University of Louisville
10-3
Georgia Tech
8-5
Cardinals Down Georgia Tech in Sweep
October 04, 2019 | Women's Volleyball
Aiko Jones notches 12 kills!
Led by Aiko Jones' 13Â kills and four blocks, the Louisville Cardinals defeated the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 3-0 (25-20, 25-15, 27-25) in ACC volleyball action Friday evening inside L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.
With the win, the Cardinals improve to 10-3 overall and 3-0 in ACC play, while the Yellow Jackets drop to 8-6 overall and 1-2 in conference play. Freshman Aiko Jones led the team with 13 kills and a .667 hitting percentage, while fellow freshman Nena Mbonu chipped in with eight kills of her own. Junior Alexis Hamilton led the Cards on defense with 8 digs. Georgia Tech was led on offense by Julia Bergmann, who accumulated 14 kills, and on defense by Mariana Brambilla, who led the Jackets in digs with 12.
The first set was a game of runs, as Georgia Tech used a 5-1 run to take the lead. The Cards quickly responded with an 8-3 run to take an 11-7 lead and force a Yellow Jackets timeout. Coming out of the timeout, UofL kept up the pressure, increasing their lead to 17-10 and forcing a second Yellow Jackets timeout. But the Jackets responded with a 9-3 run to cut the Cardinal lead to just one at 20-19. The run would not be enough however, as three straight Tech errors helped the Cards to close out the set 25-20. It was a team offensive effort in the first set, as Jones led the team with four kills, while Mbonu, Melanie McHenry, and Anna Stevenson each had three. Hamilton and Tori Dilfer led the team defensively with three digs each.
The second set also proved to be a game of runs early on, as the Cards fell behind 4-3 early on before a 6-1 run gave them a 9-5 lead. The two teams then traded 3-0 runs, bringing the score to 12-8. With the score 14-11, the Cards used a 3-0 run to up their lead to six and force another Georgia Tech timeout. Coming out, the Jackets would cut the lead to four, but the Cards would ultimately prove to be too much for Georgia Tech. With the score 19-14, the Cards used a 6-1 run to close out the set with a 25-15 win. Jones led the team offensively with six kills, while McHenry and Hamilton both led defensively with five digs each.
Georgia Tech came out swinging in the third set, using a 4-0 run to break a 6-6 tie and force a UofL timeout. Not to be outdone, the Cards responded with a 5-1 run that tied the game up at 11. The two teams traded points before a 13-13 tie was broken by a 5-0 Georgia Tech run that gave the Jackets an 18-13 lead. Trailing 19-14, the Cards used a 6-3 run to cut the Yellow Jacket lead to two, forcing another Tech timeout. Coming out, the Cards would keep up the momentum, taking their first lead of the set at 24-23. Tech would retake the lead at 25-24, before a Tech service error, followed by a Mbonu kill and one more Tech attack error would seal the deal for the Cards, giving them the 27-25 victory. Jones and Mbonu led the team with three and two kills in that stanza, respectively In all the two teams tied 11 times but had just three lead changes. Defensively, UofL was led by Jones, who had four digs.
The Cards will be back in ACC action inside L&N Federal Credit Union Arena on Sunday, October 6 at 1 p.m. against the Clemson Tigers.
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