No. 6 Cardinals Roll Hilltoppers 3-0

Monday, September 22

LOUISVILLE, KY

6:30 p.m.

University of Louisville

8-2,0-0ACC

Western Kentucky

9-4,0-0CUSA

Western Ky.

Louisville

Photo by: David Sutherland | Louisville Athletics

September 22, 2025 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

Cresse hits .588 with eight blocks.

By: Erin Hughes

Highlights

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The No. 6-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team swept in-state rival, Western Kentucky, in three sets (25-15, 25-17, 25-20) on Monday night inside the KFC Yum! Center.

"I just got word that the lights went out because of a lightning strike, so I think that's the pivotal point we were looking for in our season," said UofL head coach Dan Meske. "We were chomping at the bit to get back after the match against Kentucky where we felt like we had opportunities, and we were just ready to play anybody. We wanted to get back out onto the court and get after it," head coach Dan Meske said. "Cara Cresse in particular went 10-for-17, hit .588 and had eight blocks. 18 points in a sweep like that is really impressive. So a really great bounce back match for when I know she was really motivated after the Kentucky match to just get back in the groove. We're messing around with stuff on our left sides, and I thought Nayellis Cabello had a great match and made great decisions. It was just a really fun opportunity to pack in the Yum!"

The Cards (8-2) secured their 20th straight win over the Hilltoppers (9-4) and their first since 2022. UofL hit .274 on the match with 42 kills, 52 digs, 12 blocks and four service aces. Ava Utterback came in off the bench to both serve a pair of aces, with libero Kamden Schrand adding the other two along with 14 digs. Middle blocker Cara Cresse led the way on both sides of the ball, logging 10 kills on 17 attempts and eight blocks, including four solo stuffs. Outside hitter Payton Petersen and opposite hitter Kalyssa Blackshear each posted nine kills and combined for three blocks on the night. Outside hitter Chloe Chicoine hit .217 with 14 digs, eight kills and one block.

Louisville held Western Kentucky to a .080 hitting clip on the match, with the Tops logging 31 kills, 49 digs, six blocks and one ace. Outside hitter Faith Young led the offense with nine kills while four different players stuffed blocks. Libero Tayler Baren dug 16 balls, and defensive specialist Abby Schaefer served the lone ace.

"Travis Hudson is a legend in the sport. That Western Kentucky team wasn't at full strength. We know that. We talked in our locker room. That's a team that you can see in the tournament and are going to be a heck of a lot better. Two of their best players were unfortunately watching that match and they still I thought found creative ways to score against us in the third. A credit to them and a really nice job. Really happy to come away with a win. The other thing is our serving. I thought that was the toughest we served all year. We talked about if we could do that against every opponent moving forward, it just opens up more and more opportunities to close those big games we've had thus far this season."

UofL will be back in action on Friday, Sept. 26, when it takes on Boston College for the first Atlantic Coast Conference matchup of the season. First serve is set for 7 p.m. and will be streamed on ACCNX.

Set 1: Western Kentucky 15, Louisville 25
Schrand served an ace for the first point of the match before the Cards eventually got out to an 11-6 lead and forced the Hilltoppers to use their first timeout. A solo block and three kills from Cresse highlighted a run that put UofL ahead 18-12 and made WKU to burn its second timeout. Blackshear put Louisville at set point with a kill, and Hannah Sherman stuffed a solo block to clinch the set 25-15.

Set 2: Western Kentucky 17, Louisville 25
The Cards and the Hilltoppers kept the second set close through the first 15 points, with neither team taking a lead larger than two. A 3-0 scoring run gave UofL an 11-7 lead and saw WKU use its first timeout of the set. Louisville extended its lead to 18-13 before Western Kentucky climbed back within reach at 18-16. The Cards went on a 4-0 run to lead 22-16 and cause the Hilltoppers to burn their second timeout. Blackshear put UofL at set point once again with a kill and sealed the second set herself, 25-17.

Set 3: Western Kentucky 20, Louisville 25
Louisville combined for three blocks and six kills to lead 15-9 and on a 4-0 run at the media timeout. The Cards pulled ahead 21-15 after kills from Petersen, Blackshear and Cresse and a second ace from Ava Utterback, forcing a Hilltopper timeout. Blackshear gave UofL set point once again with a kill and Schrand's second ace secured the match, 25-20.