No. 9-ranked Volleyball Withstands Hurricanes 3-1 to Stay Undefeated
Sept. 17, 2005
Senior Lena Ustymenko had 24 kills, two aces and a block to lead the No.9-ranked University of Louisville to a 3-1 win over host Miami to win the Orange and Green Challenge Saturday night in Coral Gables, Fla. Ustymenko was joined by teammates Ana Yartseva and Elena Pilnikova on the All-Challenge team. The win pushed the Cardinals to 9-0 with Miami falling to 5-3 with the 30-32, 30-28, 30-23, 30-28 win. "Credit Miami for playing with a lot of emotion and never giving up," said U of L head coach Leomid Yelin. "We had to battle them every point. This was good preparation for the opening of our conference season next week." U of L got into trouble early in the first game when the Hurricanes popped out to a 12-8 lead. After Yelin called a time-out, U of L was able to tie at 16 and took the lead at 21-20 on an Ustymenko kill. The teams traded points until U of L scrabbled to game point at 29-28 on a kill by Elena Pilnikova. Miami tied at 29 on a kill by Ashley Woods and again at 30 on a service error by U of L's Nicole Bateman. The Hurricanes got to game point at 31-30 on a kill by Frannie Savage and then won on a Pilnikova hitting error. The Cardinals lost despite outhitting Miami .311 to .171. "As a team we didn't play well but our individuals, especially the seniors who carried us when we were completely out of our system," said Yelin. U of L held an early lead in the second set when athree point rum put them up 18-13. The Hurricanes blew back to tie at 21 but the Cardinals battened down to get to game point at 29-26 when UM was called for a lift. Miami fended off game point twice but a Ana Yartseva kill evened the score at one game apiece going into the break. U of L was led by Ustymenko's five kills in the set. Karla Johnson notched sweven kills and two blocks to boost Miami's offense.
After a sluggish start in the third game when they fell behind 10-5, U of L got itto its rhythm in the third game with .351 hitting. The Cardinals tied at 15 and then used a 7-2 run to pull ahead 24-18. Miami had five unanswered points to come to within two at25-23 bu t did not score again. Miami would not go away in the fourth game and took a four point lead at 20-16. U of L scored six unanswered points to retake the lead at 22-21. The Cardinals seemed in control as they got to 27-23 but the scrappy Hurricanes scored five straight to go ahead 28-27. A Miami service error and hitting error and a block by Hoffman ended the match. U of L had four players in double digit kills with Yartseva adding 14, Pilnikova had 11 and Kara Hamilton added 10. Orange and Green Challenge All-Tournament Team Ana Yartseva (Louisville) Elena Pilnikova (Louisville) Karla Johnson (Miami) Nicole Colaluca (Michigan State) Katie Johnson (Michigan State) Atlee Hubbard (Sacramento State) Most Valuable Player: Lena Ustymenko (Louisville) Orange and Green Challenge Runner-up: Sacramento State Orange and Green Challenge Champion: Louisville |
2009 SeasonMediaMiscellaneous |
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