No. 3 Louisville to Host Rival Kentucky in Top-10 Volleyball Clash
Louisville, Ky. – A highly anticipated matchup between teh No.3 Louisville Cardinals and the Kentucky Wildcats is set for Thursday at 6 p.m. at the KFC Yum! Center, marking the latest installment of the “Battle of the Bluegrass.” The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.
Louisville (7-1) returns home after a triumphant weekend, claiming the championship at the Bluejay Invitational hosted by Creighton. Kentucky enters the contest with a 5-2 record, having faced tough competition in losses to No.1 Nebraska and No. 5 Pittsburgh.
The rivalry has leaned heavily in LouisvilleS favor recently, with the Cardinals winning all four meetings against the Wildcats as 2021. Their last encounter at the Yum! Center in 2023 drew a record-setting crowd.
First-year Louisville head coach Dan Meske expressed his enthusiasm for the home game against Kentucky. “I think it’s so fitting that we get to play Kentucky there,” Meske said. “I always look forward to it, and it has a different feel. We’ve played big matches there… Final Fours and things like that, but when Kentucky’s there, it just has a different vibe to it.”
the matchup is notable for the strong coaching connections between the two programs. Meske and Kentucky head coach Craig Skinner both developed under legendary coach John Cook at Nebraska,serving on the staff at different times. Further linking the teams,Louisville All-American Amaya Tillman is now an assistant coach for the Wildcats,alongside Merideth jewell Frey,a former Mercy Academy standout and Louisville volunteer assistant,who is in her fourth season as UK’s associate head coach.
“We have a lot of roots that are similar within the programs,so there’s a lot of mutual respect there,” Meske added. “it’s fun for the rivalry.”