The University of Mississippi Athletics
Ole Miss
0-3
Louisville
3-1
Rebels Fall To Louisville To Open Cardinal Classic
9/2/2011 | Volleyball
Sept. 2, 2011
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Junior right side hitter Allegra Wells put down 11 kills to lead the Rebels on Friday night, but it wasn't enough as Ole Miss (0-3) fell to host Louisville (3-1) in the opening night of play at the Crowne Plaza Cardinal Classic by a score of 3-0 (26-28, 19-25, 18-25).
Wells was the only Rebel player to reach double digits in kills with her 11 and hit .269 on the night to lead Ole Miss against the Cardinals. Senior middle blocker hit .357 against Louisville and added eight kills, while senior libero Morgan Springer added 17 digs to lead the back row defense.
Lola Arslanbekova put down 19 kills to lead the Cardinals against Ole Miss and helped give Louisville the win in the team's home opener.
Ole Miss jumped out to a 5-1 lead on the Cardinal in the first set, but Louisville chipped away at the Rebel lead before tying the set at 12 points each. The squads traded scores from there before Ole Miss would inch back out to a three point lead. It was short lived, however, as Louisville again cut back into the lead and tied the score at 23.
The lead flipped back and forth before Louisville claimed the first set 28-26.
The second set was a back-and-forth battle in the early stages before Louisville snapped an 8-8 tie on a Rebel attack error and surged ahead to a 13-8 lead on Ole Miss. The Cardinal held the lead from there, closing out the set 25-19 and taking a two set lead into the break.
It was more of the same in the third set with the Rebels taking a momentary lead out of the gates, but the Cardinal pushed out in front of the Ole Miss squad after a tie at three and staked a claim to a slim lead. The Rebels cut back into the Cardinal advantage, tying the frame at 10, but Louisville moved back in front for a second time and never trailed again.
The Cardinals claimed the match with a 25-18 win in set three.
Ole Miss will return to action on Saturday, facing the Panthers of Eastern Illinois in the second match of the tournament for the Rebels at 3:30 p.m. CT.
