LOUISVILLE, KY. – And the streak continues…as the No. 20 ranked Cards extend their winning mark to an impressive 18 matches following a tough win against the Marquette Golden Eagles for the 2004 ChevronTexaco C-USA Volleyball Tournament title. The win gives Louisville an automatic bid to the 2004 NCAA Volleyball Tournament and claims the Cards’ fourth C-USA tourney crown in the teams’ eight tournament appearances.

The U of L reached their second undefeated conference mark at 14-0 this season, as the 1995 Cardinal squad also tabbed a flawless C-USA regular season ledger. The Cardinals now hold a 17-match streak of sweeping their opponents, dating back to Oct. 1, when the DePaul Blue Demons stretched the U of L to a four-game match, while the only five-game showing was a 3-2 decision in Louisville’s favor over Wake Forest on Sept. 17.

“This concludes only two of our team’s goals,” said 2004 Coach of the Year Leonid Yelin. “Our first goal was to remain undefeated through conference play, while the second was to claim the 2004 C-USA tournament title. Now we have to make it through the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament and then we can return home to play regionals in front of our home crowd.”

The Cards had a great offensive night as the team was led by Anastasia Yartseva and All-Tournament honoree Jennifer Hoffman. Yartseva posted ten kills for a .562 hitting percentage, while Hoffman hit .667 with 11 kills. Outside hitter Lena Ustymenko posted a double-double with 15 kills and 11 digs.

All-Tournament selection Theresa Coughlin led the Golden Eagles posting a double-double with 14 kills and 15 digs, while teammate Sarah Vernon tallied 40 assists in the match. The match came down to the blocks, however. Louisville outblocked the Eagles 10.0 to 1.0 to claim the victory, 3-0.

All Tournament Team:
Heather Watts, Memphis
Julie DuPont, Cincinnati
Theresa Couglin, Marquette
Sarah Vernon, Marquette
Jennifer Hoffman, Louisville
*Lena Ustymenko, Louisville

*Tournament MVP

2004 CHEVRONTEXACO C-USA VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT RESULTS

Friday, November 19:
Match 1 – (8) Houston def. (9) East Carolina, 3-0 (30-18, 30-23, 31-29)
Match 2 – (5) Memphis def. (12) DePaul, 3-0 (30-23, 30-28, 30-26)
Match 3 – (7) Saint Louis def. (10) USF, 3-2 (24-30, 30-26, 28-30, 30-24, 16-14)
Match 4 – (6) Tulane def. (11) Charlotte, 3-1 (28-30, 32-30, 30-25, 30-20)

Saturday, November 20:
Match 5 – (1) Louisville def. Houston, 3-0 (30-21, 30-24, 30-26)
Match 6 – Memphis def. (4) TCU, 3-2 (30-24, 23-30, 25-30, 31-29, 15-13)
Match 7 – (2) Cincinnati def. Saint Louis, 3-0 (30-22, 30-19, 30-16)
Match 8 – (3) Marquette def. Tulane, 3-0 (30-24, 30-19, 30-13)

Sunday, November 21 (Semifinals):
Match 9 – Louisville def. Memphis, 3-0 (30-19, 30-16, 30-24)
Match 10 – Marquette def. Cincinnati, 3-1 (30-15, 30-27, 25-30, 30-25)

Monday, November 22 (Championship):
Match 11 – Louisville vs. Marquette, 3-0 (30-24, 30-22, 30-24)

All times are Eastern.
All matches will be played in Cardinal Arena, Louisville, Ky.