No. 6 Cardinals Open ACC Play Hosting BC and Syracuse

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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The No. 6-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team will open Atlantic Coast Conference play this weekend, welcoming Boston College and Syracuse for a weekend of matches. The Cards and the Eagles will face off at 7 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 26, and will face the Orange at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28.

UofL wrapped up non-conference play with a 1-1 bid against in-state opponents: then-No. 6 Kentucky and RV Western Kentucky. Louisville fell to Kentucky in five sets last Thursday before sweeping the Hilltoppers on Monday night, both in KFC the Yum! Center.

Across the two matches, middle blocker Cara Cresse posted 14 blocks, including four solo stuffs against WKU. Cresse hit a team-high .588 on Monday night, with 10 kills on 17 attempts and totaling 16 points. As a team, the Cards logged 30.5 total blocks in eight sets, with middle blocker Hannah Sherman adding a career-high 11 against the Wildcats. Outside hitter Payton Petersen tabbed her fourth double-double of the season against UK, knocking down 14 kills and digging 11 balls. Outside hitter Chloe Chicoine and libero Kamden Schrand both added 14 digs in the match against Western Kentucky, as Chicoine logged eight kills and Schrand served two aces. Ava Utterback came off the bench in both matches to serve one ace against Kentucky and two against WKU.

Quick Peek at the Cards

Outside hitters Payton Petersen and Chloe Chicoine were two of the top receivers nationally among outside in Week 4. Petersen is third with a grade of 2.50 and Chicoine rounds out the Top 10 with a 2.33 grade, rated on a three-point scale.
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.
Opposite hitter 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.
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.
Libero Kamden Schrand was voted MVP of the Cardinal Classic. Outside hitters Chloe Chicoine and Payton Petersen were named to the All-Tournament Team.
Louisville was voted to No. 6 in the AVCA Coaches Poll released on Sept. 22. The Cards were also picked to finish second in the ACC in the 2025 Preseason Poll, taking home six first-place votes.
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.
Nayelis Cabello and Cara Cresse were voted as team captains for the 2025 season. Chloe Chicoine joins them as a court captain.
The Cardinals finished 2024 as the 2nd-ranked team in the AVCA Coaches Poll.
An NCAA record 21,860 fans attended the National Championship in the KFC Yum! Center.
An NCAA record 21,726 fans watched the National Semifinal matches in the KFC Yum! Center.
UofL finished 2024 ranked No. 1 in the nation in blocks/set (3.09) and No. 10 in opponent hitting (.154). Cara Cresse was seventh in blocks/set (1.50) and Elena Scott was No. 71 in digs/set (4.40).
The win over No. 1 Pittsburgh in 2024 was the program's highest-ever ranked opponent win. The Cards' previous record was the win over No. 2 Texas in 2019 to advance to the Austin Regional Final.
In 2024's AVCA All-Region Honors. Cara Cressewas named to the All-Region Team, Reese Robins was All-Region Honorable Mention, and Nayelis Cabello was selected as Region Freshman of the Year.
Setter Nayelis Cabello was named the 2024 ACC Freshman of the Year and libero Elena Scott was selected as ACC Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year.
In 2024, Cara Cresse was selected to the Second Team All-ACC.
Setter Nayelis Cabello was named ACC Freshman of the Week six times in 2024. Cabello had the most ACC weekly honors of any player in any category last year.

Quick Peek at Boston College

Head coach Jason Kennedy is in his eighth season leading the BC program. He has a career record of 127-100.
The Eagles are coming off of a five-set loss to Bryant on Sept. 20, their first loss of the season. With an 11-1 record, Boston College is second in the ACC standings.
BC is second in the ACC in total kills (565) and third in the conference in total blocks (117.0). Boston College is first in the conference and ninth nationally in opponent hitting percentage, holding opponents to a combined .141 clip this season.
Eagles middle blockers Bella Ehrlich and Cornelia Roach both rank in the top-10 in the ACC in total blocks. Freshman Ehrlich has stuffed 50 blocks to sit at sixth, and junior Roach is 10th with 45.
Junior libero Brooklyn Yelland is eighth in the conference in digs per set (3.93) and fourth in the conference in total digs (169).

Quick Peek at Syracuse

Syracuse is led by head coach Bakeer Ganesharatham, who owns a career record of 209-206 through his 15 seasons. With the Orange, he is 36-62 in four seasons.
SU is 8-2 in 2025, with both losses coming in four sets to Colgate.
Junior middle blocker Zharia Harris-Waddy has a .367 hitting percentage through 28 sets this season, good for seventh in the ACC. Harris-Waddy also has 34 total blocks, and is 11th in the conference in blocks per set with 1.21.
Senior transfer outside hitter Gabby McLaughlin is second in the ACC in attacks per set with 10.81. McLaughlin owns 145 kills in 2025, with 3.92 per set, which puts her seventh in the conference.
The Orange will face Notre Dame on Friday before coming to Louisville. Syracuse is coming off of a five-set win over St. John's on Sept. 20.

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Players Mentioned

Kalyssa Blackshear

Nayelis Cabello

Chloe Chicoine

Cara Cresse

Payton Petersen

Reese Robins

Kamden Schrand

Elena Scott

Hannah Sherman

Ava Utterback

University of Louisville Athletics