LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – The University of Louisville volleyball team begins NCAA Tournament play Friday night as the No. 2 overall seed with the goal of reaching a second consecutive Final Four – and they wouldn't have to leave town to do it.
The Cardinals (26-2) will open postseason play at L&N Arena on campus, which will be sold out, as it has been for two years. They get So-Con champion Samford (19-12) in the opener, and would face the winner of today's 4 p.m. matchup between Tennessee and Purdue if they advance.
Louisville opens at 7 p.m. on Friday, with Saturday's second-round match scheduled for 6 p.m. The matches will be available online from ESPN. Should it advance, U of L would host next week's regional in the KFC Yum! Center.
Some things to know about the Cards heading into the tournament:
Louisville has a long NCAA tradition
Louisville is making its 31st appearance in the NCAA Tournament, and sixth under coach Danny Busboom Kelly. The program had 15 NCAA Tournament wins before her arrival. It has had 9 under DBK since 2017.
Last year's run to the Final Four was the first in program history, and came after Busboom Kelly became the first female coach to lead a team to an unbeaten regular season.
The Cardinals have made at least the regional final round in 2 of the past 3 seasons.
Louisville navigated a tough road to get here
Louisville faced 10 ranked opponents, winning 8 of those matchups, on its way to the ACC championship and No. 2 overall seed. Their win at Kentucky was the most-watched volleyball game in the history of the ESPN Networks.
Against a schedule ranked fourth-toughest nationally in terms of opponent winning percentage, the Cardinals have already faced one potential tournament opponent, sweeping Purdue 3-0 on Feb. 4. The Boilermakers were ranked No. 9 nationally at the time.
"I definitely think our schedule will help us," Busboom Kelly said. "We've played great teams. We've been tested all year. . . . I do feel prepared, and also excited, because I don't feel like this team has peaked yet. . . . It's the most excited I've been going into the tournament, just because I feel like there's more to do. Last year I felt a different feeling. We were playing so well, and when was it going to end? But this year, we still have more to do and players who are improving every day."
Players to watch
Claire Chaussee – The graduate outside hitter was voted ACC player of the year after leading the Louisville offense with 3.81 kills per set. The Sun Prairie, Wisc., native came up big in a come-from-behind 5-set win over Georgia Tech, with a season-high 27 kills.
Amaya Tillman – The 6-foot-3 senior middle blocker from Topeka, Kansas, was named ACC defensive player of the year a second time in 2022 after leading a defense that ranked second nationally in blocks per set. Tillman ranks sixth nationally in the same statistic.
Louisville's Raquel Lazaro was voted ACC Setter of the Year.
Raquel Lazaro – A senior transfer from USC, the setter from Magala, Spain, continued a Louisville tradition by earning ACC setter of the year honors. It was the sixth time a Louisville player has won the honor. Katie George (2015), Wilma Rivera (2017, 2018) and Tori Dilfer (2020, 2021) were the others.
Elena Scott – The sophomore libero out of Louisville's Mercy Academy was voted first-team All-ACC and was aced only 15 times this season in 354 attempts. She was aced only 6 times in the 2021 entire season (399 total attempts) and four of her reception errors were against Top 25 opponents. She was aced only twice in ACC play.
Aiko Jones – The redshirt senior opposite hitter from Kingston, Jamaica, was a first-team All-ACC selection and joined the 1,000-kill club in a victory over North Carolina.
Anna DeBeer – The junior outside hitter out of Louisville Assumption missed 12 matches with a lower leg injury but brought some punch back to the lineup when she returned late this season.
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