Box Score LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Belmont volleyball dropped a four set heart-breaker to No. 15 Louisville 20-25, 25-22, 23-25 and 21-25. With this the Bruins closed out their season after making it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2012.
"We came out strong and ready to play tonight," said Youngdahl. "We had confidence coming into the match and then pushed them for every point. It was exciting for us to take a good team like Louisville and make them earn every point."
Sophomore Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.) led the battle with a double-double recording 24 kills hitting for an average of .308, along with a team-high 15 digs. Sophomore Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.) and senior Jocelyn Youngdahl (Stillwater, Minn.) both finished the evening with double digit kills. Sophomore Emma Price (Fort Mill, SC) dished out 49 assists and sophomore Emily Richards (Penfield, N.Y.) closed out the evening with 13 digs.
"Tonight was great night," said Head Coach Tony Howell. "I can't say enough about these young ladies and how they have played great volleyball all season long. We have overcome a lot of obstacles and for us to come and play a top ranked team, and to play them that hard, they carried on and peaked at the right time."
Set one started off with both teams trading off kills. An early six-point run by Louisville gave them a 12-4 lead. Belmont retaliated with a four point run which included two kills from Youngdahl, a kill from freshman Tori Simmons (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and a block from Lewis and Youngdahl, which closed the gap to 12-8. Bruins came within three at 13-16, before two straight from Louisville put them up 18-13. Both teams traded points and two kills from Youngdahl along with a joust from Simmons took the score to 22-19. Despite a tough fight from Belmont the Bruins dropped set one 20-25.
"Right at the end of our first game we started talking about how we started down and how we got the momentum at the end of the set," said Price. "We knew if we started strong in the second game we would take it, and that's when it really hit us that we were in it."
Belmont and Louisville went point-for-point to start out the second set. Belmont went on a six to two run and took a 8-4 lead. Louisville responded taking four of the next five and brought the score to 8-9. The teams once again traded off points until kills from Person, Nichols and Lewis put Belmont back on top 15-12. Belmont would hold the advantage but the Cardinals would fight back and tied the set at 20. With two kills from Lewis, and one from Youngdahl; along with a couple Cardinal errors; the Bruins took set two 25-22.
The third set proceeded much like the second with both teams fighting for each point and neither team held more then a three point lead for the almost the entire set. The Bruins trailed for the majority of the set, they tied it at eight after a few Cardinal errors. Louisville pulled ahead once again leading by four, 13-9 at one point. Belmont fought hard and tied the set back at 17 by going on a three point run highlighted by kills from Youngdahl and Person. Louisville once again went on a run and took the lead but a kill from Lewis, and a handful of Cardinal errors, tied the set at 23. Louisville came out of their called timeout and put down two kills to take the third set 25-23.
Louisville jumped out to an early 4-1 lead but Belmont did not let that get them down. The Bruins fought back and tied the set at eight with kills from Simmons, Youngdahl and Person. The rest of set four the two teams went point-for-point, and kill-for-kill with the largest lead coming from Louisville at 20-18. Two Cardinal errors tied the set at 20. A Cardinal kill followed by a Bruin kill tied the set at 21. Louisville would take the next four points and closed out the match 25-21.
"There is something really special about being on a team," said Person. "Tonight more then any other night I felt how special it was to work hard for everyone else on the team. The thing that got us the most tonight was our own mistakes but it was the small points between every great play that we worked really hard on that helped us stay as close as we did."
With the conclusion of the match Belmont's postseason subsequently also concluded.
"I can't say enough about these young ladies and how they fought every point.," said Howell. "Our team is built around never quitting on any type of situation. To come into Louisville's home court advantage and to play them like they did I am so proud and I can not say enough about the entire team."
