By Matt Bradshaw —
No. 22 volleyball (17-5, 10-1) recovered from their first conference defeat last week with a 3-1 defeat of Boston College (13-10, 3-8). Louisville dropped the first game, worked on their play and closed out the match with three consecutive hard-fought wins.
Senior Amanda Green led the front row with 16 kills. Junior Melanie McHenry played solid all-around, posting 13 kills and 14 digs. Sophomore Marijke Van Dyke had her best match all season with 10 kills.
First set
The Eagles established a 12-9 lead after back-and-forth play. The Cards stayed close but trailed their opponent the rest of the set.
Boston College played much more effectively than U of L at the net, and their back row managed to contain Louisville’s talented hitters. The Eagles took the game 25-18.
Second set
Both sides fought hard for the lead in the second set, with 16 ties and 10 lead changes taking place.
With the score 19-19, the Eagles gave a point away with a handling error and sophomores Marijke Van Dyke and Piper Roe combined for a huge block. U of L went on to take the second set 25-20.
Third set
Louisville shot out to a definitive 10-4 lead in the third set. Green and McHenry led the Cards with a series of kills and blocks at the net.
A couple of kills from the Eagles and service errors from the Cardinals kept Boston College in the game. Head coach Dani Busboom Kelly called a timeout with the score 14-12.
Four kills from Van Dyke, along with a service ace from senior libero Molly Sauer, sealed the deal for Louisville. They took the third set 25-17 for a 2-1 lead.
Fourth set
The Eagles established an early 5-0 lead. McHenry, Green and senior Jasmine Bennett guided the Cards to a lead from the front row with a 14-7 run.
Boston College fought back with a string of kills from their own front row, taking a 19-17 lead. Bennett and Green combined for three kills to grab a 20-19 lead for U of L.
Louisville maintained the edge and Bennett clinched the victory with a kill. The Cards took the set and match 25-23.
Volleyball hosts Syracuse on Sunday, October 28 at 1 p.m.
You can follow the Louisville Cardinal on Twitter @thecardsports.
Photos by Jessica Abell / The Louisville Cardinal