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	1	2	3	4	5	F
Louisville (10-5)	25	14	28	18	15	3
Virginia Tech (7-8)	19	25	26	25	11	2
Cassell Coliseum - 732 Box Score Photo Gallery

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Tech volleyball team fell to ACC newcomer Louisville as the Cardinals outlasted the Hokies 3-2 (19-25, 25-14, 26-28, 25-18, 11-15) on Friday evening at Cassell Coliseum.

“I am proud of the effort the girls put out this evening,” said head coach Chris Riley. “I thought it was a great match. It was typical ACC, you’re going to have to play well throughout the entire match. We were able to fight and come back, but just couldn’t get it done in the fifth set. They were better than we were in the final.”

Lindsey Owens knocked down a career-high 26 kills while hitting .404 on the attack to lead the Hokies (7-8, 0-2 ACC). Owens also posted 10 digs to record her fifth double-double of the season. Ashley Battle and Kathryn Caine added 10 kills each. Jordan Fish and Kyra Coundourides put up 36 and 24 assists, respectively.

On the defensive side, Amanda McKinzie led in the backcourt with 18 digs while Megan Beckwith posted 14. Battle was strong at the net with six blocks and Caine had four.

Louisville got out to the early lead in the opening set, and was up 13-10 midway through. The Hokies closed it to a one-point difference a few rallies later, trailing 14-13, but Tech would get no closer as the Cardinals continued to outpace the Hokies, taking the set 25-19.

The Hokies took control of the second set, jumping out to the 14-7 lead just past the midpoint. Louisville never got closer than six the rest of the way as Tech rolled to the 25-14 to tie the match at 1-1.

The third set was a battle between the two teams with 11 ties and six lead changes. Louisville led midway through, going up 14-12. The Cardinals maintained their advantage, but the Hokies chipped away at the lead and tied it up at 19 off a kill from Owens. Tech took the lead on the next rally off a UofL error. The two teams traded points over the next several rallies with the Hokies going on top at 25-24, but the Cards kept it alive, tying it up on the next point. Virginia Tech and Louisville again tied it this time at 26, but the Cards used back-to-back kills to secure the set.

Tech again came out of the gate strong, going up 14-7 in the fourth set. The Hokies maintained the advantage and led by as many at 17-10. Louisville cut it down to five at 19-14, but Tech scored the next two to again go up by seven. Louisville would get no closer as the Hokies claimed the fourth 25-18 to force the fifth set.

In the final set, Louisville got out to the early lead and was up 11-6. The Hokies looked to make a run late, cutting it down to four at 13-9 and again at 14-10, but a kill from the Cardinals on the final serve secured the set and match for Louisville.

Tess Clark tallied 16 kills for Louisville (10-5, 2-1 ACC) while Janelle Jenkins added 14. Laura Blab and Maya McClendon added 12 each. McClendon and Clark were also strong on the defensive side with 18 digs and five blocks, respectively.

The Hokies will be back on the court on Saturday at 6 p.m. when they host NC State in Cassell Coliseum.

For updates on Virginia Tech volleyball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_VBall