Cardinals Fall to No. 20 Kentucky

Friday, September 14

LOUISVILLE, KY

7:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

6-4

KENTUCKY

5-4

Louisville

Jasmine Bennett hits the ball during the Cardinals game at Cardinal Arena.

September 14, 2018 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score UK vs Louisville Box Score Photo Gallery

Bennett paces offense with seven kills

By: Nancy Worley

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Despite a strong offensive start, the University of Louisville volleyball team was unable to withstand the attack of the No. 20-ranked University of Kentucky, falling in straight sets (25-18, 25-13, 25-14) Friday evening at Cardinal Arena.

The Wildcats (5-4) controlled much of the match with a .434 hitting percentage, besting the Cardinals' (6-4) mark of .080. Despite being competitive at the net, the Cards were hurt by attack errors, posting 21 as compared to six from their rivals. Junior outside hitter Melanie McHenry led the Cards with eight kills, while senior middle blocker Jasmine Bennett added seven. On the defensive front, senior libero Molly Sauer posted eight digs, with senior setter Wilma Rivera had three blocks with 24 assists.

In a back-and-forth opening set, the Cards started strong as a pair of kills from senior outside hitter Amanda Green built an early 7-4 advantage. But, from that point, the UK attack began to take control with an 8-1 run that forced Louisville's first timeout of the evening. As the set wore on, the Cards' .088 hitting proved costly as the Cats wrapped up the opener, 25-18.

Kentucky carried the momentum into the second set, opening upon on a 10-5 run that forced an early timeout. Out of the break, the Wildcats continued to score at the net, posting a 6-0 run that gave them control. Following a short Louisville burst, UK quickly finished the set with three kills to win 25-13, giving the Cats a two-set lead as the teams headed to the locker room.

In the final set, it appeared UK would once again pull away, shooting out to a fast 10-3 lead. But the Cards fought back with a short four-point rally, eventually narrowing the margin to 13-8 thanks to consecutive kills from McHenry. Despite the recovery, the Cats wrapped up the sweep, using a combination of aces and Cards errors to seal the 25-14 win.

The Cards will return to the court tomorrow afternoon for their non-conference finale against Chattanooga (4-7) at 3 p.m. Live coverage of the match will be available on ACC Network Extra.