VolleyCARDS WIN 3-1 over Pitt -- head to Championship Sunday -- FRIDAY CARDINAL COUPLE

FRIDAYS WITH DARYL 

Good Friday morning, it is a wonderful morning to report a Cardinal victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers on Thursday evening in a 4 set thriller downtown at the Yum! Center.   All eyes are on the Ville this weekend and the Cardinals are still dancing!  

Photos: Jared Anderson

Jared, Paul, Sonya and Jeff all in attendance for the big matchup!  Thomas and I on the edge of our seats at home, I'm sure Case was too.   Lets get right into it. 
 

Volleyball

Louisville storms back to a 3-1 victory after falling in the set 1 against the dominating and heavily favored Pittsburgh Panthers outlasting a scare after a funny landing by Anna DeBeer.   We will hear more on that possible devastating injury but at the end of the match DBK said Anna will be there Sunday in her post match remarks at the presser. .  

Charitie Luper, Sofi Maldonado Diaz and Anna DeBeer each had 14 kills for the Cardinals as UofL outblocked Pitt 12-4  as a team.    

UofL Alum Katie George was on the call and it was such a great match!! So many incredibly long volleys, every point felt hard earned and well deserved. 

Set 1

Photos: Jared Anderson

Cards get the first serve and a long rally goes the Cardinals way and UofL jumps out to a 2-0 lead before the two squads exchange 2 each two tie it up 4 all.  Both teams hitting .350 or better and pretty even as both go back & forth.  Charitie Luper leading the charge with 3 kills on 8 attacks. 

DBK called a timeout when Pitt got out to a 20-16 lead.  A few attacking errors gave the Panthers a cushion and set them up to take set 1 but Pitt takes two more points after Olivia Babcock kills on the crosscourt swing.  The Cards call their final timeout but another long volley ends in already Babcocks 8th kill to put the Panthers up 23-16 on a run and Reese Robbins and Phekran Kong both stave off the set point to keep the set alive before Pitt ultimately calls a timeout at 24-20 and a Cardinals ace out of it as a result. 

Pitt wins the first set after hitting .373% and the Cards swinging just under .300%.  Babcock lead all with 9 kills with the support of Torrey Stafford with 6 kills and 6 digs.

25-21 Pitt 

Set 2

Photos: Jared Anderson

Pitt gets out to a 4-0 lead to open the second set before a serving error by the Panthers and an ace by the Cards and puts UofL on the board before Pitt goes on a 3-0 run to make it 7-2 and DBK calls a timeout.  Two strong swings from PK brings the attack back for the Cards 8-4.   UofL gets the score back within two at 10-8 then a serving error by Pitt and back to back blocks by Cara Cresse brings the score to its first tie 11 all when the Cards take the lead on one out of bounds.  Dan Fischer challenges the call to slow the momentum but its confirmed when the Cards come back out and score a couple to take the 13-11 lead and Pitt calls another timeout after the UofL 5-0 run.

25-23 Cards

Set 3

Pitt gets out to a 6-2 lead but a wide shot from Pitt brings it back within striking distance for the Cards 8-6.  Its tied 10-10 before cards take lead for the first time in the set.  5 straight points for the Cards forces a Pitt timeout as the Cards (and hometown fans) are feeling good!  But the Panthers take another lead and keeps it as the Cards are scratching back 17-18...  before Pitt pushes it back to 20-17. At 19-22 you could sense the Cards were trying to not let this one slip away but Babcock finds her 26th kill.  Maldonado-Diaz's kill on the open kill to force a Pitt timeout at 23-21. Maldonado-Diaz again 23-22 creeping back.DeBeer block to tie it up 23 on a DeBeer mental error to put Pitt match point but then DeBeer lands the kill to even it up.  At Pitts 4th set point Luper steps up for the kill and ties it up at 27.  On the Cards next set point, it was touched by Pitt's Vaquez-Gomez and the Cards win set 3 !!! They come from down 23-19  to win 29-27 powered behind DeBeer's block then 3 kills in transition 

Cards 29-27

Set 4

Cards out to a 2-0 lead before Debeer needs helped off the floor after she lands funny on the right ankle.  Maldonado-Diaz and Cresse both throw down for a kill each and a couple aces puts the cards up 9-3.  Pitt goes on 3-0 run. Anna DeBeer comes back out to the sidelines to a loud cheer from fans.   The score is settled 11-7 when an overturned call on a challenge by DBK and staff is won.  Momentum is really on the Cards side when the UofL lead is 15-8 pushed to the largest Louisville lead of the night at 17-9.  Pittsburgh's entire offense being powered by Babcock with 32 kills on 62 attempts and Stafford with16 kills on 39 attempts at this point.  The Cardinals distributed its attack and rallied around the DeBeer exit to finish off the revenge of Pittsburgh.

Cards 25-17

Video: from the NCAA Championship 

Coach DeBeer and players post Pittsburgh Win 3-1

Notes:  The Cards enter at the 7 minute mark

DBK Did say she thought Pitt might be the best team in the country. 

Luper said its about who wants it more. 

Penn State and Nebraska tipped off afterward for a late night match.  Nebraska won first two sets before the Nittany Lions stormed back to reverse sweep the Huskerss to meet the Cards in the national championship on Sunday!! 

As Always, 
Go Cards! 

~Daryl