No. 13 Cards Vie for ACC Crown in Final Weekend

The No. 13-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team is set to play at Miami on Thursday at 5 p.m. and against North Carolina on Friday at 2 p.m. in Coral Gables to try to lock down the ACC Championship with a pair of wins to earn the league's Automatic Qualifier to the NCAA.

The Cardinals (11-2) need to win both matches to win the league outright. If they lose one of the two, they will have to await the outcome of the Notre Dame (12-3) at Georgia Tech (11-3) match.

About the 'Canes and Tar Heels
The Tar Heels had a daunting weekend dropping both matches to two ranked foes. Despite a season-best 12 aces, UNC fell to No. 25 Florida State in a five-set heartbreaker on Saturday. After tying at two sets, Carolina and Florida State battled point-for-point working through five tie scores and three lead changes by the 8-8 mark. Despite a UNC challenge, Florida State clinched the match on a 5-1 run for the 15-9 set five decision.

There was no relief as the Heels fell to Pitt the next day. Hitting .379 in the opening set, Pitt ran away with set, 25-15. The Panthers' momentum continued into the second frame, resulting in a 25-11 victory. Although Skyy Howard tallied four kills in the third set, it wasn't enough, as Pitt clinched a 25-13 win for the 3-0 win.

For the Tar Heels, Amanda Phegley led with seven kills in the match. Annabelle Archer had 16 assists and five digs, and Aristea Tontai had three blocks. Pitt's Chinaza Ndee led the match with 9 kills and a .750 hitting percentage.

Busboom Kelly versus Miami/UNC
Dani Busboom Kelly has a 3-1 record against Miami and is 3-1 against Georgia Tech.

Last Meeting with Miami and UNC
On November 24, 2019, outside hitter Claire Chaussee had 13 kills and 11 digs to lead the Cards to a 25-19, 25-21, 25-19 sweep of Miami at the L&N Arena. The Cards hit .306 with 10 blocks, three aces and 37 digs. Aiko Jones had nine kills, an ace and two blocks. Anna Stevenson led with five blocks and added seven kills. Setter Tori Dilfer ran the offense and notched 39 assists.

On Sept. 29, 2019, led by a team effort, the Cards earned a hard-fought 3-1 (23-25, 25-21, 25-23, 25-22) victory over UNC inside L&N Arena. Melanie McHenry had 18 kills with Aiko Jones and Emily Scott adding 12 kills to lead the Cardinal offense. Alexis Hamilton led the team defensively, racking up 23 digs and Emily Scott had seven blocks with Anna Stevenson pitching in six blocks. UofL hit .147 with four aces and 13 blocks.

NCAA Stat Rankings Highlights
Team
No. 1 in Blocks/Set 3.27
No. 20 in Opponent Hitting percentage .136
No. 19 in Kill/Sets 14.02
No. 16 in Hitting percentage .286
Individual
No. 3 in Blocks/Set Amaya Tillman 1.69
No. 13 in Hitting % Anna Stevenson .440
No. 33 in Assists/Set Tori Dilfer 10.61

ACC Rankings
The Cards lead the ACC in blocks/set (3.27), kills/set (14.02) and opponent hitting percentage (.137).

Best Hitting Percentage, Most Blocks & Most Assists in a Single Match
Louisville's .474 hitting percentage against Boston College on Oct. 2 is the best of any Division I team this season in a three-set match, and the Cardinals' 19.0 team blocks against the Eagles on Oct. 3 is the most by any team in a four-set match (tied with Kentucky.)

Cards Rank No. 1 in the Nation In Blocks
Louisville leads the ACC and the nation in blocks per set with 3.27 per set average.

Tillman No. 3 in the Nation as Individual
Louisville's Amaya Tillman averages 1.69 blocks per set which is No. 4 the nation. She has been ranked as high as No. 1 in this category.

Get the Brooms!
The Cards have nine 3-0 sweeps this season.

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Players Mentioned

Claire Chaussee

Tori Dilfer

Alexis Hamilton

Aiko Jones

Emily Scott

Anna Stevenson

Amaya Tillman

University of Louisville Athletics