LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Sept. 14) — In a high-stakes women’s college volleyball showdown that had the KFC Yum! Center roaring with a record crowd of 12,780, No. 2 Louisville Cardinals proved their spunk, sweeping No. 21 Kentucky Wildcats in straight sets (25-19, 25-23, 25-18) on Wednesday night. – Box Score
Watch the video highlights, box scores, and final line score of the tightly contested encounter that was ultimately secured by the higher nationally ranked team.
Watch Louisville Cardinals vs Kentucky Wildcats Women’s College Volleyball
Linescore
| 1 | 2 | 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kentucky | 19 | 23 | 18 |
| Louisville | 25 | 25 | 25 |
Louisville Cardinals Clip Kentucky Wildcats’ Wings
Kentucky, now 2-5 for the season, showed flashes of brilliance, leading in all three sets and even turning a 16-19 deficit into a 23-22 lead in the second set. But the Cardinals, who improved to 9-0, had the last laugh.
Read more: No. 4 Nebraska triumph over No. 5 Stanford in four sets: Women’s college volleyball
Their ability to string together points, including runs of 10 and six consecutive scores, quashed any momentum the Wildcats hoped to build.
Rutherford’s Herculean Effort Not Enough
Reagan Rutherford, a senior from Missouri City, Texas, was the standout for Kentucky, racking up 16 kills with only two errors and attacking at a season-high clip of .581. She also contributed a team-high two aces and four blocks.
Despite her efforts, the Wildcats couldn’t match the Cardinals’ .344 hitting percentage, falling short at .194.
Statistical Highlights
Louisville outperformed Kentucky in digs and blocks and edged them in serving with one more ace and one less error. This marks only the second time this season that Kentucky has been under the .200 mark in hitting percentage, both instances resulting in 3-0 losses.
Up Next for Kentucky and Louisville
The Wildcats will look to rebound as they close out their non-conference slate with a road trip to undefeated and fourth-ranked Nebraska on Sunday night.
The match will commence at 7:30 p.m. (ET) and will air live on the Big Ten Network.
Meanwhile, Louisville returns to the court in the KFC Yum! Center on Sunday afternoon to face No. 5-ranked Stanford, with the match starting at 1:00 p.m. and live on ESPN2
