University of Louisville
Illinois
No. 3 Cardinals Set to Host Illinois at KFC Yum! Center
September 05, 2025 | Women's Volleyball
LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The No. 3-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team will welcome Illinois for a matchup in the KFC Yum! Center on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 3 p.m.
The Cards are coming off of a 3-0 weekend at the Cardinal Classic, sweeping Auburn, Morehead State, and St. John's to start the season. Libero Kamden Schrand was voted Most Valuable Player of the tournament with outside hitters Payton Petersen and Chloe Chicoine taking home All-Tournament Team honors.
Schrand posted 47 digs across the three matches and served three aces against St. John's on Sunday. Petersen grabbed a career-high 12 kills against Morehead State and matched that total against St. John's the next day. Petersen also had three aces through two matches and dug 27 balls on the weekend. Chicoine's Louisville career got off to a hot start as she knocked down 27 kills through the three matches, adding 24 digs, four blocks and one ace.
Quick Peek at the Cards
- Libero Kamden Schrand was voted MVP of the Cardinal Classic. Outside hitters Chloe Chicoine and Payton Petersen were named to the All-Tournment Team.
- Louisville was voted to No. 3 in the AVCA Coaches' Poll released on Sept. 1. The Cards were also picked to finish second in the ACC in the 2025 Preseason Poll.
- 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, presented by Nike Volleyball.
- An NCAA record 21,860 fans attended the National Championship in the KFC Yum! Center, breaking the previous record of 21,786 set during the National Semifinals.
- Libero Elena Scott earned AVCA First Team All-American honors on Dec. 18. Outside hitter Anna DeBeer was added to the Second Team. Outside hitter Charitie Luper and middle blocker Cara Cresse both received honorable mentions.
- Anna DeBeer was named Most Outstanding Player of the Louisville Regional. Charitie Luper and Elena Scott were both named to the All-Region Team.
- Cara Cresse was named to the AVCA All-Region Team, and Nayelis Cabello was selected as South Region Freshman of the Year. Reese Robins took home All-Region Honorable Mention.
Quick Peek at Illinois
- Chris Tamas is in his ninth season in Champaign, where he owns a career record of 150-95.
- The Fighting Illini started their season with a pair of neutral-site matches against South Dakota State and Vanderbilt at the inaugural Broadway Block Party in Nashville, Tenn. Illinois went 1-1 on the weekend, falling in four sets to SDSU before grabbing a 3-1 win over Vanderbilt.
- Returning to the squad this season is redshirt sophomore Taylor de Boer. As an outside hitter, de Boer faced off against UofL's Cara Cresse and Chloe Chicoine in the 2025 U23 NORCECA Pan American Cup when she took home silver for Team Canada.
- Coming back for her final season with Illinois is middle blocker Kayla Burbage. The graduate student has 637 career kills and 205 total blocks.
- After finishing 18-12 in the regular season, the Illini made a first round appearance in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, playing Northern Iowa in the KFC Yum! Center.
