Cards Complete Reverse Sweep Over No. 14 Miami Behind Petersen’s Career Performance

The No. 7 Louisville Cardinals delivered their most resilient performance of the season on Sunday afternoon inside L&N Federal Credit Union Arena, erasing a two-set deficit to defeat No. 14 Miami in five sets (22-25, 27-29, 25-23, 25-19, 15-12). The win marked Louisville’s first five-set victory of the year and pushed the Cardinals to 22-4 overall and 14-2 in ACC play.

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Payton Petersen led the comeback with a career-high 24 kills, hitting .354 and adding 10 digs for her eighth double-double of the season. Louisville finished the match hitting .301 with 55 kills, 15 blocks, and three aces.

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At the net, Louisville’s blocking unit helped shift the momentum. Cara Cresse totaled eight blocks and added 13 kills, while Hannah Sherman contributed six blocks. Chloe Chicoine added 10 kills, including two key points late in the fifth set. Setter Nayelis Cabello guided the offense with 48 assists, eight digs, and four blocks.

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Miami was powered by an exceptional individual effort from Flormarie Heredia Colón, who recorded 40 kills for her second 40-kill performance of the year and fifth consecutive match with 30 or more. Setter Ariana Rodriguez and Heredia Colón each finished with three aces, and Rodriguez and libero Naylani Feliciano shared the team lead with 15 digs.

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Set One

Miami opened with a 6-1 lead, but Louisville answered to pull within 12-11. The Hurricanes responded with a push to 18-13, and although Louisville tied the set at 21 behind a strong serving run and timely kills, Miami closed the frame with a kill and block to take the opener.

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Set Two

The second set was the tightest of the match. Louisville briefly held a 15-14 lead before the teams traded points down the stretch. The set reached ties at 23, 24, 25, and 26 before Miami capitalized on back-to-back opportunities to win 29-27 and take a two-set lead into the break.

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Set Three

Louisville turned the match in set three by forcing early Miami errors and building a 12-8 advantage. The Hurricanes rallied to tie it at 20, but a service error handed Louisville set point, and an attack error from Miami secured a 25-23 win to keep the Cardinals alive.

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Set Four

Louisville carried that momentum forward, opening the fourth set with an 8-2 run fueled by a series of blocks from Cresse, Cabello, and Blackshear. Sherman added two solo blocks, and the attack continued to find rhythm as Louisville extended its lead to 20-16. A late 6-0 surge put the set out of reach, and a kill from Chicoine forced a decisive fifth.

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Set Five

Petersen opened the final frame with her 21st kill, and Louisville built an early 8-3 advantage at the switch. Miami cut the lead to 10-6 before Louisville used a timeout. After Miami pulled within four, Chicoine delivered back-to-back kills to make it 13-9. Her 10th kill brought up match point, and Petersen finished the comeback with her 24th kill to close out the 15-12 victory.

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Final Notes

Louisville’s depth, blocking efficiency, and late-match composure defined the program’s signature win of the season. Petersen’s career day, combined with strong performances from Cresse, Cabello, Sherman, and Chicoine, allowed the Cardinals to overcome Miami’s standout offensive performance and secure a pivotal ACC victory.

The win not only extended Louisville’s momentum heading into the final stretch of conference play but also reinforced the team’s ability to respond under pressure and execute in high-stakes moments.