TicketsCINCINNATI – University of Cincinnati volleyball fought hard against No. 25 Louisville on Sunday afternoon at Fifth Third Arena, continually fighting back in the match. However, the Cardinals were able to edge out the Bearcats 15-13 in the fifth set to take the match.
// NOTES
• Jordan Thompson was three kills shy of tying her own UC single-match kills record. She finished with 41 while hitting .392 in an incredible performance
• Maria Mallon had another double-double with 13 kills and 14 digs and also served two aces
• Damjana Cabarkapa and Adria Oliver had nine kills each
• Armania Heckenmueller had a season-high 60 assists
• Karoline Fauske was second on the team with ten digs and led the team with two blocks
// SET BREAKDOWN
Set 1: UL 25-18
Louisville started off with the first point of the match and was able to pull away to take the early match lead. Down 10-7, Thompson had a kill and Cabarkapa an ace to bring the lead to within one. Back-to-back kills by Thompson and Mallon out of a timeout against brought the deficit to one, 12-11. Facing set-point, Thompson added in another kill and Cabarkapa another ace, but a UC attack error ended the set.
Set 2: UC 29-27
The Bearcats came back strong in set two, hitting .457 with twenty kills, 11 from Thompson, to tie the match at 1-1. Despite being down early, UC came back after kills from Thompson and Oliver. The set was tied at 8, 9, 10 and 11 before the Cardinals snuck ahead by two. Louisville lead by as much as four late, 18-14, until UC stormed back. Two errors and an ace by Kerstin Ficker concluded a 3-0 run for UC. Thompson tied the set at 19 with a kill and then gave the Bearcats a 22-21 lead with another one. Thompson kept putting the Bearcats ahead by a point on kills, but Louisville continued to answer. Finally, tied at 27 apiece, Thompson connected on her 11thkill of the set before an attack error by the Cardinals allowed UC to tie the match.
Set 3: UL 25-23
The two teams put up nearly identical stats in set three, but UC's two more errors seemed to be the difference as Louisville took the match lead back. The Cardinals pulled out to a 6-2 lead after two kills and a Bearcats' error. They then led 10-6 after an ace. But, Thompson once again got UC back in it with a kill. Mallon added in another kill before a Mallon ace and two Louisville attack errors knotted the set at 12-12. The Cardinals got out ahead later on, but Cabarkapa tied it back up at 19 with a kill. Thompson had three late kills to keep it close down the stretch. Louisville scored the final two points on a kill and UC error.
Set 4: UC 26-24
Once again, UC worked back to tie the match with a late set victory. After a back-and-forth start, Mallon gave the Bearcats the lead on a kill and ace and Thompson added in a kill. The Cardinals had an answer out of a timeout and put together a run to go up 15-11. Thompson stopped the run with a kill then Fauske had a kill and a solo block on back-to-back plays to switch the momentum. Out of another timeout, Thompson tied the set at 15 all with a kill. It wasn't until the score hit 20 that UC took over the lead. An error and Thompson kill put the Bearcats ahead 22-20. Louisville did not let UC get away easy, but the Bearcats won the set in the end with a Thompson kill and a block by Fauske and Oliver.
Set 5: UL 15-13
The fifth set could have gone either way, but it was Louisville who was able to be the victor. The Cardinals got out to a 2-0 start and held a 8-6 advantage when the teams switched sides of the court. A Mallon kill and UL error tied the match at nine. UC went ahead 11-10 after a Cabarkapa kill and error, but the Cardinals took a 12-11 lead. Thompson tied the match at 12 with a kill and kept the Bearcats alive with another kill when facing set point, but a kill by Louisville allowed the Cardinals to escape Fifth Third Arena with the narrow victory.
// UP NEXT
American Athletic Conference play begins this week when UC hosts ECU at 7 p.m. in Fifth Third Arena. UC travels next Sunday to Wichita State
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
Follow the Bearcats on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can follow Head Coach Molly Alvey on Twitter.
// NOTES
• Jordan Thompson was three kills shy of tying her own UC single-match kills record. She finished with 41 while hitting .392 in an incredible performance
• Maria Mallon had another double-double with 13 kills and 14 digs and also served two aces
• Damjana Cabarkapa and Adria Oliver had nine kills each
• Armania Heckenmueller had a season-high 60 assists
• Karoline Fauske was second on the team with ten digs and led the team with two blocks
// SET BREAKDOWN
Set 1: UL 25-18
Louisville started off with the first point of the match and was able to pull away to take the early match lead. Down 10-7, Thompson had a kill and Cabarkapa an ace to bring the lead to within one. Back-to-back kills by Thompson and Mallon out of a timeout against brought the deficit to one, 12-11. Facing set-point, Thompson added in another kill and Cabarkapa another ace, but a UC attack error ended the set.
Set 2: UC 29-27
The Bearcats came back strong in set two, hitting .457 with twenty kills, 11 from Thompson, to tie the match at 1-1. Despite being down early, UC came back after kills from Thompson and Oliver. The set was tied at 8, 9, 10 and 11 before the Cardinals snuck ahead by two. Louisville lead by as much as four late, 18-14, until UC stormed back. Two errors and an ace by Kerstin Ficker concluded a 3-0 run for UC. Thompson tied the set at 19 with a kill and then gave the Bearcats a 22-21 lead with another one. Thompson kept putting the Bearcats ahead by a point on kills, but Louisville continued to answer. Finally, tied at 27 apiece, Thompson connected on her 11thkill of the set before an attack error by the Cardinals allowed UC to tie the match.
Set 3: UL 25-23
The two teams put up nearly identical stats in set three, but UC's two more errors seemed to be the difference as Louisville took the match lead back. The Cardinals pulled out to a 6-2 lead after two kills and a Bearcats' error. They then led 10-6 after an ace. But, Thompson once again got UC back in it with a kill. Mallon added in another kill before a Mallon ace and two Louisville attack errors knotted the set at 12-12. The Cardinals got out ahead later on, but Cabarkapa tied it back up at 19 with a kill. Thompson had three late kills to keep it close down the stretch. Louisville scored the final two points on a kill and UC error.
Set 4: UC 26-24
Once again, UC worked back to tie the match with a late set victory. After a back-and-forth start, Mallon gave the Bearcats the lead on a kill and ace and Thompson added in a kill. The Cardinals had an answer out of a timeout and put together a run to go up 15-11. Thompson stopped the run with a kill then Fauske had a kill and a solo block on back-to-back plays to switch the momentum. Out of another timeout, Thompson tied the set at 15 all with a kill. It wasn't until the score hit 20 that UC took over the lead. An error and Thompson kill put the Bearcats ahead 22-20. Louisville did not let UC get away easy, but the Bearcats won the set in the end with a Thompson kill and a block by Fauske and Oliver.
Set 5: UL 15-13
The fifth set could have gone either way, but it was Louisville who was able to be the victor. The Cardinals got out to a 2-0 start and held a 8-6 advantage when the teams switched sides of the court. A Mallon kill and UL error tied the match at nine. UC went ahead 11-10 after a Cabarkapa kill and error, but the Cardinals took a 12-11 lead. Thompson tied the match at 12 with a kill and kept the Bearcats alive with another kill when facing set point, but a kill by Louisville allowed the Cardinals to escape Fifth Third Arena with the narrow victory.
// UP NEXT
American Athletic Conference play begins this week when UC hosts ECU at 7 p.m. in Fifth Third Arena. UC travels next Sunday to Wichita State
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
Follow the Bearcats on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. You can follow Head Coach Molly Alvey on Twitter.