By Chris O’Grady
The U of L women’s volleyball team won its third consecutive Big East championship Sunday from in Pittsburgh, beating No.1 seed University of Cincinnati in three sets.
Freshman Emily Juhl was named MVP after recording 13 kills in the championship match. Gwen Rucker and Lola Arslanbekova were also named to the all-tournament team.
“We stayed in our game plan almost perfectly, with no mental break,” said head coach Leonid Yelin. “I am very proud of this young team, I could not ask any more from them. It was just a great match.”
The Cards won their first round matchup with Seton Hall University and semifinal with Marquette each 3 sets to 1. Cincinnati had won seven consecutive matches between their loss on Oct. 16 at Cardinal Arena and Sunday’s championship; both losses came to U of L.
The Cards improved to 21-7 overall on the season. The Big East championship gave the team an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, beginning December 3. Seeding for the NCAAs will take place next Sunday Nov. 18.
