CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Virginia dropped a three-set match to No. 3 Louisville at Memorial Gymnasium on Friday.
The Cavaliers (6-16, 2-11 ACC) tallied 35 kills to the Cardinals’ (23-2, 13-0 ACC) 36, though UVA committed 19 errors to Louisville’s eight. Reese Wuebker led Virginia with ten kills while Becca Wight added eight on just 14 attempts. For Louisville, Kalyssa Blackshear tallied ten kills and Chloe Meester had seven while Blackshear and Addison Makun each totaled four blocks.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Set 1: Louisville 25 (1), Virginia 18 (0)
A 9-0 Louisville run in the middle of the set was the difference as the Cardinals claimed the opener. Virginia led 10-8 after a Reese Wuebker kill, but Louisville grabbed the next nine points in a run that included three Addison Makun kills. After jumping to the seven-point lead, the Cardinals never let Virginia within four for the remainder of the set.
Set 2: Louisville 25 (2), Virginia 18 (0)
Virginia led 3-2 early after kills from Wuebker, Zoey Dood and Becca Wight, but the Cardinals picked up the next six points and led for the remainder of the set. Louisville built out its lead to as high as 11 at 20-9, and kept that cushion throughout the final ten points.
Set 3: Louisville 25 (3), Virginia 17 (0)
Emily Fowler opened the set for Virginia with a kill, but Louisville responded with the next five points and held the lead the rest of the way. The Cardinals led by as high as nine at 15-6, but Virginia closed the gap to three at 18-15 thanks to a 5-0 run that featured three more Fowler kills. A 4-0 Louisville run put the Cardinals ahead 22-15, and they closed the set with three of the final five points.
MATCH NOTES
- Virginia faced its third ranked opponent and first top five opponent of the season.
- Reese Wuebker led Virginia with 10 kills. It was her 13th match with double-digit kills this season.
- Becca Wight tallied eight kills on 14 attempts without an error. Her .571 hitting percentage was the best mark of the season and second-best her career (min. 10 attempts).
- With 14 assists on the night, Zoey Dood is now six away from 1,000 assists in her career.
QUOTABLE
“I loved the way we competed today. This is a really great team. They’re fighting to get a top seed and go to the Final Four and I think they have a really good chance. I thought we made adjustments throughout the match. Our goal everyday is to get 1% better and I truly believe we did that today against a really tough opponent.” - head coach Shannon Wells.
NEXT UP
Virginia closes out its homestand against Notre Dame on Sunday. First serve at Memorial Gymnasium is set for 1 p.m. and the match will be streamed on ACC Network Extra.