No. 4 Cardinals Head to Showdown at the Net Versus No. 2 Texas

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- The No. 4-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team will travel to Ft. Worth, Texas, to take on No. 2-ranked Texas in the Shriners Children's Showdown at the Net on Wednesday, Sept. 10, at 9 p.m. ET. The match will be broadcast on ESPN.

This is the first time the two teams will meet since the 2022 National Championship match where the Longhorns grabbed a 3-0 win and their second straight national title. UofL and UT have only met a total of five times, with Texas having a 4-1 advantage in the matchup. The Cards' lone win came in a five-setter in Austin that sent Louisville to its first-ever Elite Eight in 2019.

UofL is coming off a 3-1 win over Illinois in the KFC Yum! Center on Sunday, during which four Cardinals set new career highs. Libero Kamden Schrand posted 28 digs in the match, 10 more than her previous career high. Schrand is now No. 2 in the nation and No. 1 in the ACC in digs per set with 5.22.

Outside hitters Payton Petersen and Chloe Chicoine alongside middle blocker Kalyssa Blackshear all set new highs in kills with Petersen collecting 20, Chicoine adding 17 and Blackshear posting 13. The Louisville offense is now No. 2 nationally in kills per set with 15.23. Setter Nayelis Cabello tallied 52 assists in the match, beating her previous high of 44. UofL has also served five aces in four straight matches to start the season.

A Peek at the Cards

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.
This is the first time Louisville and Texas will meet since the 2022 National Championship. The Longhorns lead the all-time series 4-1.
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, 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).
Outside hitters Charitie Luper and Sofia Maldonado Diaz finished their careers being named to the NCAA All-Final Four team following their performances against Pitt and Penn State.
The win over No. 1 Pittsburgh 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.
Both of Louisville's NCAA Finals appearances have come after wins over Pitt. In 2022, the Cards advanced following a five-set victory.
Libero Elena Scott was named a First Team All-American by the AVCA on Dec. 18. Outside hitter Anna DeBeer was added on the Second Team, while outside hitter Charitie Luper and middle blocker Cara Cresse received honorable mentions.
Anna DeBeer was named Most Outstanding Player of the Louisville Regional following wins over No. 4 seed Purdue and No. 2 seed Stanford. Charitie Luper and Elena Scott also received honors for their performances, with both players being named to the All-Region Team.
Five Cardinals racked up AVCA All-Region Honors. Cara Cresse, Anna DeBeer, Charitie Luper, and Elena Scott were 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.
Scott, Anna DeBeer, and Charitie Luper were named as First Team All-ACC players for the second consecutive year. Cara Cresse was again selected to the Second Team All-ACC.
On Nov. 25, Anna DeBeer, Elena Scott, and Charitie Luper were all drafted during the 2024 Pro Volleyball Federation Draft. Going to the Indy Ignite, DeBeer was selected as the second pick in the first round, while Scott was the first pick in the second round. Luper was the eighth pick in the third round to the Vegas Thrill.
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.
On Nov. 15, Anna DeBeer became the fourth player in Louisville history to join the career double-double club after recording her 1,000th dig against Duke. DeBeer finished her career with 1,493 kills and 1,082 digs.
On Nov. 13, libero Elena Scott was named a semifinalist for the AVCA Division I Player of the Year Award presented by Nike Volleyball.
wIn 2024, Louisville was named to the Top 16 by the NCAA Selection Committee. The Cards were picked 4th.
Charitie Luper became the 26th Cardinal to join the 1,000 kill club. She finished her career with 1,208 career kills, 725 of which came at Louisville.
UofL's RPI was No. 4 in the nation in 2024, with the fourth-most difficult schedule in Division I NCAA Volleyball.
UofL played 11 opponents in the Top 25 in 2024 and are 8-5 in those matches.
The Cards swept 18 opponents and were 3-1 in five set matches in 2024.

Quick Peek at Texas

Jerritt Elliott is in his 25th season leading the Longhorns. Elliott holds a 611-121 record in Austin, including three National Championships.
Leading the Texas offense is junior transfer from Pittsburgh, Torrey Stafford. In UT's first four matches, Stafford already has three double-doubles, including 18 kills and 10 digs against No. 6 Stanford on Sunday.
On defense, libero Emma Halter added 10 digs and two service aces against Stanford. Halter and her team are second in the SEC in digs/set with 14.73.
UT is 4-0 with three ranked wins over Creighton, Wisconsin and Stanford to start 2025.
Texas finished 2024 with a 20-7 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance. The Longhorns made it to the Sweet 16 before falling to Creighton in four sets.

University of Louisville Athletics

No. 4 Cardinals Head to Showdown at the Net Versus No. 2 Texas

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Players Mentioned

Kalyssa Blackshear

Nayelis Cabello

Chloe Chicoine

Cara Cresse

Anna DeBeer

Charitie Luper

Sofia Maldonado Diaz

Payton Petersen

Reese Robins

Kamden Schrand

Elena Scott

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