DePaul claimed a 3-2 win over Louisville in the 2001 C-USA Volleyball Tournament Championships. The Blue Demons, who posted wins over East Carolina, 3-1, No. 4 Houston (3-1) and No. 1 Cincinnati (3-1) in the tournament to advance to the finals, claimed their first C-USA Tournament title in school history.

HOUSTON – DePaul defeated Louisville, 3-2 (30-25, 30-27, 26-30, 25-30, 15-12) in the 2001 Healthy Choice C-USA Volleyball Championship game on Sunday at Hofheinz Pavilion. The Blue Demons, who posted wins over East Carolina, 3-1, No. 4 Houston (3-1) and No. 1 Cincinnati (3-1) in the tournament to advance to the finals, claimed their first C-USA Tournament title in school history. The win also marked the first time ever in league history that a No. 5 seed won the championship.

“We just believed throughout the whole tournament.” said DePaul head coach Dawn Dockstader. “Louisville is a fantastic team and we knew that they were not going to give up. We attacked the ball and came ready to play. After we lost game three and game four, I told the team that all they needed to worry about was playing the ball well and not the score. That is exactly what they did in the final game. I am extremely proud of this team and their determination to never give up.”

Katie Engel led the Blue Demon’s offense attack with 26 kills, a .344 hitting percentage and 17 kills, while Kara Jakusz nabbed 74 assists. Stephanie Bishop also tallied 19 kills and a match-high 19 digs, while Melissa Nordine added 10 kills.

Louisville’s Anastasia Zaitseva compiled a match-high 28 kills and Lesley Drury added 11 kills. Stacey Mercer set a tournament record with 10 block assists, while Jing Ding tallied 63 assists and 17 digs.

Jakusz was named C-USA Tournament MVP, while Cincinnati's Bonita Wise, Marquette's Meghan Devine, DePaul's Bishop and Louisville's Sonja Percan and Anastasia Zaitseva were named to the All-Tournament Team.

The Blue Demons have now earned a berth into the 2001 NCAA Championships, which the first rounds are slated for November 29-30.

2001 Healthy Choice C-USA Volleyball Tournament

(5) DePaul 30 30 26 25 15
(2) Louisville 25 27 30 30 12

Individual Leader Stats
Kills – Anastasia Zaitseva (LOU) 28
Digs – Stephanie Bishop (DPU) 19
Total Blocks – Stacey Mercer (LOU) 13