No. 13 Louisville Volleyball Blows by Miami 3-1

Nena Mbonu tied a career-high with 14 kills to lead the No. 13-ranked University of Louisville to a 3-1 win over Miami in ACC volleyball action Thursday evening in Coral Gables, Fla.

The win clinches at least a share of the ACC crown as the Cardinals move to 12-2 in the league as Notre Dame (13-3) swept Georgia Tech to bump the Yellowjackets out of the top two. Louisville will need to take down North Carolina to clinch the ACC’s automatic qualifier for the NCAA Tournament.

UofL hit .276 with seven aces, 14 blocks and 49 digs. Joining Mbonu in double digit kills was Anna Stevenson with 10 kills and seven blocks and Anna DeBeer with 11 kills and ace.  Alexis Hamilton paced the defense with 12 digs and Amaya Tillman recorded six blocks. Tori Dilfer ran the offense with 49 assists and added six blocks.

Miami hit .127 with four aces and eight blocks. The Canes were led by Elizaveta Lukianova’s 18 kills and four blocks. Priscilla Hernandez and Angela Grieve each had a pair of aces with Grieve adding 11 kills, as UM’s other threat.

The Cardinals play North Carolina Friday at 2 p.m. in Coral Gables for the regular season finale. Either way, Louisville will await its fate until the NCAA Selection Show airs on ESPN April 4 at 4 p.m.