By Noah Allison

Anne Kordes’ volleyball team exits the weekend with mixed results and a wake up call.

Playing host in Cardinal Arena, Louisville went 2-1 in the Active Ankle Challenge with wins over Tennessee State and Cincinnati. Louisville suffered a surprising loss to Appalachian State though to close things out and improve to 3-2 overall.

“We were coming off a successful week and I thought we played tight here at home all weekend,” head coach Anne Kordes remarked.

“We need to learn to maintain our composure and take away a lesson from that situation. We have two ranked opponents this week coming up against Kentucky and Arizona State so that lesson came at a good time in our season.”

Last season’s squad graduated four impactful seniors that helped Louisville reach a 23-8 record overall and win the AAC with a perfect 18-0 conference record.

Now, the Cards rely on a roster of talented, but almost entirely new, faces.

“It’s a new year and a new team. We have eight new players, but we are focusing on the group that we have now, and they’ve done such a nice job. Their whole focus is being as good as they can possibly be to help their teammates be successful,” assistant coach Lee Maes said.

Four transfers and four freshmen make up the eight first time contributors to Louisville volleyball.

With a mixture of young talent and experience from multiple conferences, the Cardinals have seen moments of great success with this new squad, including a huge upset over Big Ten powerhouse, then 12 ranked Minnesota.

“We have a lot of options; we have an opportunity to have some different match-ups depending on who we are playing, and that’s what I like. It gives us the chance to try and put up the best line-up against what team we are playing,” Kordes explained.

Of the most important seniors to graduate was all-time Louisville great, libero Caitlin Welch, who amongst her countless accolades is the Cardinals all-time leader in digs.

It’s up to Mississippi State transfer, junior libero Roxanne McVey, to help fill the void.

“Roxanne is going to focus on the things that she can control; she is a consummate learner. She’s trying to go out there and be a steady player in that position. We are relying on her a lot in our ball control,” Maes said.

“Roxanne is holding her own for sure; she is becoming more and more comfortable as the season goes on and as practices go on.

“She’s doing a great job at that. I think as time goes on, she is going to gain that leadership role, and she is going to feel more confident. She is the leader of the back row, and that’s what she’s got to do,” junior setter Katie George said.

Another major transition is the acclimation of going from two fifth-year seniors starting at the middle blocker position to two true freshmen. Highly touted recruits Tess Clark, six-foot-three, and Maggie DeJong, six-foot, have made an impact early.

“They’ve been amazing. I can’t even tell you how impressed I’ve been, not just the work ethic, the attitude, the intangibles; that’s all great. But how fast they have picked everything up, how cerebral they are and how nothing has flustered them thus far. I think that’s the biggest key.

“Every game they are there to play no matter what. They don’t care who’s ranked or that they’re freshmen. They’re certainly not playing like it, so it’s been fun,” Kordes said of her youngsters in the middle.

For all the fresh faces on this year’s squad, there are still impactful returners. At the outside hitter position is a potent combination of red-shirt sophomore Janelle Jenkins and sophomore Maya McClendon.

Last year as a true-freshman, McClendon led the Cards in kills with 329 and was second on the team in digs with 332. Meanwhile, Jenkins was fourth on the team in kills with 239 and was third in blocks with 66.

“Now that they both have one year under their belts each, I think that they are doing a great job from a leadership standpoint. They’ve been there; they have the experience now, so there shouldn’t be any nerves.

“Now I just think it’s maturing in their position because they are the pin hitters. They get all the out assisted balls; it’s up to them to take care of it when we are put in those positions,” George said.

“Maya touches the ball so many times on each play, so she has a lot on her back. She has to step up every single game, and I think she’s doing a really phenomenal job at that,” George explained.

It is without a doubt that McClendon is one of, if not the, most important players on this Cardinal squad. The raw talent that she brought to Louisville as a freshman from DuPont Manual cannot be understated; now for the Cards to continue to improve, McClendon must continue to improve.

After a 3-0 victory over Cincinnati, coach Kordes explained the importance of McClendon’s growth.

“Maya just had a phenomenal game there from her back row play; her passing, her defense and serving were very good, and that’s where I’m excited to see her evolve as a player.

“Everyone knows she can jump and swing and she does great things, but I’m excited to see her become that all-around player that just has no holes in her game.”

If McClendon is the muscle, then George is the heart. The local junior setter out of Assumption High School has been key to Cardinal success since she walked in as a freshman.

As the floor general, George led the Cards in assists last year with 966, the second highest total being 236. There is no question that the fight and work ethic George walks on to the court with rubs off on her teammates.

“She’s just been great. What you get from Katie, from her leadership skills to her ability and then her belief in herself and our team, is always going to be good for a couple points a set. So I’m so glad that she’s out leading our team; that’s for sure,” Kordes said.

“We worked really, really, hard this summer, and we had a phenomenal preseason just working and learning as a group, and I think that put us in a really good position for this season,” George continues.

“We are trying to knock off some big teams. We want to go into the ACC with confidence, because that is going to be a great conference. We are going to set the bar high; we want to win the ACC. Right now, they have us pre-season polled at finishing fifth. Thanks, but no thanks. We want to finish up there.”

Heading into the ACC is made easier with the addition of North Carolina State transfer, junior red-shirt outside hitter, Laura Blab. After three seasons spent in the ACC, Blab knows what it takes to win in that conference, and she knows Louisville has what it takes.

“I think we can dominate. I think with how much we work, we can win the ACC,” Blab expresses. “It’s not all about talent and height; it’s about how hard you work, every ball, every point, and we have that. Everyone on the team contributes, and I think that is what’s going to get us to the top.”

The Cards return to action when they host vaunted rivals UK, Tuesday, 7:00 pm in the KFC YUM! Center.