LOUISVILLE, Ky—Belmont volleyball fell to No.10 Louisville in the first round of the NCAA Tournament Thursday night in the KFC Yum! Center in downtown Louisville.
"I thought our girls played so hard," said head coach Deane Webb. "I am so proud of this group. They have made believers out of a lot of people and I think tonight the crowd got to see some good volleyball. We don't have the biggest kids on our side but we don't lack heart and effort, and I'm just so proud of these kids."
Jocelyn Youngdahl put Belmont on the board first to take a 1-0 lead, but the Cardinals quickly responded. Both teams exchanged points back and forth, with Belmont taking their largest lead of three-points following a 4-0 run.
Behind a six-point run, the Bruins took a 22-20 lead forcing Louisville to take a timeout. An attack error by the Cardinals put Belmont up 23-20. The Bruins took the match point, before the Cardinals responded with a kill.
A kill from Youngdahl closed the opening set, 25-21, which is the first time the Bruins have won a set in the NCAA Tournament. BU recorded a .326 hitting percentage in the first set.
The Bruins opened the second set with a 5-1 lead before the Cardinals responded by tying the set at 5-all. UofL continued to extend their lead but it was short-lived as Maddison Croft sparked a run that tied the set at 11-all.
BU took at 14-12 lead lead before the Cardinals scored three unanswered points. Jen Myer silenced Louisville's run before they scored four-straight points before Scarlet Gable silenced them. The Cardinals went on to take the second set, 25-19, tying the match at one apiece at the break.
Through two matches, the Bruins hit .256 while Louisville hit .200.
BU scored the first point after the break and jumped out to a 4-2 lead. The Cardinals fought back, tying the set at 5-all, before Belmont regained the lead, 8-6, behind kills from Youngdahl and Gable. Behind kills from Gable and Martin, the Bruins continued to maintain their lead, 14-13, until Louisville scored back-to-back kills to take their first lead at 15-14.
The Cardinals went on a 6-1 run to take a 22-15 lead before a kill from Allison McCoy silenced their run and sparked a BU run as Youngdahl, closed the gap with Louisville, 22-17. The Cardinals took the third set, 25-18.
Belmont jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the fourth set. The Bruins led early in the fourth set, until Louisville tied the set at 7-all. Behind a 7-2 run, the Cardinals were able to take 15-10 lead. A 3-0 run by the Cardinals was halted by a kill from Gable to close the gap, 19-13, sparking a BU run to bring the set to within four, 20-16.
Behind a kill from Youngdahl and a Cardinal attack error, the Bruins closed the gap while Louisville maintained their lead 21-18. A kill from McCoy decreased the Cardinals lead, 23-19. Back-to-back kills from Gable brought the set within three-points, 24-21, but Louisville won the set, 25-21.
Gable recorded a double-double with 12 kills and 11 digs. Youngdahl added 12 kills and seven digs, while McCoy added nine kills. Libero Jamie Lundstrom tallied 20 digs and Miranda dished out 45 assists.
The Bruins, who are senior-less, end their season with an 18-17 overall record and 11-5 mark in conference play.
