Friday, December 5
LOUISVILLE, KY
4:00 p.m.
University of Louisville
vs
Marquette vs. Western Kentucky
No. 2 seeded Louisville Will Host Loyola in NCAA Round 1
November 30, 2025 | Women's Volleyball
Western Kentucky will take on Marquette on other side of bracket
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -Â The No. 7-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team will make its 34th NCAA Tournament appearance this week when the Cardinals host Loyola Chicago on Friday, Dec. 5, 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first match inside L&N Federal Credit Union Arena. Should UofL advance, it will face the winner of the Western Kentucky/Marquette match, which will be played at 4 p.m. prior to UofL's match.Â
"We're excited. The NCAA Tournament is a really, really fun time of the year. It's always fun to find out where you're going, and for us, we just want to be playing our best volleyball at the end of the year. So, we feel like [our] best volleyball, we have yet to play, so the NCAA Tournament is a great time for that," said Louisville head coach Dan Meske. "L&N Arena, is an awesome place for volleyball, so we're excited to host three great teams here."
Louisville (24-6, 16-4 ACC) finished the regular season tied for third in the Atlantic Coast Conference race and is the No. 2 seed in Nebraska's quadrant of the bracket. Leading the offense will be outside hitters Chloe Chicoine and Payton Petersen. In her first season with Louisville, Chicoine has posted 10 double-doubles on the year, most recently logging 15 digs and matching a UofL career-high 17 kills against Stanford last weekend. Petersen recorded double-doubles in both games last weekend, notching 13 kills and 12 digs at Pittsburgh and 16 kills and 15 digs versus Stanford. Also making moves on the offense is middle blocker Cara Cresse and opposite hitter Kalyssa Blackshear. Cresse recently surpassed 500 career blocks to become the fourth leading blocker in the Louisville rally-scoring era. Blackshear, a freshman, has knocked down 15 or more kills in five different matches, including a season-high 20 against Virginia. Petersen, Cresse and setter Nayelis Cabello each contributed greatly to Louisville's run to the National Championship, with Cabello quarterbacking the offense as a freshman in 2024. Cabello recorded her 1,000th career assist against Kentucky on Sept. 18 and has posted 10.36 assists per set this season.Â
The NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball committee announced the 64-team field that will compete in the 2025 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship. Thirty-one conference champions were awarded an automatic qualification, while the remaining 33 spots were filled with at-large selections to complete the bracket.
Nebraska, Kentucky, Texas and Pittsburgh earned the top seeds in this year's tournament. The No. 1 seeds have 10 combined national championships, and Nebraska (30-0) finished the regular season with its third undefeated season in program history and the best record in Division I. Including Pitt, the ACC accounts for one No. 1 seed and three No. 2 seeds in the tournament. No. 2 seed Louisville is joined by SMU, Arizona State and Stanford this season. Pittsburgh and Stanford shared the ACC crown this year, with Stanford taking the automatic bid after head-to-head competition. Seven different ACC teams will make an NCAA appearance, the third-most of any conference behind the Big 12 (10) and the Big 10 (9).
