Oct. 15, 2002
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The University of Kentucky volleyball team hit a disappointing .088 to Louisville’s stifling .456 in a 3-0 loss to the Cardinals in Memorial Coliseum on Tuesday, Oct. 15. U of L’s Bing Sun dominated the match with 20 kills on .621 hitting.
Kentucky was led in hitting by freshman Danielle Wallace with four kills on eight attempts with no errors for a .500 mark. Sissy Canfield put down eight kills to lead UK in the category, while recording four blocks in the match. With the loss, UK falls to 7-10 on the season, while Louisville improves to 14-3 overall.
“Anytime you step on the floor, you anticipate that your time will step on the floor and play hard,” Coach Jona Braden said. “In the first few plays, we really got out there and competed. But the wind went out of our sails and we let things that we were capable of managing get into our heads. I believe we can go into the gym tomorrow and learn from this loss.”
After jumping out to a 2-0 lead early in the first game, Louisville used a 13-5 run toward the middle of the game to build a solid lead over the Cats. UK was able the Cardinal lead to eight at 26-18, but could get no closer, dropping the game 30-21.
U of L powered out to a 20-7 lead to start game two, building an advantage that Kentucky couldn’t overcome. The Wildcats couldn’t find their offensive game, hitting a grim -.161 to Louisville’s season game-high .722. The Cardinals took the second game 30-10 and went into the locker room with a 2-0 advantage in the match.
UK overcame an 8-3 deficit early in game three to pull within three at 14-11. However, a 7-2 Cardinal run stopped the Cats again as the Cards cruised on to the 30-21 game win and the match victory.
Kentucky continues to lead the series, holding a 23-20 advantage, but the Cardinals have taken five straight matches and 15 of the last 16 meetings, dating back to the 1994 season.
The Wildcats return to Southeastern Conference action this weekend when they travel to Auburn, Ala., on Friday, Oct. 18, to face the Tigers at 7 p.m., before meeting Alabama on Sunday, Oct. 20 in Tuscaloosa at 1:30 p.m.
