LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Belmont volleyball (18-16, 11-5) fell to No.9 Louisville Friday afternoon in the OVC-Louisville Challenge, in three sets, 24-26, 21-25, 14-25.
"We are very thankful to have had the opportunity to represent Belmont and the OVC in the match tonight," said head coach Deane Webb. "I'm extremely proud of the effort our team put into this match. Our goal was to outwork Louisville, and I believe we accomplished that goal. We may have been outsized, but we were not outworked."
Belmont took an early 2-0 lead over Louisville, who just won the BIG EAST crown, before the Cardinals scored three unanswered points to take the lead. However, Allison McCoy (Huntington Beach, Calif.) silenced their run. Behind kills from Jocelyn Youngdahl (Stillwater, Minn.) and Alex Martin (Ooltewah, Tenn.) the Bruins took a two-point lead over Louisville, 10-8. The Cardinals responded with four consecutive points to take command of the set.
Both teams put together short runs to exchange points. Louisville took a 22-19 lead, but Youngdahl sparked a Belmont run tying the set at 22-all. The set was tied two more times before the Cardinals closed out the opening set, 26-24.
An ace from Hannah Miranda (Covington, La.) started the set for the Bruins. The second set remained close. Behind a 6-1 run, the Cardinals took a six-point lead, 15-9, before Belmont responded with a 5-1 run, including back-to-back service aces from Marissa Hine (Noblesville, Ind.), to close the gap, 16-14.
Louisville continued to extend their lead before a 3-0 run from the Bruins put the set within one-point, 19-18, but it wasn't enough to hold off the Cardinals who won the second set, 25-21, and took a 2-0 advantage at intermission.
"[Gwen] Rucker was just tremendous for Louisville tonight. It is rare to see a player so athletic and also so disciplined in her shot selection," said Webb.
The Cardinals began the third set with a 3-1 lead before a BU run tied the set at 4-all. Both teams exchanged points before the Cards jumped to a seven-point lead. Belmont tried to close the gap, but was unable to hold of Louisville who won the set, 25-14.
"The first two sets were point for point and I was pleased with our ability to score on a team as physical as Louisville," said Webb. "In the third, our mental focus dropped slightly. Against a team at this level, we know we have to be 100 percent focused from the first point until the last. Hopefully that is something we will take and learn from as we go into NCAA play."
Youngdahl led the Bruins with 10 kills while McCoy added eight and Danielle Prochaska (Middleton, Wisc.) tallied seven kills. Jamie Lundstrom (La Grange, Ill.) paced the defense with 19 digs, while Miranda dished out 30 assists.
Belmont will learn who they will face in the NCAA Tournament on Sunday, November 25. The selection show is slated for 3:00p.m. on the ESPNU.
