Cardinals Down Lipscomb in First Match of Doubleheader

Friday, September 7

W. Lafayette, Ind.

12:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

5-2

Lipscomb

3-3

Louisville

Lipscomb

Claire Chaussee hits the ball during the Cardinals volleyball game.

Cardinals Down Lipscomb in First Match of Doubleheader

September 07, 2018 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Louisville v Lipscomb Box Score Louisville Stats after Lipscomb

Jasmine Bennett has 14 kills, Molly Sauer notches five aces and Emily Scott has nine blocks.

By: Nancy Worley

W. LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Jasmine Bennett had 14 kills and four blocks to lead the University of Louisville volleyball team to a 3-1 win over Lipscomb in the first round of the Stacey Clark Classic on the campus of Purdue.

UofL moved to 5-2 with the 25-20, 25-14, 28-30, 25-23 win. The Cardinals hit .276 with 13 blocks and seven aces. Lipscomb evens its record to 3-3 and the Bison hit .158 with six aces and two blocks. Louisville was paced by Melanie McHenry's 17 kills and two blocks. Megan Sloan added 10 kills and four blocks. Freshman Emily Scott had nine blocks and five kills. Louisville libero Molly Sauer had 23 digs and notched five of UofL's aces. Setter Wilma Rivera had 45 assists and two blocks for the Cards. The Bison were led by Carlyle Nusbaum's 14 kills and nine digs.

In the first set, the Cardinals found themselves in a good old-fashioned slugfest, with both teams hitting north of .300 for the majority of the set. The Cards managed just a bit of breathing room with a 6-1 run early sparked by three kills by Jasmine Bennett to go up 11-8. The Bison stayed close, blocking Melanie McHenry to come within two at 19-17. Up just 22-20, UofL got kills from Emily Scott and Amanda Green before a hitting error by Lipscomb gave the Cards the 25-20 win.

The Cardinals' offense stayed hot in the second set, as UofL hit .323 with five aces and a block to take the set 25-14. Molly Sauer had three of the aces with Melanie McHenry catching fire from the left side to the tune of five kills on eight swings and no errors.

In the third set, Lipscomb used a 3-0 run to tie at 15 and then took just its second lead at 22-21 on a tip by Lauren Anderson. The teams traded points until the Cards got to set and match point on a kill by Wilma Rivera at 25-24. LU tied at 26 but the Cards were able to get set and match point again at 28-27 on a kill by Melanie McHenry. A kill by LU's Maddie Phillips and an attack error by the Cards gave the Bison's a 29-28 lead before an ace by Megan Kuper sealed the deal as the Bison won 30-28.

The Cardinals fell behind 9-6 early in the fourth set but used a 3-0 run to come within one at 18-17 on kills by Claire Chaussee and Jasmine Bennett. UofL chipped away at the lead, finally going up 23-22 on a Bison hitting error and sparked a timeout by Lipscomb. LU's Ca'Layci Coffey had a kill but a huge block by Emily Scott and Megan Sloan gave UofL set and match point and a kill by Melanie McHenry gave the Cards the 25-23 win.

The Cardinals play the second match of today's doubleheader at 5 p.m. when they take on Xavier at 5 p.m. as Purdue's Stacey Clark Classic continues.