By Benjamin Lampkin
In back-to-back home matches against their Conference USA foes from North Carolina, the University of Louisville volleyball team delivered nothing but sweeps, the latest being Saturday’s 3-0 win over East Carolina. Once again, the Cards got increased production up front from several key players.
“We are hitting so well right now,” said head coach Leonid Yelin. “Bing (Sun) and Lena (Ustymenko) had a very hot hand on offense. They didn’t have an answer for that. For the last three matches, we have hit .390 or better.”
The Cardinals gave ECU no chance in the opening game, hitting .640 with 17 kills in the 30-20 win. Setter Jennifer Craven had 14 assists, while Sun had four digs.
The Cards’ hitting percentage trailed off slightly in the second game, allowing the Pirates to keep it tight early at 10-10. A vocal and supportive ECU crowd showed signs of life for the first time during that stretch, but it would be among the last times they celebrated the play of the Pirates. The Cards pulled ahead and didn’t look back, racking up 20 team kills in the 30-13 win. Craven piled up 17 more assists, while Sun had six kills and Sarah Drury went low for six digs.
Game 3 was merely a formality as the Cards ended the night early. ECU briefly kept things close, staying within four points at 20-16, and getting three consecutive points to come within four at 27-23. But U of L simply had too much offense. Led by Ustymenko and Sun, who had 15 and 14 kills for the match, respectively, the Cards won 30-24 for the three-game sweep.
U of L hit .394 for the match, knocking in six aces, including two each from Sun and Anastasia Zaitseva.
ECU was led by Sarah Vick with 12 kills and an ace.
With the loss of Sonja Percan to an ankle injury earlier this season at a tournament in Atlanta, Ustymenko has stepped into the starting lineup and provided a nice offensive lift. She has totaled 158 kills, averaging 3.16 kills per game, combining with Bing Sun, who was named Conference USA Player of the Week, to form a lethal 1-2 punch.
The Cards are now 16-3 on the year, with an unblemished 5-0 mark in Conference USA. They have won seven straight matches and 12 of the last 13.
U of L will be on the road next weekend as they face Southern Miss on October 25 and Tulane on the 26th. Their next home match is a C-USA matchup with Saint Louis on November 1.
