LOUISVILLE, Ky. – California volleyball got its first taste of ACC play on Friday night against one of the nation's top teams, facing No. 5 Louisville at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena for the first time in program history. Ultimately, it was the Cardinals (9-2, 1-0 ACC) who prevailed in straight sets (25-13, 25-15, 25-21) despite a strong third-set outing by the Golden Bears (8-5, 0-1).
 
Cal became Louisville's first unranked opponent of the season to hold the Cardinals to under .200 hitting (.172), with the home team relying on the defensive efforts of All-Americans Elena Scott (26 digs) and Cara Cresse (seven blocks). Louisville also performed well at the service line, recording 11 total aces. For the Bears, libero Gianna Bartalo led the way in two categories with 11 digs and three aces; she needs just three more of the latter to reach 100 in her career.
 
The Bears never led in the first set, with the Cardinals taking the lead for good after a 6-6 tie and finishing with a six-point run. Cal fared better in the second, scoring the first point on a block by Sawyer Thomsen and Kate Mansfield; this time, the Bears kept pace until the score reached 13-13, after which Louisville ripped off runs of six points and four points, respectively, to take a 2-0 set lead.
 
Cal responded to adversity with an admirable effort in the third set, holding its hosts to .132 and putting together an early five-point run to jump ahead, 7-4, but Louisville answered with four-consecutive points to swing the advantage the other way. A furious battle followed as the two teams mostly exchanged two- and three-point runs; in total, Cal forced 10 tie scores throughout the set, while Louisville had to take its first timeout of the evening after Bartalo's third ace brought the score to 21-18, cutting the Cardinals' lead to three. The Bears were able to put up one more three-point streak to come within one point at 22-21, but the next three scores – and the match – went to Louisville.
 
UP NEXT
The Bears will travel to Notre Dame (7-3, 0-1) on Sunday, with first serve at Purcell Pavilion scheduled for 10 a.m. PT.
 
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