No. 3 Cardinals Headed to Missouri Classic This Weekend

Missouri Classic Schedule
Friday
No. 4 Louisville vs. South Dakota at 2 p.m.
Northern Kentucky at Missouri at 7 p.m.

Saturday
No. 4 Louisville vs. Northern Kentucky at 12 p.m.
South Dakota at Missouri at 3:30 p.m.

Sunday
Northern Kentucky vs. South Dakota at 12 p.m.
Louisville at Missouri at 3:30 p.m.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The No. 3-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team will travel to the Tiger Invitational in Columbia, Missouri to face off against South Dakota, Northern Kentucky, and host Mizzou this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

The Cardinals began their season 3-0 after hosting the Cardinal Classic, including wins over No. 17 Washington State and Troy in three sets, as well as a win over Wright State 3-1. Cara Cresse earned All-Cardinal Classic honors and Anna DeBeer was Tournament MVP. DeBeer led Louisville to a perfect 3-0 weekend with 45 kills on a .418 clip as the Cardinals picked up three wins to open the season. The Louisville, Kentucky, native averaged 4.5 kills per set, posted a pair of blocks and an ace to accompany 26 digs. In the Cardinals' win over No. 21 Washington State, DeBeer registered 17 kills and 10 digs. She also recorded 19 kills and 11 digs against Wright State. The University of Louisville was named as the preseason favorite to win the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Volleyball Championship for the second year in a row following a vote of the ACC's head coaches. Head coach Dani Busboom Kelly is entering her seventh season at the helm. In 2022, she took home her third straight ACC Coach of the Year honor. Anna DeBeer, Aiko Jones, Phekran Kong, Charitie Luper, and Elena Scott were named to the preseason All-ACC team.

Louisville's 2022 campaign culminated in an NCAA runner-up finish. The second-ranked Cardinals earned the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA championship and advanced to their second-straight Final Four. After beating Pittsburgh in the semifinals, Louisville became the first ACC team to reach the national title match before falling to top-seeded Texas. The Cardinals finished the 2022 season with a 31-3 overall record and a 17-1 mark in ACC play, winning a share of the ACC title.

About South Dakota
South Dakota had a historic season in 2022, winning its third straight Summit League tournament championship as well as winning the Summit League regular season crown, marking the first time the Coyotes accomplished both in the same season. South Dakota finished 29-4 overall and 16-2 in Summit League play, earning their ninth straight year of at least 15 wins, and appeared in their third straight NCAA tournament, falling to No. 23 Houston in five sets. The Coyotes are led by head coach Leanne Williamson in her 10^th year at the helm. Williamson was named the 2022 Summit League Coach of the Year, her third time winning that award, and she also became the all-time win leader at South Dakota last season. The Coyotes are 1-1 on the new year after falling to Iowa State in three sets and defeating DePaul in three sets, as participants in the Cardinal and Gold Classic in Ames, Iowa.

About Northern Kentucky
Northern Kentucky reached their fourth Horizon League championship game in five seasons in 2022, ultimately falling in the final. The Norse were 18-13 overall and 15-3 in conference play, finishing as the regular season runner-up. Northern Kentucky will have Liz Hart at the helm for her 14^th season. Hart led the program through transitioning to the Division I level and has built on her success year after year, including the program's first NCAA Division I Tournament appearance in 2019, as well as eight straight league tournament conference semifinal appearances, the only Horizon League school to accomplish that feat. The Norse are 1-2 this season after hosting the NKU Invitational, in which they beat East Tennessee State 3-1 but fell to both Ohio State and Bowling Green in three sets.

About Missouri
Missouri is coming off a 9-19 season (2-16 in SEC play) but has a new coach in Dawn Sullivan. Sullivan comes from UNLV, where she led the Rebels to the 2022 Mountain West Conference Championship, as well as five straight postseason appearances and 20 or more wins in four of five seasons. Missouri began their 2023 campaign hosting the Mizzou Classic, with a win over Illinois State 3-1 and wins over Central Arkansas and Colgate 3-2.

No. 3 Cardinals Headed to Missouri Classic This Weekend

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Players Mentioned

Cara Cresse

Anna DeBeer

Aiko Jones

Phekran Kong

Charitie Luper

Elena Scott

University of Louisville Athletics