Cardinals Set to Play Red and Black Scrimmage

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The University of Louisville volleyball fans will get a sneak preview of the 2021 season as the Cardinals host a Red and Black Scrimmage on Aug. 18 at 5:30 in L&N Federal Credit Union Arena on campus. The match is free to the public.

UofL returns its starting six but will only have to replace the libero, Alexis Hamilton, who held down the position for two seasons before graduating. UofL has three returning All-Americans in middle blocker Anna Stevenson, ACC Setter of the Year Tori Dilfer and ACC Freshman of the Year Anna DeBeer as well as Amaya Tillman, who was ACC Defensive Player of the Year as well as All-ACC performer Aiko Jones as the starting core.

"We have a ton of energy in the gym," said Coach Dani Busboom Kelly. "We have a veteran team so we can start out strong and not have to go back and explain everything. We can go fast and with only two weeks before we start that is important. They did an awesome job this summer. They are in great shape. I feel good moving forward that we can progress at a pretty fast pace. That is the beauty of this group. You hope that it pays off in the pre-season. We need to get some big wins in the preseason, so we need to start off and everyone knows the drills and expectations, it makes it a lot easier to progress and get in better shape and everything that comes along with it. Without our leadership, I don't think we would be in this position. Our players did a great job of taking summer seriously and making sure we were ready to go."

After the Red and Black Scrimmage on Aug. 18 and an exhibition match at Dayton match on Aug. 21, UofL opens the season in Tempe where they will battle Cal Poly, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, Arizona on Aug. 27-28. The Cardinals will host the Cardinal Classic, which will feature Missouri, South Dakota and Northern Kentucky Sept. 3-5 in L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.

"This is the first time since I have gotten here that we had an older team," said Dilfer. "In the past, we kind of took on the persona of being young or being inexperienced playing at this level and knowing how to compete deep in the tournament. So this preseason has a little different feel. People are still adjusting well to changes. They have done an awesome job and ask a lot of question. I know they will be difference makers as players. They are already good teammates. It is exciting. I like being part of being part of a veteran team."

The Cardinals hit the road for Cincinnati the next weekend where they will face Purdue and/or Xavier before hosting Kentucky Sept. 15 in L&N.

UofL will travel to Nebraska for a Saturday matchup on Sept. 18 in Lincoln, as Coach Dani Busboom Kelly takes her team back to play her alma mater.

The ACC slate begins at home in Louisville when the Cards face Miami and Florida State on Sept. 24 and 26 respectively. UofL hits the road for Clemson (Oct. 1) and Georgia Tech (Oct. 3) before returning to the friendly confines of L&N where they will face Boston College (Oct. 8) and Syracuse (Oct.10). The Cards have two road matches at Virginia Tech (Oct. 15) and Wake Forest (Oct. 17).

UofL will then welcome Virginia (Oct. 22) and Pitt (Oct. 24) both at L&N before a 3-match road trip starting at Duke on Halloween and the NC State (Nov. 5) and UNC (Nov. 7). A quick home match with Georgia Tech (Nov. 12) before heading to long-time rival Notre Dame (Nov. 15) before hosting Duke (Nov. 19). Another long-time rival Pitt is next on the slate with a trip to Steel City on Nov. 24. Louisville will end the regular season by hosting the Irish on Nov. 26 in L&N.

University of Louisville Athletics

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Players Mentioned

Anna DeBeer

Tori Dilfer

Alexis Hamilton

Aiko Jones

Anna Stevenson

Amaya Tillman

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