#3 Top Moment 2012-13: Volleyball Wins NBC Title in Lions Den

Louisville Lady Leopards Volleyball 2012 NBC Champions

Lady Leopards Clinch NBC At Minerva

It all came down to one match to decide who would be the 2012 NBC Volleyball Champions. In front of a hostile student section at Minerva High School the night ended with screams of jubilation from the girls in blue & white. On October 11, the Leopards downed the Lions 23-25, 25-20, 25-15, 25-21 to take the match and the NBC Outright.

While this moment did not make the top two, no single Leopard contest during 2012-13 sports year held more direct Beatty's Sports Leopard Skin Grey Hoodieimportance in determining a league title than this one. Both Louisville and Minerva came into the game tied atop the NBC Standings at 12-1. The Lady Leopards were dominate in their 25-19, 25-15, 25-22 victory at home against the Lady Lions earlier in the year. While that was Minerva’s only loss, Louisville’s only blemish was a five set loss at defending conference champion Salem.

The energy in the Minerva gymnasium was second to none as fans cheers echoed off the walls as if every point was the match point. But the Lions cheers were louder at the end of the first set as they came back from a 21-20 Leopards lead to take the opening set 25-23.

There was no panic on the Louisville bench despite having to play on the side of the net closest to the student section in the second set. The Leopards jumped out to a 6-1 advantage, but saw the Lions shrink their lead to 22-20. However, Louisville swept the next three points to take the set 25-20.

After the game was knotted at 10-10 in the third set, the Lady Leopards scored six consecutive points to pull away and win the set 25-15. The two squads traded 4-0 runs to start the fourth set and eventually wound up tied at 12-12. Louisville looked to pull away again when they led 22-17, but Minerva seized back that momentum by scoring the next four points.

The turning point in the game came when Brittany Lowry slammed home a powerful kill off a Minerva player that went flying into the stage behind. A Mackenzie Begue dig and a Kristen Bricker assist setup the point. Two plays later, Ashton Ruffing served up the championship point and the ball did not return to the Leopards side of the net. Ruffing’s serve bulleted off of a white jersey and hit the hardwood ending the game. This sent the Louisville players into a screaming frenzy as they celebrated their second NBC Title in three years.

Maddie Gramoy had a team-leading 29 assists and 3 aces, Jordan Monnot finished with a team-high 14 kills, Begue finished with a team-leading 24 digs, and Megan Stocker ended the night with a team-high 3 blocks.

Louisville finished the season 18-5 overall, but no win was bigger than the final regular season game at Minerva.

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