Cards Battle to the Wire, Fall in Five to Texas in ACC/SEC Showdown

The No. 4 Louisville Cardinals were pushed to the limit Wednesday night at the Shriners Children’s Showdown, falling 3–2 to No. 2 Texas in a match that came down to just a few points. The scores told the story: 23-25, 25-16, 21-25, 25-22, 16-14.

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Louisville had plenty of standout performances. Payton Petersen paced the offense with 18 kills, while Cara Cresse tied her own school record with 14 blocks at the net. Chloe Chicoine contributed a double-double with 13 kills and 14 digs. Setter Nayelis Cabello kept the offense running with 38 assists, three kills, and seven blocks. In the back row, both Kamden Schrand and freshman Hannah Kenny added 12 digs and two aces. The team as a whole finished with 20 blocks and six aces.

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Texas was led by Pitt transfer Torrey Stafford, who recorded 20 kills and 18 digs. The Longhorns hit .153 for the match, with 15 blocks and five aces.

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Set 1: Louisville Strikes First

The Cardinals opened strong, building a 5-0 lead behind Schrand’s serve and an early block from Cresse and Kalyssa Blackshear. Texas rallied late, but kills from Cabello, Chicoine, and Petersen helped Louisville close it out 25-23.

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Set 2: Texas Responds

Texas turned the momentum quickly, hitting .500 early in the set and building a 10-3 lead. Louisville never quite recovered, dropping the set 25-16.

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Set 3: Kenny Provides a Spark

With the set tight in the middle stages, Kenny delivered back-to-back aces to give Louisville the edge. Chicoine closed it with a kill for a 25-21 win, putting the Cards up 2–1.

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Set 4: Longhorns Even the Match

Texas started quickly at 4-0, but Louisville responded with a seven-point run off Schrand’s serve. The set stayed close until Stafford delivered two straight kills to give the Longhorns a 25-22 win.

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Set 5: Narrow Finish

Louisville looked in control at 10-6 and later earned match point at 14-13 on Cresse’s 14th block of the night. Texas, however, scored the final three points to escape with the 16-14 victory.

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The loss drops Louisville to 7-1 on the season, but the performance reinforced that the Cardinals can match up with the top teams in the country.