University of Louisville
15-2,5-0ACC
California
12-4,2-3ACC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 17 | 17 | 25 | 18 | 1 |
| Louisville | 25 | 25 | 23 | 25 | 3 |
Louisville Defeats California in Four Sets
October 08, 2026 | Women's Volleyball
The Cards remain undefeated in conference play with a 5-0 record
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The No. 3-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team defeated California in a hard-fought four-set battle (25-17, 25-17, 23-25, 25-18) on Thursday evening at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena.
Louisville (15-2, 5-0 ACC) stuffed a season-best 15 total blocks to help hold California (12-4, 2-3 ACC) to just a .130 hitting percentage. The Cards' defense also tallied 55 digs to help shut down the Golden Bears' offense. Offensively, UofL posted 47 kills on a .290 clip while serving up four aces.
"Well, we won," said Dan & Maria Durbin Head Coach Dan Meske. "Not a lot other than that to like in that match other than the fact that we won. It's nice to gut out that win, but we started off decent and then Cal played really well. They're a really talented team and they challenged us. Their defense was really good, they dug up a bunch of balls, they outkilled us, and we really got put in our place tonight. I think the homecourt [advantage] helped us. I thought our serving was tough and we had some timely aces in sets that we won, but it was not a good feel in that match. We can play a heck of a lot better and we need to."
Middle blocker Brooke Bultema led the Cardinals' offense, recording a season-best 13 kills on an excellent .750 hitting percentage, her sixth match hitting at least .600 this year. Opposite Kalyssa Blackshear added 13 kills on a .333 clip, marking her 11th match with double-digit kills and 11th time hitting at least a .300. The sophomore also tied a season-best with six blocks to boost UofL's defense.
Setter Nayelis Cabello dished out 37 assists and earned an ace to lift Louisville's offense. The junior added 15 digs and a pair of blocks to round out her balanced performance. Libero Payton Petersen locked down Cal's offense with 18 digs while serving up a pair of aces to help the Cardinals on both ends of the court.
SET 1
The teams played neck-and-neck to start the match with the score tied at 4 early in the first. Chloe Meester, Addison Makun and Blackshear each recorded both a kill and a block to give UofL the 12-7 lead. The squads traded points heading into the media timeout as the Cards maintained their edge at 15-10. Cal scored the first two out of the break to come within three at 15-12, but the Cardinals answered with an 8-3 run to extend their advantage to 23-15. The Golden Bears scored a pair of points but kills by Chloe Chicoine and Bultema sealed the 25-17 win for Louisville. The Cards' offense pushed the pace in the first, hitting .424 with 17 kills.
SET 2
The Cards carried their momentum into the second, scoring the first four points of the set to force an early Cal timeout. The squads played even the next 10 points as Louisville held its lead at 9-5. A pair of tandem blocks by Blackshear and Makun powered a quick 6-2 run to extend the Cardinals' advantage to 15-7 heading into the media timeout. The Golden Bears scored first out of the break, but UofL rattled off three straight points that featured back-to-back kills by Bultema to create distance at 18-8. Cal scratched back but a service error secured Louisville the 25-17 win. The Cards' defense showed out in the second, stuffing five blocks and holding California to just a .105 hitting percentage.
SET 3
Cal got ahead early after scoring the first three points of the set before a kill by Chicoine put UofL on the board. The Cards' battled back the next 14 points to tie up the score at 9 apiece. The Golden Bears scored three of the next four, but Louisville shot back with a quick 5-1 run to head into the media timeout up 15-13. The back-and-forth affair continued as Cal pushed the pace to take the lead at 22-21, forcing a UofL timeout. The Cards tied up the score at 22, but the Golden Bears scored three of the next four to earn the 25-23 win.
SET 4
California scored the first point of the set, but a pair of blocks and a kill by Bultema helped boost the Cards to an early 6-2 lead. The Golden Bears bounced back to come within one at 9-8, but the Cards held on to head into the media timeout up 15-12. Cal scored two of the next three, but back-to-back blocks by Makun ignited a 6-0 run to extend UofL's edge to 22-14, forcing a Golden Bears' timeout. Cal inched back but a kill by Blackshear earned Louisville the 25-18 win. The Cards held the Golden Bears to just a .026 clip in the fourth.
UP NEXT
The Cards will stay at home to host No. 14 Stanford at L&N Federal Credit Union Arena on Sunday, Oct. 11. First serve is set for 1 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast on ESPN.
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