No. 4 Cards Sweep Syracuse to Open ACC Play

Friday, September 25

Syracuse, NY

6:00 p.m.

University of Louisville

11-2,1-0ACC

Syracuse

5-5,0-1ACC

Team	1	2	3	Final F
Louisville	25	25	25	3
Syracuse	9	13	18	0

Photo by: Mallory Peak | Louisville Athletics

September 25, 2026 | Women's Volleyball

Box Score

The victory marks Louisville's ninth straight win against the Orange

By: Zach Zsido

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – The No. 4-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team dominated Syracuse in three sets (25-9, 25-13, 22-18) in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener on Friday evening in Syracuse, N.Y.

Louisville (11-2, 1-0 ACC) locked down Syracuse (5-5, 0-1 ACC) all night long, holding the Orange to just 23 kills on a .010 hitting percentage. The Cardinals defense added 38 digs and stuffed 11 blocks to shut down the Orange's offense. The Cards also excelled offensively, earning a .368 clip with 40 kills and serving up 10 aces.

Outside hitter Chloe Meester led the charge for Louisville's offense, hitting .474 with 10 kills and a pair of aces. Outside hitter Chloe Chicoine tied her career high with four aces while adding eight kills and six digs to round out her all-around performance. Opposite Kalyssa Blackshear tallied eight kills with a pair of aces, adding six total blocks to help UofL's defensive efforts.

Setter Nayelis Cabello boosted UofL to a .368 hitting percentage after dishing out 30 assists, while also leading the Cards with 14 digs to dominate on both ends of the floor. Libero Payton Petersen added 10 digs, recording her 10th match she's eclipsed the double-digit kill mark this season.

SET 1
Syracuse earned its only lead of the set scoring the first two points, gaining the short-lived 2-0 edge. Louisville heated up with a 5-0 run to take the 5-2 advantage, but Syracuse fought back to tie up the match at 6. The Cards took off and never looked back as they unleashed with a 19-3 run to close the door on Syracuse and secure the 25-9 win. The dominant scoring spree featured four kills by Meester and three kills by Addison Makun, while the Cards defense held the Orange to a -.161 hitting percentage in the first.

SET 2
The teams played even at 7 through the first 14 points of the set, with neither squad taking more than a two-point lead. Louisville answered with a 5-0 run to create separation from Syracuse, holding the 12-7 advantage. The back-and-forth affair continued as the Cards maintained the five point edge with a score of 16-11. UofL once again ignited with a 9-2 run to shut down Syracuse and claim the 25-13 win. Brooke Bultema posted three kills and Blackshear served up a pair of aces to power the Cardinals offensively. Defensively, UofL held the Orange to a .000 hitting percentage in the second.

SET 3
The Cards brought their momentum to the third with a 6-2 run to start the set, with Meester (three) and Blackshear (two) combining for five early kills. The Orange came within two points, but UofL pulled away with a 9-2 run to earn the 16-7 advantage. The teams took turns scoring a pair of points before Syracuse came back with an 11-6 run to put the pressure on Louisville, cutting their deficit to four at 22-18. The Cards scored three straight points highlighted by a Petersen ace to earn the 25-18 win.

UP NEXT
Louisville heads to Chestnut Hill, Mass., to take on Boston College on Sunday, Sept. 27. First serve is set for 1 p.m. ET and the match will be streamed on ACCNX.

For the latest information on Louisville Volleyball, visit GoCards.com, or follow the team's Instagram and X account at @louisvillevb or on Facebook at facebook.com/LouisvilleVB.