No. 2 seeded Cards Ready to Host Wright State in NCAA First Round

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Making their 32^nd NCAA appearance, the No. 5 University of Louisville volleyball team will host Wright State Thursday, November 30 at 7 p.m. at the KFC Yum! Center.

Should the Cardinals advance, they will face the winner of the Auburn/Western Michigan match which is scheduled to play at 4 p.m. prior to UofL's match at the KFC Yum! Center. The second round match is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 1 at the KFC Yum! Center.

The Cardinals played Wright State earlier this season with UofL winning 3-1.

"We are excited to play them again. We have some really great matchups with a lot of great teams," said UofL head coach Dani Busboom Kelly. "We will have to play great from the first point on. To be at home in the first weekend and be down at the KFC Yum! Center so that more of our fans can come see us is very special. Wright State is a competitive and fiery team, and they have some impressive players. It will be awesome first match. They have some Louisville players on their roster and that adds to the atmosphere."

About the Cardinals
In their conference-leading 32nd appearance following their historic 2022 NCAA run, the No. 2-seeded Louisville Cardinals (24-4, 15-3) finished second in the ACC race. UofL will be led on offense by ACC Player of the Year Anna DeBeer, All-ACC members Aiko Jones and Charitie Luper. Both DeBeer and Jones joined the 1,000 + Kill Club this year and Luper is coming off a career-high 24 kills against Pitt. Shoring up the block will be All-ACC middle blocker Cara Cresse and Phekran Kong. Setter Elle Glock (four-time ACC Setter of the Week) and ACC Defensive Player of the Year Elena Scott round up the Cardinal starters.

About the Raiders
Wright State went 21-10 overall and 15-3 in the Horizon League. Winners of their final nine games, the Raiders swept Cleveland State in the semifinals of the Horizon League tournament and swept Green Bay in the championship. Wright State faced off against Louisville early in the season in the Cardinal Classic, falling in four sets. The Raiders are led by head coach Travers Green in his second season at the helm, having guided the team to an 18-0 conference record, Horizon League tournament title, and an appearance in the NCAA tournament. On the court, outside hitter Megan Alders and right-side hitter Callie Martin lead the attack, with the former tallying 358 kills and the latter tallying 341 kills on the year. Defensively, libero Jenny Wessling has recorded an incredible 5.26 digs per set for a total of 600 digs, and middle blocker Aaliyah Byers leads with 114 blocks.

Ticket Information
The Cards are set to host the First and Second Rounds inside the KFC Yum! Center on November 30 and December 1. Click here for tickets!

No. 7 Auburn vs Western Michigan on Thursday at 4 p.m.
No. 2 Louisville vs Wright State on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Winner of Game 1 vs Winner of Game 2 on Friday

Support Louisville Volleyball in the Postseason
The Cardinal Athletic Fund is offering fans a chance to win one-of-kind match day experiences throughout Louisville Volleyball's postseason run. All funds will make a direct impact on the Louisville Volleyball program, plus every $50 donation automatically enters fans into a drawing for an exclusive VIP experience at the upcoming weekend's matches. There is no cap on the giving level – every additional $50 donated gives fans another entry into the drawing.

The first and second round experiences include access to practice, entry to the match, parking at the KFC Yum! Center, suite tickets and complimentary catering. Should the Cards advance, re-entry will be required following the opening weekend and the Regional Finals. Visit GoCards.com/VBPostseason to make a contribution.

University of Louisville Athletics

No. 2 seeded Cards Ready to Host Wright State in NCAA First Round

Players Mentioned

Cara Cresse

Anna DeBeer

Elle Glock

Aiko Jones

Phekran Kong

Charitie Luper

Elena Scott

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