In the first-ever regular season college volleyball match aired nationally on ABC, No. 4 Louisville fell to No. 5 Nebraska in straight sets (25-16, 25-17, 25-20) at the KFC Yum! Center. The match also set a new Louisville volleyball attendance record, with 14,126 fans in attendance.
Louisville’s offense was led by outside hitter Anna DeBeer, who tallied 12 kills and hit .308, while Sofia Maldonado Diaz added eight kills. The Cardinals, now 8-2 on the season, hit just .133 with four blocks and no aces. Libero Elena Scott had a match-high 19 digs, while Phekran Kong and Reese Robins each contributed two blocks.
Nebraska hit .305, with Harper Murray leading the Huskers with 11 kills. Nebraska also recorded seven aces and 36 kills in the match, improving their record to 10-1.
Louisville will now turn to Atlantic Coast Conference play, facing California at L&N Arena on Friday at 7 p.m., followed by a match against Stanford on Sunday at 3 p.m. at the KFC Yum! Center.
Set 1
Louisville started strong with early kills from DeBeer and Charitie Luper, taking a 3-1 lead. Despite holding a 5-3 advantage, Nebraska evened the score at 5-5 and took the lead at 6-5. The Huskers then went on a 7-0 run to make it 16-9, prompting a Louisville timeout. Despite kills from DeBeer and Maldonado Diaz, Nebraska closed out the set 25-16.
Set 2
Louisville once again took an early lead, going up 2-0, but Nebraska responded with a 6-0 run, including three aces from Lindsay Krause. Louisville managed a 4-0 run midway through the set, but Nebraska’s consistent play carried them to a 25-17 win.
Set 3
The third set was competitive, with Louisville taking an early lead and battling back and forth with Nebraska. After a 3-0 run put Louisville ahead 8-5, Nebraska clawed back to tie the set at 11. The Huskers used a 4-0 run to gain separation, and despite kills from DeBeer and Kong, Nebraska secured the match with a 25-20 victory.
Louisville will look to rebound in their upcoming ACC matches this weekend.
