Louisville Volleyball Moves to #4 as UofL heads to Face #7 Penn State

Mark BlankenbakerSeptember 3, 2024

The No. 4-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team will hit the road for the first time in the 2024 season as the 2-0 Cardinals head to No. 7 Penn State for a matchup with the 2-0 Nittany Lions 7:30 on Tuesday, Sept. 3 in University Park, Pa.

While the Nittany Lions hold a 2-7 series record over the Cardinals, UofL won the last matchup last Sept. 10 in Cardinal Arena when UofL swept 3-0. Anna DeBeer had 10 kills and Cara Cresse hit .500 with 6 kills on 10 swings and added three blocks.

The Cards jumped up in the rankings after a pair of wins over Top 15 teams as UofL was voted into the No. 4 slot.

University of Louisville senior libero Elena Scott was voted the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Week for matches played during the opening week of the regular season and the Cardinals’ setter Nayelis Cabello was tabbed the ACC Freshman of the Week.

Scott was named the Defensive MVP of the AVCA First Serve Showcase on Tuesday after she totaled 22 digs and averaged 5.50 digs per set in Louisville’s 3-1 win over No. 3 Wisconsin. The Louisville, Kentucky, native forced the Badgers to hit just .179 for the match, capped off by a .079 mark in the fourth set. On Sunday, the senior posted eight digs in a 3-0 sweep over No. 15 Tennessee. As a team, the Lady Vols hit just .151 with a .057 average in the final and third set.

Cabello helped set up the Louisville attack with 37 assists and 13 digs in the Cardinals’ perfect 2-0 start to the regular season. In her first collegiate match last Tuesday, the Clermont, Florida, native totaled 20 assists in Louisville’s 6-2 offense, as the Cards knocked off No. 3 Wisconsin. In Sunday’s 3-0 sweep of No. 15 Tennessee, the freshman posted 17 assists and six digs to clinch Louisville’s second ranked win of the week.

The Cards’ volleyball team swept No. 15 Tennessee on Sunday at the KFC Yum! Center. Outside hitter Charitie Luper hit .474 with a double-double, getting 10 kills, 12 digs, and an ace to lead the No. 6-ranked University of Louisville volleyball team to a 25-14, 25-22, and 25-20 win over No. 15-ranked Tennessee Sunday afternoon at the KFC Yum! Center.

The Cardinals earned their second win over a top-15 team in the past five days as they move to 2-0 on the season. As a team, Louisville hit .371 with seven aces and 45 kills on the afternoon. Outside hitter Sofia Maldonado Diaz recorded 11 kills and outside hitter Anna DeBeer tallied nine kills and three aces. Setter Elle Glock notched 20 assists and one ace while middle blocker Reese Robins hit .727 and knocked down eight kills.

The Cardinals handed an upset win to No. 3 Wisconsin on Tuesday night as part of the AVCA First Serve Showcase. Charitie Luper had 11 kills and Anna DeBeer added 10 to lead Cards to a 3-1 upset of No. 3 Wisconsin. The Cardinals move to 1-0 on the season with the 18-25, 25-17, 26-24, 25-20 win. The victory marks the first win over UW since 1985 and was a rematch of the NCAA National Semifinals in 2021 when the Badgers won 3-2. Cara Cresse added eight kills and six blocks with Sofia Maldonado Diaz adding 11 kills. Elena Scott added a match-high 22 digs. UofL hit .166 as a team with 10 blocks and two aces. Charitie Luper was named Best Outside Hitter and Elena Scott was voted Best Libero for the 2024 AVCA First Serve All-Star Team.