Milestone for Aiko Jones

The University of Louisville women’s volleyball team has developed a mean side since an October 23 loss ended their 37-match Atlantic Coast Conference winning streak. With Jamaica’s Aiko Jones helping to hammer the opposition, Louisville have won four matches back-to-back. Jones reached a significant milestone when the Louisville Cardinals beat the University of North Carolina on November 6, her 1000th career kill.

The former Wolmer’s Girl captain scored with seven blocks, four kills and two aces on October 26, when the Cardinals returned to winning ways against Notre Dame, 25-10, 25-22, 25-14, watched by a record home crowd of 9,058 fans. Then on October 28, the six feet two inches tall Jamaican added seven more kills as Duke succumbed in straight sets.

Jones helped to sweep North Carolina State on November 4 with a contribution of six kills, four blocks and two aces. The University of North Carolina slowed Louisville’s progress by taking the first set 25-17 on November 6, but Louisville came back to win the second set 25-17. Jones reached the 1000 kill milestone in the third and produced an ace on serve to level the fourth at 15-15. Louisville moved away after that to win 17-25, 25-17, 25-20, 25-23.

She is the 24th Louisville Cardinal to reach the 1000 kill mark and ended the game with 1002 overall. With a year to go in her NCAA career, Jones could increase her career kill total sufficiently to reach the school’s top 10.

When the battle was over, the Jamaican redshirt senior had eight kills, six blocks, five digs and two aces in a display of versatility.

The streak ending loss came on October 23 to the number eight ranked University of Pittsburgh, two sets to three at a time when Louisville stood at number two. Now Jones, coach Dani Busboom Kelly and the Louisville team have a number five ranking.