Volleyball Survives Dayton -- WSoc Visits IU -- THURSDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

Volleyball Survives Dayton

When you're the number two team in the country, you'll get everyone's best every match. That was no different when Louisville volleyball (7-0) visited Dayton last night. The #2 Cards and #30 Flyers battled it out over five sets before Louisville ultimately prevailed 3-2 (25-17, 23-25, 25-19, 19-25, 15-11).

Louisville hit below their season average at .283. They committed an uncharacteristic 22 attack errors. Add 10 service errors and it was over a set's worth of free points for Dayton. The Cards did log 63 kills and eight service aces. 

Anna DeBeer had a team-high 24 kills while hitting .353. Cara Cresse hit a remarkable .588 while earning 12 kills. PK Kong didn't have a busy offensive night, but was effective when her name was called, hitting .417 with six kills.

Elena Scott showcased her defensive prowess with 20 digs, a match high. She added nine assists and an ace in the mix to round out a busy night for her. Elle Glock must have been training with Scott as the setter recorded nine digs herself. Glock also made her presence felt at the night, being involved with four blocks.

Set One: Louisville 25, Dayton 17

The first part of the set was close, with the teams being tied at 10 apiece before Louisville went on a 7-0 run for a commanding lead. Dayton never managed to get within five after that and the Cards even pushed their lead to 10 at one point.

Set Two: Dayton 25, Louisville 23

This one followed suit from the first set for a while. We saw a 6-6 tie before Louisville flirted with a few small leads at 15-10 and 16-12. A 7-2 run by Dayton put the Flyers up by two. The Cards battled back for a 22-21 lead but failed to hold onto the lead.

Set Three: Louisville 25, Dayton 19

Louisville came out of halftime with renewed vigor. Well, not exactly. It was another tight start with an 8-8 tie before Dayton pulled ahead by one. Then, Louisville kicked things up a notch. They went on a 9-2 run to take a 17-11 lead. The Flyers pushed for a rally, bringing the score within 20-19 before the Cards slammed the door shut by scoring the final five points.

Set Four: Dayton 25, Louisville 19

Dayton was quick to get to a 4-1 lead before we saw 5-5 and 11-11 ties. Mini runs by each team brought the score to 17 apiece. The Flyers would score eight of the final 10 points to force a fifth set.

Set Five: Louisville 15, Dayton 11

The final set had a promising start when Louisville took a 5-0 lead. Dayton would close the gap some at 6-3 and 9-6. Louisville tried to build their lead but the Flyers kept making things difficult and cut the lead down to 12-10. A timeout was all Louisville needed as they closed the match on a 3-1 spurt to earn the win.

The Cards host Penn State (3-2) on Sunday at 1:00 pm at L&N FCU Arena. After an 0-2 start to the season, the Nittany Lions have won three straight matches.

Soccer Visits Indiana

Women's Soccer painted up to cheer on their men counterparts

Fresh off their first win of the season, Louisville women's soccer heads to Bloomington for a 7:00 pm kickoff against Indiana in the Battle of the Border. TV is scheduled for B1G+ so be prepared to dish out a few bucks if you want to watch.

The Hoosiers are undefeated on the year, starting 4-0-2. They drew with their two toughest opponents in Virginia Tech and Tennessee. They have outscored opponents in the four wins 9-1. Louisville trails the all-time series 4-2-2 but have gone 2-0-2 in the most recent four meetings.

If you choose to travel anywhere near campus tonight, remember that Louisville football has their home opener tonight so traffic will be heavier than normal. You might catch various women's teams present at the game 

Happy Thursday and Go Cards!

Jared