LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- If certain sports writers had to concentrate on their NCAA Sweet Sixteen volleyball match against Florida the way the University of Louisville players did, they'd have been going home before the regional finals, fans complaining all the way.
It started out easy enough, then came an email that the school had received Athletic Director Vince Tyra's resignation letter. Then one that it had accepted his resignation letter. And by the time I looked up from my keyboard, the Cardinals had won the first set and were trailing 20-17 in the second.
From then on, I was more focused, and this volleyball team was, well, what it has been all season. It was machine-like, unbothered by its surroundings or its situation. The Cardinals scored eight of the next 10 points and cruised on to their customary three-set sweep, beating Florida, 25-16, 25-22, 25-12, before a crowd of 3,089 at historic Freedom Hall.
“It was an amazing atmosphere," Louisville head coach Dani Busboom Kelly said. "I didn't know what to expect with the 1 o'clock match, but the fans were awesome. You could feel the energy, and I was so impressed with this team. I have been impressed all year but I continued to be impressed with our poise, mindset and confidence. It never falters. I think that goes a long way this time of year and is something that we can always hold on to. Florida is a storied program, and you never know how you are going to come out against a program like that. It was awesome to see us be the first one to punch, and we never backed down.”
Actually, Florida scored the first three points of the match, then Louisville scored eight straight and cruised to a 25-16 win in the set.
Again in the second set, Florida jumped to a short 3-1 lead and managed to take their late second-set lead before Louisville closed the door. In the third set, Louisville never trailed.
The Cardinals improved to 31-0 with the win and will face ACC rival Georgia Tech at 6 p.m. Saturday for the right to play in the Final Four in Columbus, Ohio, next week.
Amaya Tillman, a junior middle blocker and the 2020 ACC defensive player of the year, said the crowd of 3,089 was a factor in the team's second-game run.
"I think a big part of it was due to the fans and the atmosphere," she said. "When we went down, the fans started to cheer, which really hyped us up and helped us execute. I think we owe that run to the fans ... And there are probably going to be even more people in here for Saturday’s game, so we are ready for that atmosphere. We are always looking to bring in fans, but it has been awesome to see how many people are coming out to support this team.”
For a 1 p.m. start on a Thursday, the crowd was amazing. It showed some dedication among the volleyball community in Louisville and among the U of L community in a difficult time.
While most U of L fans and alumni can give you the blow-by-blow of Tyra's resignation and president Neeli Bendapudi's departure for Penn State, Busboom Kelly and her team made sure to keep their chase of a perfect season and an NCAA championship the top story within the team.
"We’re really focused on what we’re doing, and fans are still really proud to be here and proud to support us," she said. "It’s great to be able to deliver when there’s a lot of chaos going on. I’m proud of our team for staying focused. I don’t think that affects anything that we’re planning to do the next couple of days, hopefully next weekend, too.”
It has been a focused group all season and one that has simply not beaten itself with lapses or off nights.
As a team, the Cardinals had 43 kills, hitting .341 with four aces, 36 digs and nine blocks. Anna DeBeer led Louisville with 13 kills on 28 swings. Anna Stevenson recorded nine kills on 15 swings and Tillman hit a team-high .667 with seven kills on nine swings. Tori Dilfer finished with 32 assists and a team-high two aces and two solo blocks. Elena Scott led the team with 14 digs.
Perhaps an added bonus of this run is having a Louisville team back in Freedom Hall. Particularly for Cardinal fans stung by recent events, that experience can be a bit therapeutic. They will have one more chance, on Saturday at 6 p.m.
It promises to be an emotional game for Louisville players and coaches. But like they have all season, they're likely to block it out.
"Reflecting back to when I got hired five years ago, we were just focusing on making it back to the Sweet 16 because it had been since 2005," Busboom Kelly said. "So to be able to do that three times now and back-to-back Elite 8’s, you can really see the culture shifting and our brand is getting more popular in the volleyball world and that’s what we set out to do. Amaya was one of the first players we recruited when we got here and she really believed in the vision and it’s just really special to be able to share that with some of the players that we recruited and for them to be a part of this. It’s a big deal.”
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