Monday, September 22
LOUISVILLE, KY
6:30 p.m.
University of Louisville
vs
Western Kentucky
No. 3 Cardinals Set to Host Intrastate Rival WKU at KFC Yum! Center
September 21, 2025 | Women's Volleyball
First Serve is at 6:30 at the KFC Yum! Center
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The No. 3 University of Louisville volleyball team is back in action when they will face intrastate rival Western Kentucky Monday, Sept 22, at 6:30 at the KFC Yum! Center.
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The Cards and the Hilltoppers will meet for the 20th time in history, with UofL leading the all-time series 19-0. The teams last faced off in 2022 when Louisville grabbed a 3-0 win in Bowling Green.
 The Cardinals (7-2) fell in five sets to No. 6-ranked Kentucky In the Battle of the Bluegrass on Thursday night in the KFC Yum! Center. Cardinal middle blocker Hannah Sherman stuffed a career-high 11 blocks against the Wildcats, adding nine kills and one dig. Outside hitter Payton Petersen logged her fourth double-double of the season with 14 kills and 11 digs against the Wildcats. Petersen added five blocks to UofL's 18.5 total blocks on the night. Louisville is coming off a 3-2 stretch that began with a win over Illinois before a 3-2 loss to then-No. 2 Texas at the Shriners Children Showdown at the Net. UofL followed that with three four-set wins over No. 18 Creighton, Northern Iowa and Rice at the Bluejay Invitational. Coach Dan Meske dubbed the five matches in seven days (adding in the 3-1 win over Illinois 9/7) "The September Surge."Â
Middle blocker Cara Cresse took home Bluejay Invitational MVP honors, setting and matching a career-high 14 kills against Creighton and Rice. Cresse also added 14 blocks across the three matches. For her performance at the Bluejay Invitational and against No. 2 Texas, Cresse was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 15. Middle blocker Kalyssa Blackshear and outside hitter Payton Petersen were both named to the All-Tournament Team. Blackshear posted 33 kills and 10 blocks on the weekend, while Petersen combined for 38 kills and 33 digs.Â
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Western Kentucky enters the week at 9-3 and the Hilltoppers are coming off a sweep of all three teams in the Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic where the Toppers ran the table on Bradley, Indiana and Austin Peay.  Callie Bauer, Alivia Skidmore, and Izzy Van De Wiele all earned spots on the Preseason All-CUSA  team. The league's head coaches also selected WKU to finish first in the conference. WKU has won 19 of a possible 22 CUSA titles since joining the league in 2014 and finished the 2024 season with a 28-7. Bauer was the 2024 CUSA Setter of the Year and an AVCA First Team All-Region member and was ranked No. 4 in the nation. Skidmore was named to the CUSA All-Freshman team, after totaling 344 kills, 38 blocks, 74 digs, and nine aces on the season. The Hilltoppers are coached by Travis Hudson, who is in his 31st year at the helm. He holds a 780-234 (.769) mark.  Hudson has been named Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year five times (2000, 2002, 2005, 2012 and 2013) and Conference USA Coach of the Year four times (2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021) while being an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Coach of the Year finalist seven times after earning the South Region Coach of the Year award in 2002, 2005, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020-21.
A Peek at the Cards
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The Cards and the Hilltoppers will meet for the 20th time in history, with UofL leading the all-time series 19-0. The teams last faced off in 2022 when Louisville grabbed a 3-0 win in Bowling Green.
