The University of Louisville volleyball team will face Purdue University this Friday in Ohio.

By John Brady–

Volleyball season started over two weeks ago, and the Cardinals have performed well with wins over Western Kentucky, Morehead State and the University of Kentucky.

The only setback so far this season was a loss to national volleyball powerhouse, Penn State. Although the Cards lost the match against Penn State, Louisville head coach Anne Kordes is upbeat.

Rebounding from a loss to Penn State, the Cardinals defeated No. 10 ranked Kentucky.

This will be good for us,” said Kordes. “This is the reason we play this kind of matchup and learn from it.”

Fresh off the loss to highly ranked Penn State, the Cards had to face in-state and top 10 ranked Kentucky. A record crowd of 5,007 fans witnessed the Cards dramatic victory at the KFC YUM! Center last Wednesday night. The Cards ended up earning a victory in the 4th set by a score of 30-28.

When Louisville senior and Lexington native Gwen Rucker delivered the final two points of the match, the KFC Yum! Center erupted into cheers. The team did not appoint an MVP, for there was leadership all over the floor. Senior outside hitter Lola Arslanbekova had a match-high 20 spikes, and freshman Katie George came off the bench to provide 22 assists for the Cardinal offense.

“I helped beat Kentucky as a freshman, and now I helped beat Kentucky as a senior. It feels so good,” Lola Arslanbekova said of the win.

This game marked the first time the Cardinals had beaten a top 10 team since September 2004 against No. 9 ranked Pepperdine University; however, this is still the beginning of the season.

The Cards have a long season ahead of them and will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio this weekend to participate in the Big Ten/Big East Challenge. Louisville will then return to the KFC Yum! Center for five consecutive home games. With senior leadership and talent all across the board, head coach Anne Kordes and the University of Louisville volleyball team could be in for a memorable season.

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Photos: Austin Lassell/The Louisville Cardinal