No. 4 Cardinals Set to Host Wake Forest and NC State

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 4th-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team will welcome Wake Forest and NC State in two more Atlantic Coast Conference matches this weekend at L&N Arena.

The Cards are slated to face the Demon Deacons Friday at 7 p.m. before taking on the Wolfpack on Sunday at 1 p.m.

UofL is coming off a 2-0 weekend on the road after defeating No. 21 Florida State 3-2 before taking down Miami 3-1.

Outside hitter Anna DeBeer recorded a season-high 23 kills in the match against Florida State and knocked down another 18 kills against Miami. Libero Elena Scott posted 26 digs across both matches and recorded a season-high five aces against the Hurricanes. Middle blocker Cara Cresse was a force on defense, notching 16 blocks on the weekend. Outside hitter Charitie Luper had 12 kills against the Seminoles, and Sofia Maldonado Diaz owned 10 kills, five digs, and four blocks against Miami.

Freshman setter Nayelis Cabello will face off against her older sister, Naomi Cabello - a fifth-year setter for the Wolfpack - when Louisville plays NC State.

A Quick Peek at the Cards

This week will pit Louisville freshman setter Nayelis Cabello against her sister, Naomi, the setter for NC State. Naomi played two years for Texas before tranferring to NC State.
Anna DeBeer was named ACC Offensive Player of the Week and Cara Cresse was ACC Defensive Player of the Week for the week ending Oct. 13
Charitie Luper is at 998 career kills. She will be the 26th Cardinal to join the 1,000 Kill Club.
Louisville's RPI is now No. 1 in the nation with the most difficult schedule in Division I NCAA Volleyball.The Cardinals have played nine opponents in the Top 25, and are 7-2 in those matches.
The Cards have swept nine opponents and are 2-0 in five set matches.
The Cards are ranked No. 3 in the nation in blocks/set (3.07) and No. 8 in opponent hitting (.145). Elena Scott is No. 33 in digs/set (4.7) and Cara Cresse is 5th in blocks/set (1.56).
Charitie Luper was named Best Outside Hitter and Elena Scott was voted Best Libero for the 2024 AVCA First Serve All-Star Team.
The win over No. 3 Wisconsin was the win over the highest ranked opponent since 2021 when the Cards beat No. 3 Pitt. The Cards' win against highest-ever ranked opponent was the W over No. 2 Texas in 2019.
Louisville was voted No. 3 in the ACC Coaches Preseason Poll with Cara Cresse, Anna DeBeer, Charitie Luper and Elena Scott were voted to the Preseason All-ACC squad.
The crowd of 14,126 at the KFC Yum! Center for the Nebraska game was a school record.
University of Louisville outside hitter Anna DeBeer and libero Elena Scott were named to the first-ever American Volleyball Coaches Association Watch List for its 2024 Division I Player of the Year Award, presented by Nike Volleyball.

Quick Look at Wake Forest

Randi Smart is in her sixth season leading the Demon Deacons. She holds an all-time record of 74-77, while being 29-63 in conference play.
Wake Forest received a No. 21 in the NCAA RPI rankings in October of 2023, making it the highest ranking in program history.
Three Demon Deacon players have been named to the ACC All-Freshman Team in 2022 and 2023.
Wake Forest was picked to finish 11th in the ACC Preseason Poll
The Demon Deacons are coming off an 0-2 weekend following a 3-1 loss to Duke and a 3-0 loss against North Carolina.

Quick Look at NC State

Luke Slabe is in his fifth season at the helm of the Wolfpack program. He posts an all-time record of 71-47 with a 43-33 record in the ACC.
NC State went on a 10 match win streak to start their 2023 season with an 11-1 record.
The Pack returned 14 players from their 2023 roster, led by Ava Brizard, Naomi Cabello, Martyna Leoniak, and Jada Allen.
Cabello will take on her younger sister, Nayelis Cabello, who is a freshman setter for Louisville.
NC State is coming off a 2-0 weekend following victories over North Carolina (3-1) and Duke (3-0). The Wolfpack will face Notre Dame on Friday before traveling to Louisville.

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Players Mentioned

Nayelis Cabello

Cara Cresse

Anna DeBeer

Charitie Luper

Sofia Maldonado Diaz

Elena Scott

University of Louisville Athletics