Louisville Volleyball went to 27-0 and solidified their #1 ranking in college D1 Volleyball with a four set win over #3 Pitt last night in Pittsburgh at the Fitzgerald Fieldhouse.
It was a case of "too much A-Team" and "Claire in the air" that the home-standing Panthers had to deal with. 25-19, 25-19, 17-25, 25-21 for the Cards, in a contest where Louisville did the things it has done all season long. The Cards blocked well, got three Cardinals in double-digits in kills- Claire Chaussee (16), Anna DeBeer (15), and Anna Stevenson (12), and all three hitting north of .380. A huge amount of those kills were credited to Tori Dilfer's game-high 45 assists.
On the serving side, Louisville committed nine service errors as opposed to 10 from Pitt, but Louisville did come up with six aces. Aiko Jones and Ayden Bartlett each had two aces while Elena Scott and Anna DeBeer contributed one apiece.
Pitt is a very good team and one tends to believe that they won't drop significantly in the rankings and polls despite the loss. They were without two-time All-ACC Player of the Year Kayla Lund, but got a huge performance out of freshman Rachael Fairbanks, who recorded eight kills and swung at a .727 clip, while also notching 12 assists. Fairbanks was one of three to achieve a double-figure assist total, joining Lexis Akeo (18) and Kylee Levers (12)
The Cards will wrap up their regular season at home against Notre Dame this Friday at 5:00 p.m., ET. The match in the LNFCU is sold out.
Louisville is also guaranteed to host the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in LNFCU Arena (sold out, but that could change based on the number of tickets each team receives) and they're in good position to host the NCAA Regionals at Freedom Hall. The Final Four will be held in Columbus, Ohio.
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On a important side note, I'd like to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all Rivals readers. When I was contacted months ago about being a moderator for the brainchild of Ty Spalding -- a site for Louisville women's athletics, i was pleasantly surprised and also a bit anxious about it. I am thankful for Ty's confidence in me and how we handle this particular aspect of Rivals Louisville.
Secondly, I want to thank YOU. Whether you check out this women's sports board to see how one specific sport or player is doing, or you like to get caught up on all the happenings, or you want a unique perspective on many sports, or you enjoy a "judgment-free zone" to post your thoughts, we would not be able to function without our readers/fans/engagers. You are the show, I'm just happy to be a part of it.
I receive a lot of help and guidance from those wacky guys and girls at Cardinal Couple and thanks to them as well. They've helped me add another voice for Louisville women's athletics to the phenomenon that is the internet and without their guidance and support, i couldn't have done it.
Enjoy today, have fun whatever you do on this holiday and go ahead and eat too much, you've earned it!
Thank you and, GO CARDS !!
--SONJA--
It was a case of "too much A-Team" and "Claire in the air" that the home-standing Panthers had to deal with. 25-19, 25-19, 17-25, 25-21 for the Cards, in a contest where Louisville did the things it has done all season long. The Cards blocked well, got three Cardinals in double-digits in kills- Claire Chaussee (16), Anna DeBeer (15), and Anna Stevenson (12), and all three hitting north of .380. A huge amount of those kills were credited to Tori Dilfer's game-high 45 assists.
On the serving side, Louisville committed nine service errors as opposed to 10 from Pitt, but Louisville did come up with six aces. Aiko Jones and Ayden Bartlett each had two aces while Elena Scott and Anna DeBeer contributed one apiece.
Pitt is a very good team and one tends to believe that they won't drop significantly in the rankings and polls despite the loss. They were without two-time All-ACC Player of the Year Kayla Lund, but got a huge performance out of freshman Rachael Fairbanks, who recorded eight kills and swung at a .727 clip, while also notching 12 assists. Fairbanks was one of three to achieve a double-figure assist total, joining Lexis Akeo (18) and Kylee Levers (12)
The Cards will wrap up their regular season at home against Notre Dame this Friday at 5:00 p.m., ET. The match in the LNFCU is sold out.
Louisville is also guaranteed to host the opening two rounds of the NCAA Tournament in LNFCU Arena (sold out, but that could change based on the number of tickets each team receives) and they're in good position to host the NCAA Regionals at Freedom Hall. The Final Four will be held in Columbus, Ohio.
****************************
On a important side note, I'd like to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all Rivals readers. When I was contacted months ago about being a moderator for the brainchild of Ty Spalding -- a site for Louisville women's athletics, i was pleasantly surprised and also a bit anxious about it. I am thankful for Ty's confidence in me and how we handle this particular aspect of Rivals Louisville.
Secondly, I want to thank YOU. Whether you check out this women's sports board to see how one specific sport or player is doing, or you like to get caught up on all the happenings, or you want a unique perspective on many sports, or you enjoy a "judgment-free zone" to post your thoughts, we would not be able to function without our readers/fans/engagers. You are the show, I'm just happy to be a part of it.
I receive a lot of help and guidance from those wacky guys and girls at Cardinal Couple and thanks to them as well. They've helped me add another voice for Louisville women's athletics to the phenomenon that is the internet and without their guidance and support, i couldn't have done it.
Enjoy today, have fun whatever you do on this holiday and go ahead and eat too much, you've earned it!
Thank you and, GO CARDS !!
--SONJA--
