By: Jocelyn Scurlock

Louisville volleyball took care of business with a sweep against Virginia Tech to improve to 5-0 in ACC conference play.

The Cards started the game off strong with a 6-0 serving run from setter Nayelis Cabello forcing Virginia Tech to call their first timeout early in the first set.

Louisville was able to keep up their momentum from start to finish thanks to strong swings from Cara Cresse and scrappy defense in the back row from Payton Peterson.

The Cards took the first set 25-11.

Louisville picked up the second set right where they left off by getting out to a quick 10-2 lead against the Hokies. This fueled their aggressiveness behind the service line. Hannah Kenny and Kamden Schrand had a combined total of 5 aces in set two.

On the other side of the net, The Hokies struggled with their serving and had a total of 10 errors on the night with 5 in the second set alone.

The Cards strong serving, along with their 12 kills, led them to win the second set 25-12.

The final set got off to a strong start for Louisville with Chloe Chicoine getting her 1000th kill on an overpass from Virginia Tech.

Louisville struggled a bit on serve receive and defense towards the end of the third, which allowed The Hokies to go on a few small runs to try and force a fourth set.

Ultimately, The Cards were able to rally and take the set 25-17 and complete the sweep.

Although Louisville seemed to be succeeding in all aspects of the game, their hitting was especially on point.

The team combined for a total of 40 kills during the match with Chicone leading the way with eleven followed by Kalyssa Blackshear who had ten, and Cara Cresse with five.

The Cards also seem to be getting more comfortable utilizing the back row attack as a weapon. In the second set, Cabello set a perfect ball to the ten foot line so Peterson could swing out of middle-back and earn them the point.

As Louisville gets deeper into conference play and prepares to face tougher opponents like Pitt, it will be fun to see how the Cards continue to grow as a team and build stronger connections on the court. The Cardinals advance to 13-2 on the season.

The Cardinals are back at home in L&N Arena this Sunday to take on the Virginia Cavaliers.