No. 22-ranked Cardinals Hit the Road to Nashville

The No. 22-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team will take its 5-1 record on the road for the first away matches of the 2019 season when the Cardinals travel to Nashville for the Lipscomb Tournament with Purdue, Xavier and Lipscomb.

The Cardinals will face Purdue on Friday, Sept. 12 at 4:00 p.m. (ET) and then play either Xavier or Lipscomb on Saturday at either 4:00 p.m. or 7:30 p.m. (ET).

Louisville
The University of Louisville volleyball team moved into the No. 22 slot in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) poll. The Cardinals were No. 24 last week.

UofL swept the Fleur De Lis Tournment with wins over Western Kentucky, Arizona State and Tennessee Tech. Melanie McHenry was named Tournament MVP and freshman Amber Stivrins was voted to the All-Tournament team for her off-the-bench heroics in the win over Arizona State.

The Cardinals are led by redshirt freshman Aiko Jones, who had 34 kills in the three matches last weekend. McHenry continues to be the workhorse for the Cardinals with 30 kills, three aces, 28 digs and five blocks last weekend. Libero Alexis Hamilton had a hot serving hand with eight aces in the three matches in the Fleur De Lis. Her seven aces versus Tennessee Tech was the most the Cardinals have had against a single opponent since Emily Juhl had seven versus WVU in 2010.

Lipscomb
Following an 18-12 campaign in 2018, the Bisons have started the season 1-4, following a win over IUPUI on Saturday at the Hyatt Regency Invitational in Atlanta, Georgia. Head coach Brandon Rosenthal is entering his 17th year as the head coach of Lipscomb, and is looking to lead the Bison to its 8th NCAA tournament appearance in his tenure. Sophomore outside hitter Lanie Wagner has had a team-high 15 kills in each of the past two contests. Senior setter Morgan Elmore had a season-high 51 assists in the win over IUPUI. The last meeting between these two teams was on September 7, 2018, where Louisville won 3-1.

No. 23 Purdue
Following a 24-9 record and an NCAA tournament appearance in 2018, the Boilermakers is off to a 2-1 start this year following a defeat at Notre Dame by a score of 2-3. Head coach Dave Shondell is looking to continue leading a strong program in his 17th year as head coach. Junior outside hitter Caitlyn Newton had a season-high 21 kills in the matchup against Notre Dame. Redshirt sophomore setter Hayley Bush has collected a team high 121 assists across the first 3 games of the season. The last meeting between Louisville and Purdue was on September 8, 2018 where Purdue won 3-2.

Xavier
Following a 10-19 record in 2018, Xavier is off to a 3-3 start to the 2019 season following a 3-0 loss to Wright State on Saturday. Head coach Christy Pfeffenberger is entering her fifth year as the head coach of the Musketeers and her redshirt freshman right side Lauren Hanlon had season-high 16 kills in the win against Eastern Michigan on August 31. Junior setter Ailsa Watson had a season-high 34 assists in their matchup against Akron on Sept. 6. The last matchup between Xavier and Louisville was on September 7, 2018 where the Cards won 3-0 in W. Lafayette, Ind.

McHenry Named Fleur De Lis MVP; Stivrins Voted All-Tournament
McHenry continues to be the workhorse for the Cardinals with 30 kills, three aces, 28 digs and five blocks last weekend. The ultimate spark off the bench, Amber Stivrins helped UofL to the win over Arizona with 10 kills, 5 digs and a block .

Cards Dealt Aces
Libero Alexis Hamilton had a hot serving hand with eight aces in the three matches in the Fleur De Lis. Her seven aces versus Tennessee Tech was the most the Cardinals have had against a single opponent since Emily Juhl had seven versus WVU in 2010.

In the Rankings
The Cards are ranked No. 22 in the AVCA Week 2 Poll.

McHenry Moves Up in Cards' 1,000 kill Club
For the second straight season, UofL has a player amassing 1,000 career kills. Junior Melanie McHenry, who has been a starter for the last three seasons enters the week with 1,202. Tess Clark was the last player to join the club in 2017.

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Players Mentioned

Alexis Hamilton

Aiko Jones

Melanie McHenry

Amber Stivrins

University of Louisville Athletics