No. 1-seeded Louisville Sweeps Chicago State in NCAA 1st Round

Friday, December 6

LOUISVILLE, KY

University of Louisville

26-5,17-3ACC

Chicago State

19-10,13-1NEC

Chicago St.

Louisville

No. 1-seeded Louisville Sweeps Chicago State in NCAA 1st Round

December 06, 2024 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Photo Gallery

Cards advance to play Northern Iowa Saturday at 6 p.m.

By: Erin Hughes

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The No. 1-seeded University of Louisville volleyball team won its first match of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night at the KFC Yum! Center. UofL bested first-time challenger Chicago State 25-10, 25-18, 25-13 for the team's 17th sweep of 2024.

"It feels good to get that first tournament win under our belt, we have quite a few players that haven't played or haven't played a big role in a tournament match and we got some jitters out and played well," said head coach Dani Busboom Kelly. "I thought our crowd was great, it was a little bit of a quiet game, but I loved that it was pretty full. Looking for an awesome crowd tomorrow night against a Northern Iowa team that played phenomenal tonight. It's going to be a challenge tomorrow."

Louisville posted a .290 hitting percentage on the match, combining for 45 kills, 48 digs, 10 total blocks, and 5 service aces. Outside hitter Sofia Maldonado Diaz commanded both sides of the ball, tallying nine kills and five blocks to hit a .368 clip. Middle blocker Hannah Sherman recorded three kills and seven blocks, while opposite hitter/middle blocker Reese Robins added eight kills and two blocks. Outside hitters Anna DeBeer and Charitie Luper knocked down seven and nine kills, respectively, and each put up five digs. Setter Nayelis Cabello served two of UofL's aces and added 16 assists.

This match marked CSU's first ever tournament appearance. The Cougars hit .009 against the Cardinals with 21 kills, 33 digs, and four total blocks. Middle blocker Berenice Almeyda tallied two kills and two blocks to hit a team best .200 on the match. Outside hitters Karly Klaer and Patrycja Lagida each knocked down seven kills and put up two blocks. Klaer led the defense for CSU, adding 10 digs.

With this win, the Cards advance to the NCAA Second Round, where they will match up against No. 8 seed Northern Iowa, Saturday at 6 p.m. in the Yum! Center.

Set 1: Louisville 25, Chicago State 10
Louisville got off to a hot 7-0 start after kills from Luper and DeBeer and errors from Chicago State. The Cougars grabbed their first point on a kill, but the Cards followed that up with a quick 6-1 run that included a kill from Robins and more kills from Luper and DeBeer. UofL jumped out to a commanding 16-4 lead, following a big block from Cara Cresse and Cabello that saw CSU take its second timeout of the set. After the timeout, Chicago State tabbed another kill, before Cresse added a kill of her own. Points went back and forth as Robins, DeBeer, and Luper added more kills and Cabello served an ace. Set point came at 24-10 after an ace from Kamden Schrand, and a kill from DeBeer sealed the set win at 25-10. Louisville hit a .550 clip in the first set with 16 kills and two aces while holding CSU to a .086 hitting percentage.

Set 2: Louisville 25, Chicago State 18
Chicago State recorded the first point of the set on a kill, but Robins quickly got Louisville on the board with a kill before teaming up with Sherman for a block. The teams traded blows before UofL pulled out a 5-0 run that put them up 8-3 after kills from Maldonado Diaz, an ace from Luper, and a block between Maldonado Diaz and Sherman. A service error from the Cards stopped the run, but another block from the duo of Maldonado Diaz and Sherman gave Louisville a 9-4 lead. Points continued to bounce between the teams as Phekran Kong recorded a kill and a solo block and Luper added another kill. CSU came within one at 12-11 before UofL went on a 5-0 run that included four blocks between Maldonado Diaz, Sherman, and Luper to pull ahead 17-11. A service error from the Cards ended the run, but Maldonado Diaz knocked down another kill to force a Cougar timeout. Scoring remained tight following the timeout as CSU tallied three kills and a block and DeBeer and Robins added to Louisville's kills. Payton Petersen added a kill that put UofL up 23-18 and made Chicago State burn their second timeout. Out of the break, Elena Scott served an ace to put the Cards at set point 24-18, and Petersen tabbed the set-winning kill at 25-18.

