By Jocelyn Scurlock

Louisville volleyball swept Notre Dame in South Bend Wednesday night.

Break out the cleaning supplies

Set one started off rocky for the Cards as they fell behind the Fighting Irish 7-2.

After regrouping, Louisville came alive and went on a 6-0 serving run fueled by an ace from Hannah Kenny and an aggressive setter dump by Nayelis Cabello.

Their momentum continued with a few killer slides by Cara Cresse who had a .800 hitting percentage in the set with only one error.

The two teams traded points with quite a few lead changes, but ultimately Louisville was able to close out set one 25-21.

The second set started strangely with libero Kamden Schrand going on a 7-0 scoring run for the Cards only for it to be taken back due to them being out of rotation.

Despite nearly a 20-minute delay, Louisville’s momentum continued.

Scrappy defense from Schrand out of middle back got the Cards out to a comfortable lead, forcing Notre Dame to burn both of their time outs.

The Cardinals won set two 25-19 led by eight kills from Chloe Chicoine.

Both teams found success early in the third set by feeding their outsides consistently.

The Fighting Irish began to build a little momentum and open up a slight lead thanks to aggressive serving and a few miscommunications on Louisville’s side.

But the Cards were able to work their way back into the game with strong blocking from Hannah Sherman and Kalyssa Blackshear to take the lead 22-18.

After being forced to call a time out, Notre Dame rallied and went on a 4-0 serving run to tie the game at 22 apiece.

Despite the tie, Louisville pushed hard to earn the last three points and Cresse was able to close it out with a kill.

The Cards took set three 25-23 and swept Notre Dame on their home court.

Perfect…to the naked eye

Although the Cards got the win in this match, there were quite a few miscommunications on out-of-system plays that had the potential to jeopardize their sweep.

If they can clean those mistakes up, they will be in great shape to beat the Irish again at home.

On the other hand, Louisville’s serve-receive and defense looked great Wednesday.

These categories were something the team struggled with heavily in past matches. It is exciting to see them grow and improve as the season progresses.

Louisville advances to 17-4 on the season and 9-2 in conference.

The Cards look to continue their win streak as Notre Dame makes the trip to Louisville for a rematch on Saturday at the KFC Yum! Center.

Photo Courtesy / Mallory Peak / Louisville Athletics