Wednesday night, school night, middle of the week, early to bed, early to rise?
Not for University of Louisville volleyball fans, thank you. Not when their beloved favorites are taking on their arch rival, sometimes bitter, rivals. They turned out en masse, a total of 12, 760 of them at the KFC Yum! Center, the largest crowd ever for a volleyball match in The Ville. To see one of the best programs in UofL athletics continue to pursue success.
They would not be disappointed, turning up the volume to eardrum-bursting levels, as the nation’s second ranked team, the Cardinals, would dominate their counterparts from Lexington in a three-set sweep. Louisville trumping the Kentucky Wildcats by scores of 25-19, 25-23, 25-18, the Cardinals defeating the 21st ranked team to improve the season’s won-lost record to 9-0.
Leading the charge for the Cardinals Charitie Luper, a junior transfer from UCLA, who had 13 kills. an ace and a block. A stranger to the UofL-UK rivalry, she had painted her finger nails blue a few days ago to the surprise of her teammates. “It was personal,” she told ESPN’s Katie George, a former UofL volleyball player.
Outside hitter Anna DeBeer recorded nine kills and four digs, opposite hitter Aiko Jones tallied nine kills and three blocks, and middle blocker Cara Cresse had seven kills and a block. Setter Elle Glock had 32 assists and two kills in the match, while libero Elena Scott recorded 15 digs and five assists.
Coach Dani Busboom-Kelly enthralled with the record turnout for a Louisville volleyball game. “The game is getting the attention it deserves,” she said. “All the work that went into promoting these games has paid off and I’m thrilled that the players are being rewarded for their efforts.”
The three-game sweep over Kentucky ended a streak of four straight matches in recent seasons that had been decided in five sets. The Cardinals return to the KFC Yum! Center on Sunday for a 1 p.m. contest again fifth-ranked Stanford.