First- and second-round matches will be played December 4-6 at 16 campus sites. Teams winning both matches will continue to regional play December 11-14. Regionals for the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship will be held at four non-predetermined campus sites, which will be announced on December 6. At each site, four teams will compete in single-elimination regional semifinal competition.Â
The regional winners will advance to the national semifinals and championship final hosted by the University of Kansas and University of Missouri-Kansas City, in conjunction with theÂ
Kansas City Sports Commission, December 18 & 21 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. The national semifinal matches will broadcast on ESPN starting at 6:30 p.m. ET, and the championship match will broadcast on ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET.Â
About the Ramblers
Loyola Chicago took the Atlantic 10 Championship title for the third time in fourth season and its second straight title after beating Virginia Commonwealth University in five sets. The Ramblers earned the automatic qualifier to their eighth NCAA Tournament off of a 17-15 overall record that featured a 12-6 bid in conference play. Four different players secured conference honors for LCU in 2025. Middle blocker Ann Marie Remmes was named to the All-A10 First Team, owning a .332 hitting percentage that puts her second in the conference. Fellow middle blocker Avary DeBlieck and outside hitter Kaitlyn Burke were tabbed for the A10 Second Team. DeBlieck's 1.41 blocks per set has her second in her conference and 23rd nationally, while Burke has posted 3.05 kills per set and 391 kills on the season. Middle blocker/outside hitter Karli Molnau was named to the All-Rookie Team in her freshman year, posting 205 total kills, 50 digs and 53 blocks. Leading the Ramblers is eighth year head coach Amanda Berkley. With Loyola Chicago, Berkley has a 153-92 record and led the Ramblers to their first ever NCAA Tournament win with a 3-0 upset over BYU in 2024.Â
About the Hilltoppers
As the No. 7 seed in the Nebraska regional, WKU earned an automatic bid after winning its third straight Conference USA title in a five-set thriller over Florida International University in the championship match. The Hilltoppers posted a 27-5 mark on the season with a 15-1 record in conference play. Four WKU players earned all-conference honors, headlined by setter Callie Bauer who earned the C-USA Alyssa Cavanaugh Player of the Year and Setter of the Year. The redshirt-senior averages 10.42 assists per set which ranks 22nd nationally. Middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele was named Defensive Player of the Year after tallying 212 kills, 103 total blocks and 33 digs on the season. Right side Kaira Knox earned Freshman of the Year honors with a .320 hitting percentage and 279 kills, averaging 3.40 kills per set in her first season. If both Louisville and WKU advance, it will be the second meeting between the two teams this year. The Cards were victorious in the battle with a three-set sweep over the Hilltoppers on Sept. 22. In last year's NCAA tournament, WKU was bested by Minnesota 3-1 in the first round to end its season.Â
About the Golden Eagles
With its qualification to the NCAA tournament, Marquette will appear in the big dance for the 14th time in the last 15 seasons. The Golden Eagles are led by first-year head coach Tom Mendoza, who helped them to a 17-10 overall record with a 11-5 total in the Big East, finishing in a tie for third in the conference. Marquette is led by middle blocker Hattie Bray who earned all-conference first team after posting a .369 hitting percentage and tallying 267 kills on the season. Setter Isabela Haggard was named the Big East Co-Freshman of the Year and was the only other Golden Eagle named to the all-conference first team. The first-year averaged 9.17 assists a set, which is fourth in the Big East. Last season, Marquette advanced to the regional semifinals in the NCAA tournament, but fell to the eventual champion Penn State. UofL freshman Hannah Kenny's sister, Calli Kenny, is in her second season as a multi-tool player with the Golden Eagles.Â
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"We're excited. The NCAA Tournament is a really, really fun time of the year. It's always fun to find out where you're going, and for us, we just want to be playing our best volleyball at the end of the year. So, we feel like [our] best volleyball, we have yet to play, so the NCAA Tournament is a great time for that," said Louisville head coach Dan Meske. "L&N Arena, is an awesome place for volleyball, so we're excited to host three great teams here."
Louisville (24-6, 16-4 ACC) finished the regular season tied for third in the Atlantic Coast Conference race and is the No. 2 seed in Nebraska's quadrant of the bracket. Leading the offense will be outside hitters Chloe Chicoine and Payton Petersen. In her first season with Louisville, Chicoine has posted 10 double-doubles on the year, most recently logging 15 digs and matching a UofL career-high 17 kills against Stanford last weekend. Petersen recorded double-doubles in both games last weekend, notching 13 kills and 12 digs at Pittsburgh and 16 kills and 15 digs versus Stanford. Also making moves on the offense is middle blocker Cara Cresse and opposite hitter Kalyssa Blackshear. Cresse recently surpassed 500 career blocks to become the fourth leading blocker in the Louisville rally-scoring era. Blackshear, a freshman, has knocked down 15 or more kills in five different matches, including a season-high 20 against Virginia. Petersen, Cresse and setter Nayelis Cabello each contributed greatly to Louisville's run to the National Championship, with Cabello quarterbacking the offense as a freshman in 2024. Cabello recorded her 1,000th career assist against Kentucky on Sept. 18 and has posted 10.36 assists per set this season.Â
The NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball committee announced the 64-team field that will compete in the 2025 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship. Thirty-one conference champions were awarded an automatic qualification, while the remaining 33 spots were filled with at-large selections to complete the bracket.
