Cards’ Top-10 Volleyball Team Nearing Start Of Its Quest For Another Final Four

By RUSS BROWN • Photos By UofL Athletics

With the exception of the football team’s collapse late in the season that knocked it out of a chance to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship game, it is shaping up as a banner season for Louisville’s high-profile sports teams. 

At publication time, Coach Pat Kesley’s men’s hoops team was ranked No. 6 in the nation with a 5-0 record and had snapped a three-game losing streak against arch-rival Kentucky with an impressive 96-88 homecourt win on Nov. 11 during which the Cardinals led by as many as 20 points in the second half. 

Jeff Walz’s No. 21 women’s team dropped its opener to No. 1 UConn 79-66 in the Armed Forces Classic in Annapolis, Md., but had won four straight going into a showdown with No. 20 Kentucky Nov. 22 in the KFC Yum! Center. We’ll have a better idea before Christmas how U of L stacks up nationally after facing the Wildcats, No. 2 South Carolina (Dec. 4); No. 14 North Carolina (Dec. 14); and No. 15 Tennessee (Dec. 20). 

Of course, March Madness is still more than three months away, but volleyball’s national tourney is coming up in just a couple weeks, so here’s a look at U of L’s 7th-ranked team, which will begin NCAA Tournament play on Dec. 4, probably as a host in the KFC Yum! Center. 

The Cards were 22-4 and took an eight-game winning streak into their Nov. 21 match at Georgia Tech. All four of their losses have been to top 10 teams in five sets -- No. 3 Texas, No. 2 Kentucky, No. 4 Pittsburgh and No. 8 SMU. They have defeated their other top 25 opponents -- No. 5 Stanford (3-1), No. 14 Miami (3-2) and No. 15 North Carolina (3-1). 

Louisville, Pitt and Stanford are in a three-way tie for the ACC championship going into the final week of play. The race for league championship and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament will be up for grabs on the final weekend, with U of L facing Pitt in a rematch on the road on Nov. 22, then hosting Stanford on Nov. 29. 

Whether they win the conference title or not, the Cards are virtually assured of a top-16 seed and hosting at least a first-round game. Selection Sunday will be Nov. 30. First-round matches will begin on Dec. 4 and the tournament will continue through Dec. 21. First- and second-round matches, as well as regionals, will be played at on-campus sites, with the semifinals and final set for the T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. 

Dani Busboom Kelly built Louisville into a perennial power before departing for Nebraska, her alma mater, after last season and being replaced by long-time assistant Dan Meske. 

“It’s hard to win,” Meske said. “I’ve always known that. And it is a little bit different as the head coach.” 

Never mind. Meske has carried on the tradition and could be on the path to guiding U of L to its second Final Four in a row, following its loss to Penn State (3-1) in the 2024 championship match in the KFC Yum! Center to finish with a 30-6 record. 

The loaded ACC has served to toughen up the Cards, with five of its other teams being ranked in the top 15, and a challenging non-conference schedule should also help pay dividends. 

“We have all these teams in the top 15, and I’ve always thought if you win our conference you should get a top four seed,” Meske said. “We haven’t had a conference champ that hasn’t gotten a No. 1 seed, with the exception of Florida State when they shared the title a few years ago. We’re fortunate to play in such a competitive conference. We’re trying to win it, then let the chips fall where they may.” 

Meske has been pleased with his team’s offensive performance, which was a question mark entering the season. U of L’s hitting percentage is .264, fourth in the ACC. 

“That’s really good,” Meske said. “If you’re around .300 that’s really, really spectacular.”

But he says that the Cards’ identity continues to be their defense, which he describes as “relentless and tenacious.” U of L is third in the ACC in blocks with 13.67 per set and second in digs at 15.33. 

“We’ve traditionally been a great blocking team, “ Meske said. “We’ve led the country in blocking multiple seasons. We just feel really confident about the way we block and the way we have a presence at the net. I think the thing that’s really fun about watching us is we’re the best defensive backcourt team I’ve ever been around in my entire career.” 

As you could guess, U of L has a number of outstanding players on its roster, with redshirt senior middle blocker Cara Cresse among the best. She provides a veteran’s steadying influence, is 9th in the conference in blocks with 461 and tied for 6th in blocks/assists. She also has 237 kills. 

“It’s kind of crazy,” said Cresse, from Ft. Wayne, Ind. “Sometimes I forget that I’m the oldest one here and it’s cool. I remember having some really great role models my freshman year and I wanted to do that for the younger girls. It’s an honor and I try to lead really well.” 

Cresse turned down a chance to be a potential first-round draft choice in professional volleyball after last season to return to U of L. 

“She’s just such a calm presence at the net,” Meske said. “You could see her first few years that the game felt fast. She was making extra movements, reacting to things that weren’t really happening. And now she makes it look like it’s in slow motion for her. It feels like we have a pro playing amongst college players.” 

Cresse, junior outside hitter Chloe Chicoine and sophomore setter Nayelis Cabello were named to the preseason All-ACC team and have lived up to that billing. Cabello is a 3-time ACC Setter of the Week and Chicoine, a transfer from Purdue where she started 64 matches, leads the team with 301 kills. Close behind is sophomore outside hitter Payton Petersen, who has 192 kills and is the Cards’ most versatile player. 

Meske said he believes Cabello is as good as anybody in the country. “I love football analogies,” he added. “And if your quarterback isn’t throwing catchable balls, it doesn’t matter who your receivers are. That’s where Nay is right now. She’s putting people in position to score.” 

As for Petersen, Meske is stumped if you ask what she does best. “On any given day I could give you a different answer,” he said. “Kills, digs, serve receiver -- she finds a way to help.” 

Among the other standouts are freshman middle blocker Kalyssa Blackshear, a 3-time ACC Freshman of the Week honoree with 269 kills, and redshirt junior middle blocker Hannah Sherman, with 101 kills and an ACC Defensive Player of the Week award to her credit. 

“I think we’re doing a very good job of getting contributions from a lot of different people,” Meske said. 

“We have a very competitive group,” Cresse said. “And I think that stems from fighting for positions, and I think that will get us really, really far.” Far being the program’s fourth trip in five years to the Final Four.