No. 5 Cards Sweep Northern Iowa to Close Rice Invitational

Sunday, September 13

Houston, TX

1:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

9-1,0-0ACC

Northern Iowa

4-5,0-0MVC

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Louisville	25	25	25	3
UNI	11	17	23	0

Photo by: Nicole Finch | Louisville Athletics

No. 5 Cards Sweep Northern Iowa to Close Rice Invitational

September 13, 2026 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

The victory extends UofL’s win streak to eight matches.

By: Zach Zsido

HOUSTON, Texas – The No. 5-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team swept Northern Iowa (25-11, 25-17, 25-23) to secure its eighth straight win on Sunday afternoon to close the Rice Invitational in Houston.

Louisville (9-1) excelled on the defensive side of the ball, holding UNI (4-5) to only 37 kills on a .161 hitting percentage. The Cards also tied a season-high with 10 total blocks and recorded 46 digs. Offensively, UofL posted 46 kills on a .377 hitting percentage while adding four aces.

Opposite Kalyssa Blackshear contributed on both ends of the court, tallying 10 kills on a .476 hitting percentage while adding five blocks defensively. Outside hitter Chloe Chicoine also totaled 10 kills on a .312 clip and added seven digs and a block. Middle blocker Brooke Bultema recorded seven kills on a .700 hitting percentage and stuffed a season-high six blocks.

Setter Blair Thiebaud took advantage of her first career start, dishing out 34 assists while posting six kills on a .667 clip. Defensively, she added seven digs and three blocks to cap off her debut in the starting lineup. Payton Petersen continued her stellar season at libero with 18 digs and a pair of assists.

Blackshear was named the MVP of the Rice Invitational after averaging 13.6 kills on .389 hitting across the three matches in Houston, while Chicoine and Petersen were also named to the All-Tournament Team.

SET 1
The Cards wasted no time getting ahead, scoring eight straight points before UNI got on the board. Blackshear and Addison Makun started out hot, stuffing a pair of blocks and tallying a kill apiece to help UofL earn the 8-0 advantage. The Panthers clawed back but the Cardinals kept their foot on the gas, cruising to a 15-6 lead at the media timeout. The teams went back-and-forth the next 11 points, with Louisville holding the 10-point edge at 21-11. The Cards' sealed the deal with four straight points to secure the dominant 14-point win at 25-11.

SET 2
The squads traded blows for the first 20 points of the second, with neither team gaining more than a two-point lead. With UofL holding a narrow lead at 11-9, the Cards broke away with a quick 4-1 run to head into the media timeout up 15-10. UNI scored out of the break but kills by Blackshear and Chicoine forced a Panthers' timeout at 17-11. UNI scratched back but the Cards' offense pushed the pace, as Hannah Kenny served up an ace to earn Louisville the 25-17 victory.

SET 3
The teams played even through the first 16 points of the set before a pair of aces by Kamden Schrand helped UofL gain the 11-8 lead and forced a Panthers' timeout. UNI flipped the script with a 7-3 run of its own, earning the 15-14 edge heading into the media break. The squads battled but the Panthers started to pull away with a three-point lead at 21-18, causing a Louisville timeout. The Cards responded with a 7-2 run to close the match, including the last four points of the match. After Thiebaud tied the match at 23 with her sixth kill of the night, Meester and Bultema put down kills of their own to secure the sweep with a 25-23 win.

UP NEXT
The Cards will head to Bowling Green, Ky., to take on Western Kentucky on Wednesday, Sept. 16. First serve is set for 7 p.m. ET and the match will be streamed on ESPN+.