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Sept. 9, 2009

The Cardinals return to Cardinal Arena for the Cardinal Classic, featuring Toledo, Tennessee Tech, Liberty this Friday and Saturday. U of L plays Tennessee Tech on Friday at 7 p.m. and then Toledo on Saturday morning at 11 a.m. The Cardinals will take on Liberty on Saturday at 7 p.m.

The Cardinals are coming off a successful weekend at the Ball State Active Ankle Challenge where they beat SIU-Edwardsville(3-0), IPFW (3-1) and Ball State (3-1) to earn the tournament title. Freshman Lola Arslanbekova was named tournament MVP with Lindsey Mango and Justine Landi earning all-tournament kudos. After this weekend, the Cardinals remain home to face Kentucky on Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. in Cardinal Arena. The rivalry resumed this year after taking a three year hiatus after the 2005 match when U of L won 3-0.

Series Record

It is the first meeting between U of L and both Toledo and Liberty. U of L is 5-0 versus Tennessee Tech.

Arslanbekova, Landi, Mango Earn Honors

Lola Arslanbekova earned MVP honors at the Ball State Active Ankle Challenge. She had 52 kills in three matches and hit .342 for the week, in cluding a .462 outing with 14 kills on 26 swings. She also had four aces against IPFW. Setter/OH Justine Landi and libero Lindsey Mango earned all-tournament kudos as well.

Landi is Go-To Girl for Cardinals

Senior captain Justine Landi is U of L's most versatile weapon. She leadss the team in assists with 185, she leads in aces with seven and has 30 kills and nine blocks.

Starting Out the Season

Leonid Yelin is 9-4 in opening matches for his career. U of L last dropped an opening match in 2006.

Middle blockers Gwen Rucker and Lecia Brown have been effective at the net on defense for the Cardinals. Brown, an NCAA Blocking Statistical Leader in 2007, is averaging 1.32 blocks per game. She is tops in the BIG EAST. Gwen Rucker, who also was a starter on the U of L women's basketball team that advanced to the final game of the Final Four, is averaging 1.15 blocks per set. Brown is second on the team in kills with 58 and a .495 hitting percentage.

Hitting and Blocking in the BIG EAST

U of L is ranked third in the BIG EAST in blocking at 2.75 per set. The Cardinals are second in the league in hitting percentage at .279.

Freshman Lola Arslanbekova Stands Out

Freshman Lola Arslanbekova already has a team-high 92 kills for the Cardinals and 30 digs and 11 blocks. The Tashkent, Uzbekistan native played for the father of former U of L great Tatyana Kolesnikova. She had 16 kills against Arizona and 20 kills against Belmont.

Newcomers on the Roster

Along with Arslanbekova, U of L has five other new faces on the roster including transfers Amanda Simmons from Hawai'i and Kimi Hohl from Penn State. Kasey Heckelman has seen action off the bench for the Cardinals with Lindsey Ragland and Brooke Mattingly rounding out the new additions.

What a Difference a Match Makes

Take away the substandard .096 hitting of the Wichita State match and the Cards would be hitting .318 as a team (253-82-538.)

Jamaican Me So Proud

Lecia Brown spent part of her summer representing her native Jamaica in the FIVB World Championship Qualifiers as a member of the Jamaica National Team.

Cardinals in the Pros

U of L has four Cardinals currently under contract and playing professional volleyball overseas. Jana Matiasovska (Russia) , Svetlana Dukule (France), Sonja Percan (Italy) and Elena Pilnikova (Russia) are all on the pro circuit.