid first night of the season. We got to see what different people can do and experiment with lineups, so it was really fun to finally play someone other than ourselves," said Busboom Kelly.
The Cardinal Challenge continues Saturday afternoon when UT Martin plays Southern Illinois at 3 p.m. and UofL squares off against IUPUI at 5 p.m. at Cardinal Arena.
