By Matt Bradshaw–
In their ACC opener this past weekend, volleyball (7-5, 1-1) defeated Notre Dame (10-2, 0-1) in a tight five-set match (25-23, 23-25, 25-27, 25-18, 15-8). The Cardinals were down 2-1 then powered themselves to a comeback win at Cardinal Arena.
Sophomore Melanie McHenry lead the team with a double-double of 21 kills and 11 digs. Jasmine Bennett and Tess Clark added 15 kills each and senior libero Molly Sauer held the back row with a season-high 36 digs.
“It’s pretty awesome the way that the five-setter ended. I thought Molly Sauer pretty much took over in the back row,” said coach Dani Busboom Kelly.
Despite 34 errors – 10 more than Notre Dame – Louisville out-killed their opponent 74-48. Setter Wilma Rivera had more assists (58) than all the Irish combined (44).
After their victory, the team travelled to Chapel Hill for a match with North Carolina. The Tar heels (4-6, 1-10) defended their court with a 3-2 win over the Cardinals (19-25, 25-18, 18-25, 25-19, 15-12).
McHenry led again with 18 kills, and Bennett and Amanda Green added 15 and 14. Rivera had 53 assists, Sauer dug 18 and Maddie DeJong blocked six in the loss.
Much like against Notre Dame, Louisville erred more than North Carolina while out-killing them. This time the Cardinals had 23 errors in the final three sets to the Tar Heels’ seven, contributing to the defeat.
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