No .4 Cardinals Beat No. 18 Creighton 3-1

Friday, September 12

Omaha, NE

9:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

5-1,0-0ACC

Creighton

3-4,0-0Big East

Louisville

Creighton

Photo by: Mallory Peak | Louisville Athletics

September 12, 2025 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

By: Nancy Worley

OMAHA, Neb. – Outside hitter Payton Petersen had 18 kills, nine digs and two blocks to lead the No. 4-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team to a 19-25, 31-29, 25-22, 25-19 win at No. 18 Creighton Friday night in the first match of the of the Bluejay Invitational in Sokol Arena.

The Cardinals (5-1) hit .258 as a team with six blocks and five aces while surviving nine service errors. Middle blocker Cara Cresse added 14 kills and a block with Chloe Chicoine and Kalyssa Blackshear each landing 11 kills apiece. Chicoine led with a career-high 17 digs and Hannah Sherman stuffed three blocks.

The Bluejays (3-4) hit .279 as a team with 10 blocks and four aces while suffering 12 service errors. CU was led by Kiara Reinhardt's 16 kills and five blocks. Jaya Johnson had nine kills and seven blocks.

The Cardinals play at 7:30 ET tomorrow when they take on Northern Iowa as the Invitational continues. UNI is coached by Bobbi Petersen, Payton's mother with Payton's twin Jayden playing libero for the UNI Panthers.
Set by Set Recap
Set 1
The Cardinals fell behind 4-1 early in the first set but put together a 5-0 run powered by Payton Petersen's aggressive serving and a pair of kills by both Chloe Chicoine and Cara Cresse to force Creighton to call its first time out trailing 6-4. UofL maintained a two point lead at 8-6 until the Bluejays went on a 3-1 run to take the lead at 10-9. Louisville tied at 10 on a setter dump by Nayelis Cabello before the Bluejays countered with a 5-1 run to go up 15-11. The Cards used their first timeout down 15-11 were able to score a pair of kills by Cara Cresse and Payton Petersen. After trading points, the Cardinals were able to pull within two at 20-18 on a pair of kills by Kalyssa Blackshear, but Creighton answered with a kill and then when Destiny Ndam-Simpson landed an ace, UofL head coach Dan Meske used his final timeout of the set trailing 23-18. A service error by UofL and a net call ended the first set as CU won 25-19. UofL hit .205 with a block while Creighton hit .364 with a pair of blocks and an ace.

Set 2
Up 6-2, the Cards had to withstand a 5-0 run by the Jays to take a one point lead at 7-6. A kill by Payton Petersen ended the run to tie at seven with a kill. After CU retook the lead at 8-7, the Cards went on a 5-1 run to go up 12-9. Creighton countered and tied at 12 and then again at 13. UofL was down 15-13 at the media timeout and dropped two more points on a kill by Ava Martin and an ae by Sydney Breissinger. Meske called timeout down 17-13. The Cardinals battled back to within two at 19-17 on a block solo by Payton Petersen, who followed the block with a kill and sparked a CU timeout. A 3-0 run by the Cards knotted the scored at 20. The two teams went back and forth trading points until kills by Kalyssa Blackshear and Payton Petersen hit set point at 24-23 and CU called timeout. CU tied on a kill and hit set point on a Louisville hitting error. Louisville got another kill out of Petersen to tie at 25 and then a kill by CU put the Jays up 26-25 when Meske called timeout. A service error by the Jays tied the score at 26. After trading two more points, a kill by Cara Cresse gave the Cards set point at 28-27 but CU answered again. Peterson landed another kill for set point but a service error by the Cards let CU back in. Finally a kill by Chicoine and an ace by Cabello gave the Cards the hard-fought win at 31-29 to tie set score going into the break. In all there were 15 ties and six lead changes in the longest set of the young season for the Cards.
Set 3
UofL fell behind 11-5 in the third set before a 4-0 run pulled Louisville to within two at 12-10 and forced a Creighton timeout. Petersen and Blackshear each scored to tie at 12. The teams tied eight times before Louisville created some breathing room with a kill by Blackshear and a net call on the Jays to go up 22-19. After the CU timeout, Petersen and Chicoine combined for a block to go up 23-19. CU scored on a block and a Cardinal service error to stay alive before Blackshear got to set point on a kill from the middle. After CU stuffed Petersen to come within three at 24-21, Meske called timeout. CU staved off set point on a kill but committed a service error to give the Cards the 25-22 win. UofL hit .317 in the set with an ace and a block.

Set 4
The Cardinals pulled out to a 10-7 lead on an ace by Kamden Schrand but Creighton ran off three straight to tie at 11 and took back the lead at 14-13 on kill by Kiara Reinhardt. An ace by Molly Wilson restored the Cardinal lead at 15-14 at the media timeout. A setter dump by Cabello took the Cards up 17-14. An 8-4 run gave the Cards the 25-19 win.