Saturday Cardinal Couple -- Volleyball from the YUM!

(Louisville easily handled Marshall in Volleyball Saturday morning 25-9, 25-25, 25-12. They face Samford tonight at 7:30 p.m.)

Jeff Adams reports on Volleyball against Duke...he'll be attending the matches today and we'll have a full update on them for you here at C.C.)

Its another weekend of quick turnarounds for the volleyball team...and their fans...which doesn't give us much time to digest and analyze.  So here's a few quick thoughts.

Lola...same song, different verse.

Any regular readers of any coverage of UofL Volleyball know that Lola Arslanbekova is an amazing player. What many may not realize is that she's not only a great hitter, but also pretty darn good in other roles on the court. That having been said, in the opening matches of the season against Western and Morehead, she seemed to be struggling with her passing. Those woes have apparently passed as last night she was passing quickly and precisely.  She's not going to threaten Caitlin Welch for the libero spot, and not just because we would miss her explosive hitting, but its good to see her getting all aspects of her game under control and contributing all around.

Speaking of Caitlin Welch.

She had another great match. Only three games in this match, so the numbers don't look as impressive on the surface, but she was doing her job quite well.  Welch's digging numbers may also be a bit down because the setters Hannah Kvitle and Katie George are taking a fair number of digs. As mentioned Thursday, this mean Welch is setting, which is reflected in her 6 assists.

Let down from beating Kentucky.

Yes, the team had a bit of a let down after winning the big match Wednesday night against Kentucky, but not for long. The first set against Duke was a bit listless, but the Cards got it in gear for the second and third sets. That, of course, is big for a team that has such a tough schedule. It would lessen the impact of any wins against the many great teams UofL is playing if they turned around and lost to a less quality team right after.

A new weapon in Brooke Mattingly.

Brooke Mattingly essentially finished off the match in style, reeling off three straight kills. Its always great to have another weapon in the arsenal. I'm not sure if other teams have figured out that Mattingly is such a threat, but until they do, she should continue to have great opportunities. Of course, once they figure out how much of a threat she can be, that pulls some of the defense and attention off of others like Lola, Emily Juhl, and Kaitlynn James.

More to come...

That's all for now, I need to pack up to head back down to the KFC Yum! Center for the 11am match against Marshall, followed by the 7:30 match against Samford. Hopefully I'll have a few moments to write up some thoughts from those before getting into some activity or another on Sunday.  Anyone have any plans?

( Want to read more about Cardinal Volleyball? Make sure and check out Paul's report on the action from last night and stay tuned to Cardinal Couple for updates on today's matches.!).
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