LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) - Solutions can often be simple. And in No. 5 Louisville volleyball's case against No. 3 Stanford, the answer kept leaping in front of thousands of eyes at the KFC Yum! Center.

The Cardinals trailed the Cardinal 12-5 in the second set of their top-five ACC showdown on Sunday. Charitie Luper perfectly placed a kill in a back corner of the court to make it 12-6. And that's when everyone knew.

"I feel like when it's go time, it's go time," Luper said. "And there's really no stopping our team."

There was no stopping the second-year Louisville transfer's takeover to charge the Cardinals past the Cardinal in a three-set sweep (25-16, 25-23, 25-22). After she helped her team convincingly take the first set, Luper racked up 11 kills in the second to ensure the Cards would not relinquish control of a much-anticipated match on their home court.

"I know they say feed the hot hand," Luper said. "And that's true. Like, my hand does feel hot, honestly.

"But everything just gets better in that moment. My vision gets better, my hand contact and I start jumping higher. But that's just me gaining confidence in myself, trust in myself and in my setters."

Luper had 11 kills in the second set vs. Stanford in a Louisville sweep.

Louisville head coach Dani Busboom Kelly coaches her setters. The former Nebraska setter and libero said having a balanced attack is always key. As Luper kept doing whatever she wanted for a season-high 18 kills though, Busboom Kelly did not want to mess with anything.

"When somebody's hot, you're like, 'Let's just keep it rolling,'" Busboom Kelly said. "And I think the team knows that: Whoever it may be, we're going to ride them.

"So, that's a big reason for the comeback. The reason is just Charitie getting hot and taking over that second set."

Both Busboom Kelly and Luper know how easy it is to get overconfident with a two-set lead against a program who has won nine national championships. The last time Stanford came to the Yum! Center, the Cardinal came back to reverse sweep the Cardinals. 

"We don't talk about that too much, partly because Stanford has a very different team," Busboom Kelly said. "They only have two or three returning players from last year and we're running a whole new system, so it was a little bit irrelevant for us.

"It's more like, 'Can we play great for a long period of time?' And you've seen this team kind of go up and down. So, it was more of a challenge on our side of the net, no matter who the opponent was. But it's nice to get that revenge for sure."

Louisville volleyball

Louisville secured it by hitting .248 while totaling 44 kills and 40 assists. Defensively, Cara Cresse and Reese Robins combined for 11 blocks as the Cardinals held a dangerous Stanford squad to hit just .144 with 16 errors.

Busboom Kelly said a focus for her team was passing better. The assist total and being able to hold Stanford to just two service aces showed Louisville was listening.

"When we aren't passing great, it's still a ball we can touch," Busboom Kelly said. "Stanford's one of the best serving teams in the country, so that was a huge improvement for our team."

"I think we learned our lesson against Nebraska," Luper said. "We know you can't win games if you don't serve and pass."

That wasn't the only lesson from a home loss to the vaunted Cornhuskers. Their former captain had three successful challenges for the Cardinals against Stanford, helping Louisville sustain any momentum.

"It is a call to all the fans," Busboom Kelly said with a smile. "There was one vs. Nebraska that I didn't challenge because nobody really said anything. And so I was like, 'Oh, that must have been out.' And on film, it was way in.

"So today, when I saw the fans getting rowdy, I was like, 'Okay, that's an easy call to challenge that.' But I think we've learned our lesson with challenges. If you want to beat great teams, you got to go for it. And when your team is confident, they know the call."

The Cardinals can carry plenty of confidence after starting ACC play with two home victories. This latest one just showed them they can rely on one or many to be at their best and beat the best.

"Coming from behind in game two, being in tight, tight sets and being able to win those just shows your team a little bit more what you're made of and what you're capable of," Busboom Kelly said. "We talked about not underestimating our capability.

"And I thought today, we kind of showed what we can do, and you can do that in practice. We can beat a an opponent that's maybe not ranked, but it's not the same as taking down not only a top-four team, but a very storied, historic volleyball program that's won more national championships than anybody.

"So a great program, great team, and it's a big deal for us to win this one."

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