 The Cardinals (7-2) fell in five sets to No. 6-ranked Kentucky In the Battle of the Bluegrass on Thursday night in the KFC Yum! Center. Cardinal middle blocker Hannah Sherman stuffed a career-high 11 blocks against the Wildcats, adding nine kills and one dig. Outside hitter Payton Petersen logged her fourth double-double of the season with 14 kills and 11 digs against the Wildcats. Petersen added five blocks to UofL's 18.5 total blocks on the night. Louisville is coming off a 3-2 stretch that began with a win over Illinois before a 3-2 loss to then-No. 2 Texas at the Shriners Children Showdown at the Net. UofL followed that with three four-set wins over No. 18 Creighton, Northern Iowa and Rice at the Bluejay Invitational. Coach Dan Meske dubbed the five matches in seven days (adding in the 3-1 win over Illinois 9/7) "The September Surge."Â
Middle blocker Cara Cresse took home Bluejay Invitational MVP honors, setting and matching a career-high 14 kills against Creighton and Rice. Cresse also added 14 blocks across the three matches. For her performance at the Bluejay Invitational and against No. 2 Texas, Cresse was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 15. Middle blocker Kalyssa Blackshear and outside hitter Payton Petersen were both named to the All-Tournament Team. Blackshear posted 33 kills and 10 blocks on the weekend, while Petersen combined for 38 kills and 33 digs.Â
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Western Kentucky enters the week at 9-3 and the Hilltoppers are coming off a sweep of all three teams in the Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic where the Toppers ran the table on Bradley, Indiana and Austin Peay.  Callie Bauer, Alivia Skidmore, and Izzy Van De Wiele all earned spots on the Preseason All-CUSA  team. The league's head coaches also selected WKU to finish first in the conference. WKU has won 19 of a possible 22 CUSA titles since joining the league in 2014 and finished the 2024 season with a 28-7. Bauer was the 2024 CUSA Setter of the Year and an AVCA First Team All-Region member and was ranked No. 4 in the nation. Skidmore was named to the CUSA All-Freshman team, after totaling 344 kills, 38 blocks, 74 digs, and nine aces on the season. The Hilltoppers are coached by Travis Hudson, who is in his 31st year at the helm. He holds a 780-234 (.769) mark.  Hudson has been named Sun Belt Conference Coach of the Year five times (2000, 2002, 2005, 2012 and 2013) and Conference USA Coach of the Year four times (2015, 2016, 2019 and 2021) while being an American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) National Coach of the Year finalist seven times after earning the South Region Coach of the Year award in 2002, 2005, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020-21.
A Peek at the Cards
- Outside hitter Payton Petersen and middle blocker Hannah Sherman both set new career highs in blocks against Kentucky. Petersen stuffed five and Sherman added 11 of the team total 18.5
- blocks.Middle blocker Cara Cresse was named ACC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 15 for her performances against No. 2 Texas and at the Bluejay Invitational. Through four matches, Cresse posted 28 blocks and 49 kills and took home Bluejay Invitational MVP honors.
- Hannah Sherman had a career-high with blocks against Kentucky
- Middle blocker Kalyssa Blackshear and outside hitter Payton Petersen were named to the All-Bluejay Invitational Team after combining for 71 kills, 16 blocks and 35 digs.
- With a 3-1 win, Louisville handed Creighton its first home loss since 2022.
- Middle blocker Cara Cresse matched her career-high with 14 blocks against No. 2 Texas. Outside hitters Chloe Chicoine (13 kills/14 digs) and Payton Petersen (18 kills/10 digs) both posted double-doubles against the Longhorns. Nayelis Cabello tallied a career-high seven blocks against UT.Â
- Five different Cardinals posted new career highs against Illinois on Sept. 7. Outside hitters Chloe Chicoine and Payton Petersen along with middle blocker Kalyssa Blackshear set new highs in kills (17, 20 and 13), setter Nayelis Cabello extended her career high in assists (52) and libero Kamden Schrand added 28 digs, besting her previous high by 10.Â
- Libero Kamden Schrand was voted MVP of the Cardinal Classic. Outside hitters Chloe Chicoine and Payton Petersen were named to the All-Tournament Team.
- Setter Nayelis Cabello, outside hitter Chloe Chicoine and middle blocker Cara Cresse were selected to the ACC All-Preseason Team.
- Chloe Chicoine and Cara Cresse were named to the 2025 AVCA Division I Player of the Year Award Watch List.
- The league's head coaches picked WKU to finish first in the conference. WKU has won 19 of a possible 22 CUSA titles since joining the league in 2014 and finished the 2024 season with a 28-7. WKU held Austin Peay to a -.041 hitting percentage, the lowest opponent hitting percentage of the season.Â
- The Alyssa Cavanaugh Classic marked WKU's second straight tournament weekend finishing 3-0.Â
- Izzy Van De Wiele and Kaira Knox were named to the Alyssa Cavanaugh All-Tournament Team with Knox earning MVP honors.Â
- WKU established two season highs on Saturday in service aces (9) and total blocks (12).Â
- Callie Bauer, Alivia Skidmore and Izzy Van De Wiele all earned spots on the Preseason All-CUSA Â team
- Travis Hudson, who is in his 31st year at the helm. He holds a 780-234 (.769) mark.
Players Mentioned
OPP
/ Women's Volleyball
S
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
/ Women's Volleyball
OH
/ Women's Volleyball
L
/ Women's Volleyball
MB
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