CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Boston College Volleyball (10-3, 1-1 ACC) fell in straight sets (19-25, 21-25, 14-25) to No. 4 Louisville (12-2, 2-0 ACC) on Sunday afternoon at the Connell Recreation Center.
Audrey Ross paced the Eagles’ attack with a team-high 13 kills while hitting .270 on the afternoon. Reese Dunkle was efficient in the middle, recording five kills on a .556 hitting percentage to go along with two blocks. Ava McBride recorded 11 assists and eight digs, while Lucie Vesela served up a team-best three service aces alongside seven assists.
Boston College grabbed early momentum in the opening set, using a 4-0 run highlighted by a Sofija Marjanovic solo block and a Dunkle/Ross block assist to surge ahead 8-4. The Eagles built their largest lead of the frame at 13-7 following a Dunkle kill and consecutive attack errors from Louisville. However, the Cardinals responded with a six-point run to level the set at 14-14. After trading points to an 18-18 tie, Louisville pulled away by closing the frame on a 7-1 run to take the opener, 25-19.
The second set proved to be a tight battle featuring 10 ties and five lead changes. BC took a 7-6 advantage after a Sam Hoppes kill, but Louisville countered to go ahead 10-8. The Eagles fought back to retake a 12-11 lead behind a kill from Ross before Louisville responded with a mini-run to build a 17-13 edge. Down 21-14, Boston College refused to go quietly, orchestrating a late 6-1 surge fueled by kills from Naomi Watson, Dunkle, and Ross, as well as a solo block by Ava Castro to cut the deficit to 23-21. The Cardinals then put down consecutive kills to claim the set, 25-21.
Louisville jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the third set. BC stayed within reach early behind a service ace from Vesela and a kill from Castro to bring the score to 11-8. From there, the Cardinals took control with a decisive 6-0 run to extend their advantage to 18-9. Kills from Hoppes and Ross kept BC fighting late, but Louisville closed out the frame 25-14 to secure the match victory.
NOTES
- Audrey Ross led the Eagles with 13 kills while hitting .270, adding five digs and two blocks
- Reese Dunkle posted five kills on a team-high .556 hitting percentage with two blocks
- Lucie Vesela delivered a match-high three service aces to go along with seven assists
- Ava McBride recorded 11 assists and eight digs
- Sam Hoppes and Isabelle Poehlein contributed five kills apiece
- Boston College is now 10-3 overall and 1-1 in ACC play
NEXT UP: Boston College stays home next weekend, hosting Pittsburgh on Friday, October 2 at 7 p.m. before hosting SMU on Sunday, October 4 at 1 p.m.
