By Matt Bradshaw–

After a disappointing loss at Miami, volleyball (15-6, 9-2) finished their three-game road trip by defeating Florida State and Notre Dame. This is the second time Louisville has beaten the pair this season, including sweeping the Seminoles both matches.

The team now finds itself ranked twenty-fifth in the nation and atop the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Louisville swept Florida State one month ago and followed suit by sweeping them again Oct. 22 (27-25, 25-21, 25-20). The Cardinals out-killed their opponent 44-31 and out-aced them 7-2. Senior Maddie DeJong controlled the net with 10 kills and seven blocks.

The Seminoles hit a measly .092 and the Cardinals did not perform much better. They hit only .188 themselves, struggling with hitting percentage for much of the match and erring the same amount as Florida State. Louisville trailed 17-12 in the first set, 15-13 in the second and 18-6 in the third.

Despite these deficits, the Cardinals streaked their way to comeback victories each game. A 15-8 run in the first set, 12-6 run in the second and 9-2 in the third clinched the win.

Louisville’s match with Notre Dame Oct. 25 was hard-fought, requiring five sets to complete (25-22, 25-17, 18-25, 18-25, 15-10). Somehow the Cardinals ended up on top, despite a high 30 errors during the match and lower hitting percentage than the Irish.

Much like their performance against Florida State, Louisville carried themselves to a victory with the help of runs. The Cardinals would sputter and fall behind, but streaks and individual performances led to a close win.

Melanie McHenry killed 20, and Wilma Rivera aced six and assisted 50 to lead the Cardinals over the Irish. Both contributed 15 digs.

You can follow Matt Bradshaw @bradmatt8. 

File photo / The Louisville Cardinal