By Mitch Streufert

The University of Louisville volleyball team took down the No. 2 seed University of Cincinnati Bearcats on Sunday, Nov. 22 at the Kentucky International Convention Center, for their second Big East title in four years. The Cardinals prevailed in four sets: 25-22, 25-21, 22-25 and 25-20.
The Cards were led by Big East freshman player of the year Lola Arslanbekova, who had a tournament record of 25 kills. Arslanbekova also added the Big East Tournament most valuable player award to her growing collection of individual achievements. 
“It was an amazing feeling to be honored like that,” said freshman outside hitter Arslanbekova. “I have never felt so grateful about an award. But, honestly, I owe my teammates for the award. They give me the opportunity to succeed.”
The Cards opened up the match by winning 4 out of the first 5 points, and extended the lead to 18-13, forcing Cincinnati’s head coach Reed Sunahara to call a timeout. The Bearcats rallied, to make it 21-19, but it proved to be too little too late, as Louisville took the first set 25-22. According to senior First Team All Big East middle blocker, Lecia Brown, their defense set the tone for the rest of the match.
“Well, Cincinnati was the only team to out block us the entire year,” said Brown. “So Coach Yelin really emphasized that point before the game. Our defense set up the offense all match, with good attacking opportunities.”
The Cards and Bearcats exchanged points in the second set, with 6 ties. The Cards rallied off a 3-0 run, to make the score 20-18, forcing Sunahara to call another timeout. Once again, the timeout wasn’t effective in slowing down senior outside hitter Justine Landi. She had 2 kills within the last 5 points, putting Louisville up 2 sets going into the break.
“Like the Syracuse match on Friday, you always love having the 2-set advantage going to the break,” said assistant coach Stephanie Marsh. “But Cincinnati earned the 2 seed for a reason. They are a very talented team, who will beat you if you lose focus. We, as a coaching staff, have to keep them focused on the objective.”
The Cards stormed out of the gates in the third set, going up 8-4. The Bearcats, led by junior outside hitter Stephanie Niemer, fought back, taking a 22-20 lead. U of L head coach Leonid Yelin called a timeout to refocus his squad. But the Bearcats were able to keep the momentum, and closed out the set 25-22.
The fourth and final set was closely contested, but U of L gained the edge with a 3-0 run, making the score 23-19. After a Cincinnati timeout, the Cards pushed their lead to 24-20. After a 15-second rally, with both squads diving for loose balls everywhere, the Cards gained the advantage, setting up Arslanbekova with a kill opportunity. After a failed dig attempt by Cincinnati’s defensive specialist, Jamie Frey, the ball sailed under the net. And the celebration was underway in the Kentucky International Convention center.
With the victory, the Cardinals earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Volleyball Tournament, beginning Friday, Dec. 4.