No. 12 volleyball falls in four sets to No. 4 Louisville

[PonyPride]

From SMUMustangs.com:

No. 12 SMU Falls in Four Sets to No. 4 Louisville

DALLAS (SMU) – No. 12 SMU volleyball fell in four sets to No. 4 Louisville (17-3, 9-1 ACC) Sunday with set scores of 25-14, 21-25, 25-20, and 25-21.

3,015 fans attended the match, the second-highest attendance in program history. With the loss, SMU dropped to 15-6 this season and 7-3 in the ACC.

Naya Shime led the Mustangs with 14 kills against the Cardinals and seven blocks. Natalie Foster had the second most kills for SMU, finishing the match with eight kills, a career-high 11 blocks, and an ace.

Celia Cullen added 27 assists to her season total. Maya Tabron finished the match with a team-high 16 digs. As a team, SMU hit .106, while the Cardinals hit .223.

MATCH NOTES:

Foster logged 5+ blocks for the fourth time this season. Her 11 blocks were the second most by a Mustang this season.
Shime finished with 10+ kills for the fourth straight match and the 15th time this season.
Tabron's 16 digs were the most by a Mustang this season. The outing was the eighth time she'd gone over ten digs on the year.
Batenhorst has now gone back-to-back matches with two aces.
Louisville leads the all-time series 3-0 after Sunday's result.
The match was the fourth top-five opponent for the Mustangs in six matches.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

SET ONE | After a 6-6 start to the opening set, Louisville went on a 5-0 run to take control of the frame. Shortly after, another length run by the Cards stretched their lead to nine, 17-8. SMU showed some fight late, but their early deficit was too much to overcome. A kill from Ana DeBeer gave the Cards a 23-12 lead, their largest lead of the set. Tabron answered the point with a kill of her own, but Louisville got the final two points to go their way, winning the frame 25-14. The Cardinals' block was strong in the first set, collecting seven blocks in the opening frame. They also held the Mustangs to a .061 hitting percentage in set one.

SET TWO | SMU responded to the opening set loss with a great start to the second set. After going up 3-1, a few points later, the Mustangs went on a 4-0 run to take an 8-3 lead and force Louisville to talk things over. The Cards fought back to within four (15-11) and a service error by the Mustangs, but a service error by Louisville followed by back-to-back aces from Casey Batenhorst put the Ponies up 18-11. A strong stretch by the Cards cut their deficit to three several times at the end of the frame. After two straight points from the Card to make the set score 23-20 SMU, an attack error by Louisville put the Mustangs at set point. The Cards fought off one set point, but an SMU service error gave the Mustangs the set two win 25-21. After hitting .061 in set one, the Mustangs regrouped to hit .276 in the second frame, led by Foster with four kills on five swings.

SET THREE | The third set started closer than the first two, with the teams trading runs early. The frame was tied after the first 10 points, at five all, before a three-point swing by the Cardinals put them in front 8-5. A kill from Tabron halted the run, but the Cardinals responded with a 4-0 run to take a 12-6 lead. SMU clawed back to within two (16-14), but another quick stretch by Louisville put them ahead by five (20-15). Moments later, SMU started their final push in the frame with three straight, starting with a kill from Foster and ending with a block from Shime and Foster. After trading the following two points, Louisville closed the set strong with a three straight to win the third set 25-20. Despite the set loss, SMU's block came alive with five in the frame compared to just one by the Cardinals.

SET FOUR | Louisville held a 3-1 lead to start the fourth set. SMU collected three of the next four to tie the set at 4. The Cardinals dealt another blow with three straight a few points later to take a 9-6 lead. SMU kept fighting, scoring four of the subsequent five rallies to take a one-point lead. Louisville answered again with a solid run to take the lead back (14-12), going up to on a kill, block, and ace. SMU worked to tie the set again (15-15) in an effort to keep the match alive down 2-1, but Louisville's 5-0 run gave the Cardinals the cushion they needed to secure the win. The closest the Mustangs would get down the stretch was three (24-21), as they held on for two set points, but Louisville got the best of the SMU in the set and the match, winning the frame 25-21. Naya Shime was a bright spot for the Mustangs, with five kills in the frame.

SMU LEADERS:
SMU Kills Leader: Naya Shime (14)
SMU Assist Leader: Celia Cullen (27)
SMU Digs Leader: Maya Tabron (16)
SMU Blocks Leader: Natalie Foster (11)
SMU Ace Leader: Casey Batenhorst (2)

UP NEXT:
SMU Volleyball will hit the road to battle Virginia Tech on Friday, Nov. 4, at 5 p.m. CT on ACCNX.