University of Connecticut Athletics
Volleyball Falls To No. 7 Louisville, 3-0
9/24/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Louisville, Kentucky (Sept. 24) - The University of Connecticut volleyball team opened its BIG EAST season with a 3-0 (30-28, 30-27, 30-22) loss at No. 7 Louisville on Saturday afternoon.
The Huskies (5-6, 0-1 BIG EAST) won the first point of the first game against the Cardinals. The two teams traded points throughout the game, which also saw nine times that the two teams knotted the score. Sophomore Sade Chambers (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) led the way for the Huskies with seven kills in the game.
UConn also tied the score in the second game eight times. At one point in the game, the Huskies held a 14-8 lead before Louisville chipped away and tied the score. Senior Megan Crawley (Georgetown, Texas) and freshman Sarah Singer (Waukesha, Wisc.) each had two kills in the game while six other Huskies added one a piece.
The Cardinals proved to be too much for UConn in the third game of the match, as they took the game, 30-22. However, the Huskies put up a fierce battle at the end of the game, facing match point five times and scoring before Louisville ultimately took the game. Senior Heather Ashley (Smithsburg, Md.) and Singer each had three kills in the game.
For the match, Chambers led UConn with nine kills. Ashley had one service ace and six kills in the loss while Crawley had seven kills, one service ace and five digs. Senior Jenny Neelands (Gainesville, Fla.) had 35 assists, 14 digs and three block assists in the loss. The Huskies were right in the match until the end and put forth an unbelievable team effort against one of the top teams in the country.
Louisville was led by Jennifer Hoffman, who had 16 kills and five block assists. Lena Ustymenko, the reigning CVU.com National Player of the Week, also had 13 kills for the Cardinals.
The Huskies are next in action on Sunday, Sept. 25 when they travel to Cincinnati. Match time is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
