LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Outside hitters Ester Talamazzi and Kaity Smith recorded double-digit kills on Friday night, but No. 22 Louisville had an answer to stay perfect in ACC play as the Virginia Tech volleyball team fell to the Cardinals 3-0 at Cardinal Arena.
Entering the match, the Hokies (13-7, 3-4 ACC) had a perfect 11-0 record when out-blocking their opponent on the year, and despite owning a 6-4 advantage in the blocking department, Tech's unblemished streak came to an end to the Cardinals (15-4, 8-0 ACC).
After a kill by Talamazzi to cut Louisville's lead to one, 6-5, the Cardinals went on an 8-1 run to extend their lead to 14-6. However, Tech would get on a run of its own behind combination blocks from Smith and Kai Young and Jaila Tolbert and Young, cutting it to 18-13 off a 7-4 Tech run. The Cards would maintain their advantage though and win the first set, 25-17.
Knotted at 8-all in the second frame, UofL scored five straight to go up 13-8, forcing a Tech timeout. Out of the break, Smith ripped off two kills to cut into the deficit, making it 14-11. But the Cards would get hot once again and extend their lead to seven points and end up winning 25-18.
Starting the third stanza all tied at 10-10, Louisville scored four of the next five points to cause a Tech timeout. UofL kept its momentum following the stop in action and pushed its lead to 22-16, forcing another Hokie timeout. Tech would get kills from Smith and Tolbert and a block assist by Angel Robinson and Tolbert, but the Cards would get the final point on a kill by Wilma Rivera to claim it, 25-20.
Rivera paced the Cardinals with a match-high 46 assists and nine digs.
NOTES
- Talamazzi finished with 10 kills, seven digs and an ace. The Italy native tied her ACC-high hitting percentage of .333, which she set just a week ago on Oct. 5 versus Georgia Tech.
- Smith also tallied 10 kills, six digs and a block. With the double-digit kills, the outside hitter tallied her sixth consecutive match with 10 or more.
- Tolbert registered a team-high four blocks and three kills. The four blocks extended her streak of one or more in a match, with her now being up to eight straight, and marked her most since Sept. 23 against Virginia when she had four as well.
- Libero Carol Raffety scooped up a team-best nine digs and dished out five assists. The California native now sits No. 12 all-time in school history for career digs, passing Jenni McFadden (1991-94) with 1,155.
- Robinson posted two blocks, marking the second most of her career. Her career high is five, which was set on Sept. 1 versus Robert Morris.
QUOTING HEAD COACH JILL WILSON
On the team's performance against one of the best teams in the ACC:
"I thought we did some good things, but we just didn't sustain it long enough," Tech coach Jill Wilson said. "I thought our effort was certainly there, but we didn't hit very smart offensive shots, which made our hitting percentage not where it needed to be."
On out-blocking the Cardinals and assessing Tech's defense:
"I think we had our moments, with the blockers and defenders working really well together, but then it would break apart in spurts," Wilson said. "We'll just need to keep working on that to sustain it for longer moments during sets."
On what the team will focus on going into its next matchup with Notre Dame:
"I think it's a perfect opportunity for us to get more discipline," Wilson said. "We'll be playing against one of the top teams in the conference again and it's an opportunity for us to get more consistent."
WHAT IS NEXT
- The Hokies will continue their road swing, heading to South Bend, Indiana for a Sunday matchup with Notre Dame (10-7, 4-3) at noon ET. The match will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