Nebraska, Kentucky, Texas and Pittsburgh earned the top seeds in this year's tournament. The No. 1 seeds have 10 combined national championships, and Nebraska (30-0) finished the regular season with its third undefeated season in program history and the best record in Division I. Including Pitt, the ACC accounts for one No. 1 seed and three No. 2 seeds in the tournament. No. 2 seed Louisville is joined by SMU, Arizona State and Stanford this season. Pittsburgh and Stanford shared the ACC crown this year, with Stanford taking the automatic bid after head-to-head competition. Seven different ACC teams will make an NCAA appearance, the third-most of any conference behind the Big 12 (10) and the Big 10 (9).
First- and second-round matches will be played December 4-6 at 16 campus sites. Teams winning both matches will continue to regional play December 11-14. Regionals for the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship will be held at four non-predetermined campus sites, which will be announced on December 6. At each site, four teams will compete in single-elimination regional semifinal competition.Â
The regional winners will advance to the national semifinals and championship final hosted by the University of Kansas and University of Missouri-Kansas City, in conjunction with theÂ
Kansas City Sports Commission, December 18 & 21 at the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. The national semifinal matches will broadcast on ESPN starting at 6:30 p.m. ET, and the championship match will broadcast on ABC at 3:30 p.m. ET.Â
About the Ramblers
Loyola Chicago took the Atlantic 10 Championship title for the third time in fourth season and its second straight title after beating Virginia Commonwealth University in five sets. The Ramblers earned the automatic qualifier to their eighth NCAA Tournament off of a 17-15 overall record that featured a 12-6 bid in conference play. Four different players secured conference honors for LCU in 2025. Middle blocker Ann Marie Remmes was named to the All-A10 First Team, owning a .332 hitting percentage that puts her second in the conference. Fellow middle blocker Avary DeBlieck and outside hitter Kaitlyn Burke were tabbed for the A10 Second Team. DeBlieck's 1.41 blocks per set has her second in her conference and 23rd nationally, while Burke has posted 3.05 kills per set and 391 kills on the season. Middle blocker/outside hitter Karli Molnau was named to the All-Rookie Team in her freshman year, posting 205 total kills, 50 digs and 53 blocks. Leading the Ramblers is eighth year head coach Amanda Berkley. With Loyola Chicago, Berkley has a 153-92 record and led the Ramblers to their first ever NCAA Tournament win with a 3-0 upset over BYU in 2024.Â
About the Hilltoppers
As the No. 7 seed in the Nebraska regional, WKU earned an automatic bid after winning its third straight Conference USA title in a five-set thriller over Florida International University in the championship match. The Hilltoppers posted a 27-5 mark on the season with a 15-1 record in conference play. Four WKU players earned all-conference honors, headlined by setter Callie Bauer who earned the C-USA Alyssa Cavanaugh Player of the Year and Setter of the Year. The redshirt-senior averages 10.42 assists per set which ranks 22nd nationally. Middle hitter Izzy Van De Wiele was named Defensive Player of the Year after tallying 212 kills, 103 total blocks and 33 digs on the season. Right side Kaira Knox earned Freshman of the Year honors with a .320 hitting percentage and 279 kills, averaging 3.40 kills per set in her first season. If both Louisville and WKU advance, it will be the second meeting between the two teams this year. The Cards were victorious in the battle with a three-set sweep over the Hilltoppers on Sept. 22. In last year's NCAA tournament, WKU was bested by Minnesota 3-1 in the first round to end its season.Â
About the Golden Eagles
With its qualification to the NCAA tournament, Marquette will appear in the big dance for the 14th time in the last 15 seasons. The Golden Eagles are led by first-year head coach Tom Mendoza, who helped them to a 17-10 overall record with a 11-5 total in the Big East, finishing in a tie for third in the conference. Marquette is led by middle blocker Hattie Bray who earned all-conference first team after posting a .369 hitting percentage and tallying 267 kills on the season. Setter Isabela Haggard was named the Big East Co-Freshman of the Year and was the only other Golden Eagle named to the all-conference first team. The first-year averaged 9.17 assists a set, which is fourth in the Big East. Last season, Marquette advanced to the regional semifinals in the NCAA tournament, but fell to the eventual champion Penn State. UofL freshman Hannah Kenny's sister, Calli Kenny, is in her second season as a multi-tool player with the Golden Eagles.Â
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Players Mentioned
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
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/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
S/L
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
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