By Derek DeBurger

Louisville fought a five-set battle against the Creighton Bluejays to advance to the regional finals.

The first set was a fairly even affair, but the Cards jumped to a quick 3-0 lead. The Bluejays made a push late in the set, including a 4-0 run, but six kills each by star Anna DeBeer and Charitie Luper were too much. Louisville took the first set 25-21.

The Cards started just as hot in the second set, taking an early 5-2 lead. Almost immediately after, though, the wheels fell off.

Actually, it was more like Creighton stole the wheels, deflated them, and then sold them back to Louisville. An 18-3 Bluejay run gave them an insurmountable 21-9 lead. The Cards dropped the set that saw them hitting a pathetic -0.029 hitting percentage.

In the third set, the Cards were able to once again get out to a fast start, jumping on the Bluejays 7-2. Creighton scratched and clawed their way back to tie the set at 23-23, but two quick scores gave Louisville a 2-1 lead in the match.

The tides changed in the fourth set when the Bluejays went on a 6-0 run after a quick Louisville start that included two aces, echoing the momentum they had in the second set. After two timeouts by head coach Dani Busboom-Kelly, the Cards were able to keep their cool to tie the game back up at 20-20. The final points of the set were highly contested, with Louisville finding their backs against the wall—and they responded well—but the Bluejays could eke out the set to force a fifth.

The fifth and final set finally flipped the script. The game started with no team gaining a clear advantage over the other, and then the Cards took it to the Bluejays to dominate the set. The Cards scored five times off of errors on their way to a 15-8 set win and a 3-2 match win.

The Cards played an up-and-down game, with great hitting percentages in the three sets they won and less-than-great hitting percentages in the two sets they lost. The lesson from the win is that Louisville, despite getting into terrible funks full of errors, can grind out the win. These kinds of gritty wins are exactly what give a team confidence to survive and advance this time of year.

The Cards also got great all-around performances from DeBeer and Luper; DeBeer had 19 kills and 13 digs, and Luper had 20 kills and 10 digs. Elle Glock was phenomenal in setting up the offense, finishing with a match-high 49 assists.

The Cards will play the winner of the Pittsburgh-Washington State game in the regional finals on Saturday.