No. 24-ranked Cardinals Down Sun Devils

Saturday, September 7

LOUISVILLE, KY

3:30 p.m.

University of Louisville

5-1

Arizona State

5-1

Arizona St.

Louisville

Photo by: Jeff Reinking | Louisville Athletics

September 07, 2019 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score ASU v LOU Box Score Photo Gallery

Melanie McHenry named Fleur De Lis MVP and Amber Stivrins is All-Tournament

By: Dacosta Phelps

Led by stout offensive performances from Aiko Jones, Fleur de Lis Tournament MVP Melanie McHenry, and All-Tournament selection Amber Stivrins, the No. 24-ranked Louisville Cardinals took down the Arizona State Sun Devils 3-1 (21-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-15) in the Fleur De Lis Tournament final on Saturday afternoon at L&N Credit Union Arena.

With the win, the Cards improve to 5-1 overall, while Arizona State drops to 4-2 overall. The Cards hit at a .210 clip and had 52 total kills, led by 13 from Jones, 12 from McHenry, and 10 from Stivrins. Libero Alexis Hamilton led the team defensively with 16 digs, while Anna Stevenson led the team in blocks with six. The Sun Devils had a hitting percentage of .086 were led offensively by Jada Burse, who had 15 kills, and defensively by Iman Isanovic, who accumulated 11 digs.

The first set was a game of runs, as UofL took the early 3-0 lead only to see Arizona State go on a 3-1 run to pull back within 4-3. The Cards then went on a 6-0 surge to increase their lead to 10-3, thanks in part to three Sun Devil errors. ASU quickly responded with an 8-1 run to tie things up at 11-11, as the Cards committed three errors of their own. ASU used their momentum from that run to build a 20-15 lead. A 5-1 UofL run cut the ASU lead to one, but Arizona State eventually pulled away to win the first set 25-21. Melanie McHenry led the Cards offensively in the first set with 4 kills, while Alexis Hamilton had four digs to lead the Cards defensively.

The two sides traded points to begin the second set before ASU used a 6-1 run to jump out to an 8-3 lead. UofL responded with an 11-2 run to take a 14-10 lead, forcing an ASU timeout. The Sun Devils would keep things close, using a 4-0 run to draw to within a point, but UofL never relinquished the lead for the remainder of the set, as six Sun Devil errors allowed UofL to increase their lead to 24-17. The Cards went on to take set two, 25-18. Anna Stevenson and Amaya Tillman both led the Cards on offense with three kills each, while Hamilton, Tori Dilfer, and Shannon Shields all led defensively with three digs apiece.

Arizona State jumped ahead 3-2 to begin the third set, before a 10-4 UofL run set the tone for the remainder of the set, putting the Cards up 12-7 and forcing another ASU timeout. The two sides traded points until the Cards used a 3-0 run, highlighted by an Amber Stivrins kill and two more ASU errors to establish a 21-13 lead. UofL kept ASU at bay for the remainder of the set, en route to a 25-17 win. Amber Stivrins dominated the set offensively with six kills, while McHenry, along with Hamilton, led the team defensively in the set with four digs.

After falling behind 4-1 early in the fourth set, the Cards used an 11-3 run highlighted by three McHenry kills to take a 12-7 lead. ASU pulled to within three at 14-11, but back-to-back Sun Devil errors extended the Cardinal lead back to five. The Sun Devils were able to pull to within 18-14, but UofL kept ASU at arms' length for the remainder of the set, as a subsequent 5-0 run allowed the Cards to establish a nine point lead. UofL went on to win the set, 25-15. McHenry led all Cards offensively in the set with five kills, while Hamilton yet again led the team defensively with five digs.

The Cards will now head on the road to Nashville for the Lipscomb Tournament, where they will take on Purdue next Friday at 4:00 p.m.