No. 3 Cardinals Sweep Virginia Tech

Sunday, November 24

Blacksburg, VA

1:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

25-3,17-1ACC

Virginia Tech

7-21,1-17ACC

Louisville

Virginia Tech

November 24, 2024 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Cards are 25-3 and 17-1 in the ACC

By: Nancy Worley

BLACKSBURG, Va. -- Charitie Luper, Phekran Kong and Reese Robins each had six kills with just one hitting error between the three as the No. 3-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team swept Virginia Tech 25-16, 25-19, 25-11 Sunday afternoon in Cassell Coliseum.

The Cards posted their 17^th sweep and improved their record to 25-3 overall and 17-1 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. UofL hit .366 for the match with seven blokcs and nine aces. Payton Petersen came off the bench and hit .833 with five kills on six swings and no errors, adding seven digs. Sofia Maldonado Diaz had a team-high eight digs with two blocks and two aces.

The Hokies were led by Hailey Pearce's 10 kills. Belle Patrick added seven kills and a match-high nine digs. Virginia Tech drops to 7-21 and 1-17 in the league. The Hokies hit .096 for the match with three aces and two blocks.

In the first set, UofL used an 8-1 run to go up 9-3 on a strong serving by Elena Scott and Nayelis Cabello, who each had an ace during their respective runs. UofL had a 15-9 lead at the media timeout and kept the heat on with .357 hitting. Down 18-11, Tech called a timeout but the move did little to thwart the Cards' hitting. Up 23-13, Louisville brought in Alanna Bankston and Payton Petersen to hit and Bankston had the last three kills for the Cardinals in the 25-16 win.

In the second set, Louisville lost the lead at 9-8 when the Hokies' Aisha Keric got a kill. VT's run ended on a service error. The team traded points until after being tied at 13, the Cardinals went on a 5-1 scoring run, powered by aggressive serving by Payton Petersen that put the Cards up 16-13. Tech stayed close, but never retook the lead although the Hokies got within three at 20-17 on a block by Jordan Hallman. UofL got to set point on a VT serving error and a kill by Petersen from an Elena Scott set gave the Cards the 25-19 win.

In the third set, a kill by Cara Cresse to go up 7-3 started a 4-2 run by the Cards that forced a Tech timeout when UofL spread the lead to 11-5. Petersen went on another three point serving run to go up 15-7. The Cards picked up momentum down the final stretch with two aces, one by Kamden Schrand and the match winner from Sofia Maldonado Diaz as UofL won 25-11.