No. 5 Cardinals Upset No. 3 Wisconsin 3-1

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – August 28, 2024 – Nancy Worley

Charitie Luper had 11 kills and Anna DeBeer added 10 to lead the No. 5-ranked University of Louisville to a 3-1 upset of No. 3 Wisconsin in the second match of the AVCA First Serve Showcase Tuesday night in the KFC Yum! Center.  No. 2 Nebraska beat No. 9 Kentucky 3-1 in the first match of the evening.

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.

Wisconsin hit .179 with one ace and 14 digs. The Badgers were led by Sarah Franklin’s 17 kills and 2 blocks. Anna Smrek had 12 kills and four blocks.

UofL got off to a rocky start in the first set, falling behind 7-2 early and could not overcome UW’s .242 hitting and four blocks.  UofL hit .077 and had two blocks.  In the second set, UofL hitting heated up to .364 when Reese Robins had three kills to spark the Cards while the Badger hitting fell to 167.

The third set was tightly contested but Louisville managed to survive .146 hitting and came back for the deuce win. Louisville hit .163 to UW’s .079 and ended on a five straight points run.  

2024 AVCA First Serve All-Star Team Selections
• Best Opposite: Brooklyn DeLeye, Kentucky
• Best Middle Blocker: Rebekah Allick, Nebraska
 • Best Setter: Bergen Reilly, Nebraska
• Best Libero: Elena Scott, Louisville
 • Best Outside Hitter: Charitie Luper, Louisville
• AVCA First Serve MVP: Rebekah Allick, Nebraska