Set 3: Louisville 25, Chicago State 13
Kills from Kong, Robins, Luper, Sherman, and Maldonado Diaz and Cabello's second ace of the match got the Cards out to a 13-2 lead over the Cougars, and forced CSU to use both its timeouts. During that span, Louisville went on a 4-0, 6-0, and 3-0 run against Chicago State and only allowed one CSU kill. Alanna Bankston tallied two kills to put the UofL up 18-4, before the Cougars went on a 4-0 run of their own that was highlighted by two kills and a block. Robins' eighth kill of the match ended the run, but points continued to be traded. Kong, Maldonado Diaz, and Luper all knocked down more kills as Robins and Sherman connected for a block. Set point came at 24-13 off of a Luper kill, and Sherman's third kill marked the Louisville win at 25-13.

What Dani Busboom Kelly Had to Say
NCAA Volleyball Championship
First Round
Louisville vs. Chicago State
Louisville Head Coach Dani Busboom Kelly
(Opening Statement)
"It feels good to get that first tournament win under our belt, we have quite a few players that haven't played or haven't played a big role in a tournament match and we got some jitters out and played well. I thought our crowd was great, it was a little bit of a quiet game, but I loved that it was pretty full. Looking for an awesome crowd tomorrow night against a UNI (Northern Iowa) team that played phenomenal tonight. It's going to be a challenge tomorrow."
(On the importance of a balanced attack in the tournament)
"That's one of the strengths of running a six-two so we have to use it and use it as much as we can. Our goal is to get everybody some confidence and some great swings and get our setters in a good rhythm on both sides of the court, so I thought it was a good job by our setters mixing it up and I thought our players did a good job of taking advantage of it."
(On planning for Chicago State's rotation)
"We don't plan anything differently. You want to play your game and you feel like there's some opportunities to sharpen up on a couple things that maybe we've been working on in practice this week, but also to reward some players that have been doing a great job in practice with little experience and prep a little bit for stuff we could potentially see in the tournament. Players that might need to come in, you want them to work some of those jitters out too in case they get called on tomorrow night or later."
(On what Chicago State was doing differently in the second set)
"I just think they kept playing. Their timing, the way they attack is unique, it's high, then fast so I think they were using our blocks really well. I just think that they don't want to go down without a fight and I think that showed in that second game."
(On the matchup tomorrow against Northern Iowa)
"I think UNI is a really tough team to play because they play a great brand of volleyball, and when you play teams like that, they force you to play really well on your side. So, we know we're more physical than them, but that can get neutralized just by playing clean and playing the game really well. I also think it's interesting that [UNI Head Coach Bobbi Petersen] probably watched all of our games, or a majority of them, so it's not like we're new, and she probably knows some of our weaknesses as well as we do. So, I'm sure the way they attack us will be good, and it will be a great matchup. I think it's really cool when you can have two sisters, like Payton [Petersen's] twin sister is on the team, I know [Jadyn Petersen] is red shirting for them, so you won't see her, but then just playing against her mom, it's a pretty unique experience to do that period, let alone [in] an NCAA Tournament match. So, it just kind of adds a fun element that not very many people ever get to experience."
(On what the preparation looks like for Northern Iowa)
"We prep for every team. When it comes to a weekend like this, so early in the week we prep both UNI and Illinois, not knowing who's going to advance. Then we have a short practice tomorrow where it'll just be kind of review, but luckily we have played [UNI], so we're a little bit familiar with their style of play, and we talked about some of the things they do early in the week, then we have one hour to get ready for [UNI] tomorrow. I think that's what we do in a normal week, not three teams, but two teams. So, we're pretty used to that type of routine."
(Importance of giving younger players playing time and some of the others a rest?)
"I think it's great to give players a little bit of rest and to make sure they're fresh. We've been practicing really hard and that's another reason why it was nice to take advantage of tonight and give Cara [Crease] some rest and Charitie [Luper] a little bit and [Anna] DeBeer a little bit. Those (younger) players, not only do you not know if you're going to need them this year in the tournament, but that just gives them experience and more confidence going into next season. It's a great time when you can utilize those subs and get them the experience and exposure that they need."
(On Sofia Maldonado Diaz playing more freely)
"I think the way she approaches the ball, she's a really dynamic attacker. And when she's slow to the ball, you can tell she's hesitating and when she's driving hard and getting on top of it, even if she's blocked, you know she's going for it. I could tell tonight she was feeling it, and it was great to see her play the way she did tonight. We're going to need that and we've needed it this whole year and we especially need it moving forward and she's got to be someone we can trust to give not-great sets to and trust that she's going to do something good with them. But I think it's just the whole team mentality is what she's talking about as well. At the end of the year, we're trying to hang on to that top-four seed so badly and have a chance at the ACC Championship, and now that's past us, you've just got to play and there's nothing to hold back now."