Five-set fireworks: Kentucky VB loses in final set against rival Louisville

The Wednesday night volleyball match between No. 3 Louisville and No. 13 Kentucky went the distance but ended up in a Cardinal victory. Louisville won the match in five sets, 3-2, handing Kentucky its third loss of the season and dropping them to 5-3.

The Cardinals move to 8-1 on the season beating Kentucky, Western Kentucky, and Northern Kentucky in the process. Louisville has now won its last two matchups versus the ‘Cats with the overall series in Kentucky’s favor 31-27.

Learning from past experiences

Kentucky was able to close out the first set on Wednesday night, something that was a struggle against Wisconsin this past weekend. A loud Memorial Coliseum gave the ‘Cats energy early on as Erin Lamb’s second kill of the match made it 5-5. Elise Goetzinger joined the fun with a kill and then her joint block with Reagan Rutherford made it 11-8. Azhani Tealer aced the Cardinals to give Kentucky its first set point of the match.

The Wildcats capitalized early and went on to win the first set 25-20. The energy was unmatched inside of Memorial until Louisville had something to say.

In the second set, the Cardinals came out firing on all cylinders. Louisville got out to a 12-7 early and never looked back. Lamb added another kill to cut the Cardinal lead to 18-12. Louisville proceeded to take the second set, 25-15, the biggest set win by either side in the match.

Down but not out

Kentucky got off to a hot start in the third but it didn’t last long. Emma Grome regained the lead for the ‘Cats 12-10 after her ace. Later in the set, there was little to separate both sides.

Tealer’s kill made it 17-17 and then Adanna Rollins tied the contest at 20 as it got tense late. Kentucky grabbed a lead near the end of the set thanks to Goetzinger’s kill that put the home team up two. However, after Louisville tied the set at 23, the Cardinals went on to win 26-24 to take a 2-1 lead in the match.

To start a critical fourth set, Rollins was off to an unreal start. She recorded the first three points for the Wildcats as the set was tied 3-3.

“I think when I’m on, I want to give it to my teammates. I want to feed off (my teammates) and give it to other teammates. I’m telling them ‘We need you’, so I feel like if you’re hot, I feel like you should give it to your teammates so that they can try to get hot as well and be like ‘Okay I see you,”’ Rollins said after the match.

Rollins would not stop in the set, recording her 15th kill of the match to put Kentucky up 11-9. Louisville took the lead late in the set and it looked like the match was all but over, until Tealer’s ace made it 22-20 Louisville and Memorial Coliseum came to life again.

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— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB) September 15, 2022

Rollins added yet another kill and Kentucky took the lead 23-22 after three consecutive points won. The Cardinals had match point up 24-23 in the fourth set, but they served into the net. Kentucky went on to win the next two points and the set 26-24. The roof was about to come off Memorial with everyone on their feet before the fifth set began.

Fans were heard

“I think in masses and environments like this, it can really go either way and the momentum can shift so quickly,” Anna Debeer of Louisville said postgame. “So, I think we were just getting back down to the basics and just taking it one point at a time… We should have finished it when we could, but going into that fifth set, both teams have had an awesome match so far. We really had to keep pushing, everyone’s exhausted, everyone’s going at it and we didn’t know which way it was going to fall.”

This was set point for Kentucky in the fourth set. pic.twitter.com/APi7qQ7LBE

— Ian Alvano (@1_ianalvano) September 15, 2022

Not always a happy ending

Kentucky found the lead in the fifth set through Lamb’s kill that made it 5-4. Louisville went on a run that was ultimately enough to put away the Wildcats.

The closest Kentucky got was trailing 9-8 after Rutherford’s kill. Tealer saved a match point with a block of her own, but Louisville got the next one to win the set 15-11 and the match 3-2.

“We’re not there. We’re getting closer but (there) is a long way off… and hopefully we’re (there) in December,” Coach Craig Skinner stated after the game.

Kentucky will get another chance to be “there” this Sunday when No. 2 Nebraska rolls into Lexington. The Cornhuskers will be the last match Kentucky plays before conference action begins. “There” might not be now, but the Wildcats sure as heck look like an improved team that can hang with the best of the best.