No. 3 Cards Sweep Duke to Stay Undefeated in ACC Play

Friday, October 16

LOUISVILLE, KY

7:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

17-2,7-0ACC

Duke

12-5,4-3ACC

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Duke	19	11	15	0
Louisville	25	25	25	3

Photo by: Mallory Peak | Louisville Athletics

October 16, 2026 | Women's Volleyball

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The victory extends Louisville’s winning streak against the Blue Devils to 13 matches

By: Zach Zsido

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The No. 3-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team swept Duke (25-19, 25-11, 25-15) to remain unbeaten in conference play on Friday evening at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.

Louisville (17-2, 7-0 ACC) dominated on the offensive side of the floor, hitting .370 with 42 kills while serving up six aces. The Cards' defense also shut down the Duke (12-5, 4-3 ACC) offense, holding the Blue Devils to just a .120 hitting percentage with only 27 kills. UofL also tallied 47 digs and stuffed 12 blocks to help lock down Duke.

"It was a great team win," said Dan & Maria Durbin Head Coach Dan Meske. "I told the team that it didn't feel like it always in the match, but it was just an excellent team win against a really well-coached Duke team that's organized and much improved. I thought we came out so flat - not flat, but we were just making uncharacteristic errors and I thought we really righted the ship. [Nayelis Cabello] was excellent tonight. Even when we were making hitting errors and not doing our best offensively, I thought she was setting a really good game. And then defensively, we were pretty locked in from the jump, so just an all-around really good effort to start what's going to be a really tough weekend. We've got UNC coming in on Sunday, and they're going to be really good and tough to beat."

Outside hitter Chloe Chicoine exploded for the Cardinals' offense, setting a season-best with a .607 hitting percentage while totaling 18 kills, her 16^th match eclipsing the double-digit kill mark. The senior also hit a career milestone with her 1,500^th kill in the middle of the third set. Middle blocker Brooke Bultema also helped power the Cards, hitting .636 with eight kills to mark her seventh match with at least a .600 hitting percentage. The senior also stuffed five blocks to help Louisville's defensive efforts.

Setter Nayelis Cabello facilitated UofL's offense to a .370 hitting percentage, dishing out 36 assists while adding four kills on a .571 clip. The junior stuffed five blocks and posted six digs to help the Cards' defense. Libero Payton Petersen led the Cardinals with 16 digs while serving up three aces to support Louisville on both ends of the floor.

SET 1
The Cards opened the match with a quick 5-1 run that featured a pair of kills by Chicoine to gain the early edge on Duke. The teams went back-and-forth as the Blue Devils fought back to cut UofL's lead to one at 10-9. The Cardinals maintained their advantage heading into the media timeout up 15-12. Louisville scored three of the first four out of the break to force a Duke timeout at 18-13. The Blue Devils answered with a 6-3 run to come within two at 21-19, but kills by Bultema, Chicoine and Cabello helped secure the 25-19 win for the Cards. UofL's defense held Duke to just seven kills on only a .091 hitting percentage in the first.

SET 2
Louisville carried its momentum into the second, scoring the first five points of the set that included three kills by Chicoine. Duke got on the board, but the Cards powered another 8-3 run as a pair of tandem blocks by Addison Makun and Cabello put UofL up 13-4. The squads traded blows the next seven points with Louisville holding the 16-8 lead. The Cardinals closed the second with a 9-3 run that was capped by a pair of kills by Chloe Meester to earn the 25-11 victory. The Cards' offense excelled in the second, hitting .550 and tallying 13 kills.

SET 3
The teams played neck-and-neck to start the third with the score tied at 4 apiece early in the set. The Cards rattled off six straight points highlighted by a pair of aces by Petersen to force a Duke timeout at 10-4. The Blue Devils scored a pair of points out of the break, but UofL shot back with another 6-1 run that saw three tandem blocks by Bultema and Cabello to extend its lead to 16-7. Duke went on a 5-1 run to cut Louisville's advantage to 17-12, but the Cardinals fired back with three straight to create distance at 20-12. The Blue Devils scored two, but a 5-1 run by UofL that featured three kills by Chicoine claimed the 25-15 win for the Cards.

UP NEXT
The Cards stay at home to host No. 23 North Carolina on Sunday, Oct. 18 at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena. First serve is set for 1 p.m. ET and the match will be streamed on ACCNX.